Samantha and Jennifer make it a Merry Christmas!

I want you to notice the third photograph from the bottom and see how well Darla and I did in matching a scarf and gloves to Jennifer's new hair color. Jennifer has run out of places on her body to tattoo and has now got a tattoo on her hair. Just kidding, Jenn. It is a new hair color called peacock (for obvious reasons). Her friend Sara came over with Jennifer on December 26th and they were both sporting the new hair color, although Sara has the color weaved into her hair and it is underneath her natural black and is more of a highlight. Jennifer's is on the top of her hair and shows more dramatically. We had a great time with Samantha and Jennifer. They stayed the night on Friday night and Samantha was having so much fun with the boys that she stayed up until 10 PM plying "peek-a-boo" with her uncles. Buddy, who is in his last week with us, happened to go outside to pee and got hit by a skunk in our back yard and Darla had to spend the next hour washing him in the shower and then brushing and blow drying his hair. Jennifer was the first one to smell the skunk and when we opened the door and then Buddy came rushing in dragging his face across his blanket trying to get the foul odor out of his mouth and out of his eye. Buddy has gotten progressively worse and is now using the front room as his own urinal and we have to put him down. I'll try to get him in either this week or next. The smell of skunk stayed in the house until yesterday when it finally began to abate. The laundry room still has the smell and I can smell it in the bathroom where Darla bathed him. This is just another of the reasons that I don't want to feed the skunks.

Samantha had a great time opening her gifts and playing with her bank and helicopter with her uncles, who were quick to help her get them out of the boxes and ready to play with. Samantha has matured a bit since we saw her last and you can see how smart she is with the phone that we gave her. She opened it and put it right to her ear (I guess she's seen her Mom do it hundreds of times over the last year). She is still a bit fussy when she doesn't get her way. If she doesn't want to be held, she'll let you know right away and if she is tired or has the sniffles, she will likewise let you know that she doesn't want to be put down. She is toddling about, walking a bit like Foster Brooks for those who remember who he is. She walks and totters and falls on her bum and is right back up and going in a second flat. She is in to everything and we found out how un-child proofed our house was as we walked behind her picking up knick knacks and picture frames. She made a beeline to Buddy's water when she first got here and had a good wash before we could pick it up and move it. She was enthralled with the cats and stopped whatever she was doing when one of them walked in sight and she'd smile and try to pet them. She was an absolute delight and had her moments of crankiness (she does NOT like to have her diaper changed), but was so much fun and it was great to see Jennifer with her. She is a good Mom, but her cell phone is a bit of a distraction. Sam is a happy baby and is doing really well with all of the changes in her young life.

I had a chance to sit down with Jen when Sam took a nap and talk about all of the changes in her life. I told her that I was concerned that some of the decisions she has made didn't seem to put Samantha first, but she assured me that her number one priority is motherhood and being the best Mother she can for Samantha. She and John grew apart (or more correctly Jennifer grew apart from John) and she decided it was best for her and for Sam to be apart from John. They share custody and John is having a hard time with the implosion that has occurred to his hopes and dreams for his family and it has been a tough transition for him. Jennifer is moving into a house with a woman she works with and they have another younger roommate who moved in just before Jennifer. Her main roommate, Dina, is buying the house from a bank and Jennifer and Samantha are lucky enough to be able to move in and each have a room. Dina is an interesting character, she is a journeyman electrician doing high voltage work and drives a Harley motorcycle. Her other roommate, Brittney, works at the Hard Rock Cafe (I think) or some other casino. Jennifer enjoys her job and her life and is trying to make the best of her situation with John. Samantha will start swim lessons in the new year and Jennifer is allowing John to take her every Saturday morning for the lessons.

I did not play golf this week, but will play both Friday and Saturday of this coming week. I checked my handicap card online and have played 87 rounds of golf this year, so one weekend off won't kill me. I did manage to watch the Win and In game between Dallas and Philly today and was actually glad to see Dallas lose. They have gaping holes in their personnel that are not getting better and their coaching is horrendous. Jerry Jones has a $1 Billion stadium to pay for and won't stand pat while Dallas continues to struggle. He will be an active participant in the free agent market and will shore up his secondary and his offensive line and perhaps even spend some money on a fullback to block for his two stellar running backs. It was an embarrassment of epic proportions (44-6) and will likely be the catalyst to finally wedge Wade Phillips out the door and perhaps be a nice landing zone for Brian Billick or even Bill Cowher.

I added a nice Scotty Cameron putter to my arsenal last week by winning an EBay auction for a 2007 Scotty Cameron Newport Stainless Steel 34" putter. It is the best of the blade putters that Scotty manufactures for Titleist and the one that Tiger still uses on tour. I have my 2005 Odyssey White Hot XG up for auction on EBay as I write this and it ends on Friday. My next major golf purchase will be new irons in 2009. I'm looking for a new set of Callaway or Pings that are going for a steal on EBay. I have a set of 2005 Wilson Fat shafts that have helped me drop from a 16 down to an 8, but I need the miracle of equipment to keep me in the low single digits.

The boys left with their Dad late last night for a road trip to Montana and a cousin's wedding on January 1st. Becky, Daniel's girlfriend, joined them on the trip. They return home Saturday and are back on the road to Cal Poly Sunday as classes start up again on January 5th.

Jennifer and Samantha flew back home today and we had dinner with them along with Diane and Bob, her new husband, his son Brady and Sara last night in Folsom. We went to a trendy Chicago style pizzeria in Old Town and there was an hour wait. We met them there at 6:00 PM and luckily they were there at 5:30 to put our name on the list. Samantha was a bit cranky and Sara got her stroller out of the car and Samantha was thrilled to relax in her stroller and actually sit in it during dinner. We had a nice visit and it was tough to say goodbye. Jennifer has it much tougher in Vegas as a single Mom, but it is her choice. John has all of his family in the Vegas area.

Well, this is a tad short, but I have more pictures to add, so it will grow over time. Darla and I are gearing up for our trip to the Bahamas and the Atlantis casino. We leave on January 9th and get back on the 16th. We will be hitting the tanning parlor over the next two weeks, so we don't burn on our first day on the beach. We look forward to getting away. Happy New Year to everyone. Ciao.

Samantha's Birthday!!!

Unfortunately, we couldn't roust Jennifer today. She's been hard to get ahold of since she left John. It is hit or miss with her. We left her a message to see how Samantha's big day went, but never received a return call. Samantha was going to have a big birthday celebration with John and his family today and Jennifer was going to have a quiet celebration with her tonight. Jennifer sent these pictures to us this week. You can see Samantha trying on Jennifer's work hard hat and wearing a Harley Davidson hat and one with a Harley Kids vest. Jennifer's roommate Dee has a Harley and likes buying Samantha presents. I'm hoping the clothing is as close as Sam gets to a real Harley any time soon. he is growing up fast and Darla and I are really looking forward to their visit this week. I've been in contact with her best friend, Sara, and she will be here on Friday as well to welcome Jennifer home and to see Samantha. Darla is fixing a big Prime Rib dinner that night and we will open presents with Jennifer and Samantha. The boys were out today picking out presents for Samantha. She is pretty darn adorable and you can count on a rash of pictures of Samantha in the next few blogs.

We had our Christmas party at work on Friday. We have had a big party the last few years, once at our house and four times at my assistant, Dinda's house. Dinda's mom (and her sister Cora's, who is my personal lines assistant underwriter) is very ill and she flew home with her to Manila on Monday and my personal lines underwriter, Kathy, lost her dad to cancer earlier this month. We decided as an office, that it wasn't a year to have a big party and decided to have a small celebration in the office. We do a yearly "white elephant" gift exchange and this year I got a massage chair topper for my office. The massager has heat and also back, lumbar and thigh massagers and it is fantastic. It also has a cigarette lighter adapter for use in the car and would be a great thing to have on a long trip. I bought a big chopped salad and a beach banquet (taco bar with lettuce, rice, beans, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, chips, sliced steak and sliced chicken). I bought it at Rubios and fed the whole office for right at $100.

As you can see above, it snowed in Las Vegas last Wednesday. Jennifer sad the snow started about 1 PM and it was still snowing at 7:30 that night when I called her. Jennifer said the snow was so unusual for the desert residents that it closed Interstate 15 and the airport in Vegas, stranding some guests. I can't think of a better place to get snowed in than Las Vegas. Of course, the snow was all but gone by the next morning as the temperatures returned to normal and left Vegas for probably another thirty years.

We are in the midst of a "pineapple express" tropical storm that promises to leave us with about four inches of rain by the weekend. Jennifer and Samantha fly in on Christmas Day and will be here until Sunday so I hope the weather doesn't cause problem with their travel plans.

I was disgusted by the play of the Dallas Cowboys last night, but things fell into place for Dallas today and they are in the playoffs with a win over Philadelphia next Sunday. They need to get their sh*t together by next week or they will be watching the NFL playoffs from home. On a brighter note, I watched our local Sacramento High School, Grant, beat Long Beach Poly in Saturday night to win the first California High School Championship in 62 years. They stopped crowning a state champion years ago because of the politics. This year, De La Salle from Concord screamed when Grant was chosen to play the nations number 4 ranked school in Long Beach Poly. As it turns out, De La Salle was chosen in the Division 2 championship and got beat by a SoCal team.

I played my last game of golf for 2008 on Saturday. We got a nice break between storms, but it was frosty, foggy and downright cold. My new driver continues to be a great addition to my game, but i struggled in the wet conditions and bulky clothes and shot 42+43=85. Hopefully, my index can jump up about a stoke for January as we have an NCGA qualifier to play January 24th-25th. I will team up with my poker buddy, Steve. We made it to the qualifier in the 4 ball last Summer and laid an egg in the qualifier with a 68. This qualifier is the 2 man best ball qualifier and the qualifiers go directly to Spyglass. I'm ready for a break next weekend and won't play golf again until next year (January 2nd). This coming weekend is all about Samantha..oh, and Jennifer, of course.

I am so confident in my new FT i driver that I put my FT 3 on auction on EBay. I bought it for

$77 and sold it for $91, so I think I did okay. I was talking to Jason in the Diamond Oaks pro shop the other day and he asked how I liked the FT-i. He knew that I'd upgraded from the FT 3. I told him I loved it and he said, "Ken, you have to try the FTi-Q. The ball explodes off the face, goes just as straight as the FTi, but is about 15 yards longer." I'm sure I will, but I just want to enjoy my club for now. I guess technology keeps improving. Pretty soon, par will have to change on the older course, because a 475 yard par 5 is all but defenseless to the average golfer now.

Well, that is it for now. I will write next week after my gorgeous granddaughter has visited us. I hope you all are well. Merry Christ-mas and do whatever you can to keep Christ in the middle of your celebration. God bless. Ciao.

Rain comes to the valley

Luckily, the rain came today and left yesterday free for golf, but we'll get to that. Anyone who knows me, knows that I love my wife dearly. She is the ying to my yang and my true north in any storm. BUT, she likes to save everything. She saves newspapers and bottles, cans, plastic bottles, yada yada yada. I decided on Monday that the pile of things in front of my car was putting me in peril when I pulled into the garage and I decided to clean up. I parted out the papers, cans, bottles, etc. into separate piles and threw away alot of old shoes, rags, paper bags, etc., basic clutter that infiltrates a garage. When I dug sown to the bottom of the pile, I was rewarded with a brand new pair of winter golf shoes that I had bought at the Holiday sale at Diamond Oaks last year. I thought I'd lost those shoes the night of the sale as I was never able to find them after bringing them home and setting them by the pile of "things" that live in the garage. Apparently several garbage bags of cans ended up on top of them. The receipt was still in the box and I now have a new pair of wet weather Etonic golf shoes to use this Winter. God smiled on my efforts Monday night. I made a trip to the newspaper recycling bin with my Mustang literally crammed full of newspapers.

Darla, in addition to being "green girl", also looks out for God's creatures. We've had a feral cat hanging around our house lately and Darla has taken to feeding it. She mentioned it to one of her friends at work and she volunteers at an animal shelter. She said that the shelter would spay the cat and make sure it had all of it's shots free of charge if we would trap it and give it to her. She brought over a trap and the poor animal was caged and handed over to the shelter worker. We don't need another cat with two in residence, but Darla's rational is that the cats are inside and we need a "mouser" for around the house. Apparently mice aren't the part of God's creatures worth caring about. The cat came back and wouldn't go near Darla's little set up in the rear yard of food as I'm sure it sees all food in a surrounded area as a trap. Darla decided to set food out by the front door to lure the cat back into her good graces.

Now, in the midst of all of this excitement, I had put up the Christmas lights and was trying to set the timers to have the lights come on automatically, so Tuesday night I checked the front before bed and the lights were off automatically. Strangely, though, there was what looked like a squirrel eating the cat food in the bowl on the front porch. When I called Darla, she turned on the front porch light to get a better look and a creature from the black night stared back at us. It was a skunk making a meal out of the food!. I'm okay with cans, bottles, newspapers and even feral cats, but I draw the line at skunks.

We talked briefly with Dad and Shirley tonight and they arrived tired and sated after their trip to Europe and the Mediterranean. They had no water problems on the boat or mice in their stateroom, but did have to suffer through the wet docking of the ship and crates of repair materials on the upper deck awaiting the end of their cruise. They do have some of the most interesting vacations.

I did manage to make it out golfing on Saturday before the storm swept in and brought us this cycle of rain in the valley and snow in the Sierras. Saturday was clear and cold. I finally put my newest new driver into play. It is a Callaway Fusion FT-i draw bias driver with a Speeder shaft. This is the square series driver and I was able to buy a brand new one on E-Bay for $159 from a head professional in Connecticut who was clearing out his inventory for the winter. I have never hit a straighter club in my life, in fact I'm now hitting a slight draw which I have never done in my life. My nickname back when I started playing was Chiquita (and it's not because I'm well endowed). I struggled with the putter and left many birdie putts short. I managed only one birdie, but was in the fairway all day as I shot 42+41=83. With my poor display of putting, it should have been a 77 or 78. I look forward to continue to improve with this new putter and have a goal in 2009 of getting down to a 6 handicap.

Darla and I went out Friday night and did a foul swoop of Christmas shopping, buying something for each of the kids and doing a grand birthday and Christmas shopping for Samantha at Babies-R-Us. It is a fun store to shop for your grandchild and we left with a winter coat, pjs, pants, tops and socks. It was a blast. It is, by the way, Miss Samantha's first birthday on Sunday and she will be with us over Christmas for a few days. I look forward to seeing her and Jenn.

Dallas stayed alive tonight by beating the New York Giants 20-8 in a game of defensive excellence. It was great to see Dallas take on the team everyone says is the best and dominate them all game long.

Well, Darla awaits on the couch. I have an auditor from Home Office in this week to work on our Imaging transition and audit how it is going. He'll be here on Monday and Tuesday and in my Modesto office on Wednesday. That's it. Ciao.

Darla has Diabetes

It was a tough day for Darla. It was confirmed by testing today that she has Diabetes. Her father suffers from it and now it has come home to roost. On top of that news, she had a traffic accident when some lady failed to stop in the fog and rear ended the car behind Darla, which was pushed into her right rear quarter panel. She had some existing damage there that will now be repaired along with the light, bumper and quarter panel. She has a bunch of new medication and has to test herself daily and will be taking classes the next two days at Kaiser on what to eat and not eat. I get the feeling that my diet will change along with hers and we will get back into at least walking together nightly as she needs to increase her exercise. That's it for now. Ciao.

Cold weather has settled in

Darla was good enough to act as photographer as usual at our annual Christmas party for the golf club. I was the emcee this year and introduced the new board and talked a bit about our accomplishments throughout the year. I also introduced all of the Past Presidents in attendance and talked about two of my board members that are stepping down this year and thanked them for their service to the club. I then awarded the Wade Cable award an annual award named after one of the early club members who went above and beyond the call of duty in helping to make the Roseville Golf Club such a great club. The recipient this year (chosen by me) is a guy who has been President twice, Vice-president, and tournament director. He has helped us scope out new venues for away tournaments and is always there to help the club. He has been a member for almost 35 years and he was shocked when his name was called. He was brought to tears by a raucous standing ovation and was overwhelmed. it was fun to surprise him. He received a brass plaque and $200 from the club for his service. I then was able to install the new President, Rick, by placing a Presidential jacket on him and handing over the gavel and briefcase. It was a fun year and we got a lot accomplished in the club, instituting a slow play rule that has sped up play and finally being awarded the Premiere designation for our annual junior golf tournament. It is now a points event which will ensure a full field of the best junior golfers in Northern California.

Rick had me stay up at the front of the room and presented me with a half gavel plaque with my year of Presidency inscribed which I will proudly hang in my office. The board also took up a collection and presented me with a $100 gift certificate to Ruth Cris steakhouse and a $50 gift card to Wide World of Golf and Tennis. It was all very overwhelming.

The party went off without a hitch and much alcohol was consumed over the 4 1/2 hours. New friendships were forged and old friendships renewed and we had a ball.

The board got together at Timbercreek Golf Course on Friday for our annual board of officers golf outing and I shot 41+42=83 on a cold, foggy and wet December day. I was able to invite Boyd and my friend, Mel, and also played with Bob from the board. I went out on Saturday and bought a Northern Face brand ear shield to wear under my golf hat. My ears get so cold when we are golfing that my entire body gets cold and stiff. I felt like if I can keep my ears warm, I'll be warmer.

I tested that theory today in our final event of 2008, the Eclectic final, and it wasn't entirely accurate. My ears stayed warm, but my throat was cold (I started out a bit hoarse from the event the night before) and I'll need to gargle tonight. I shot 41+41=82 with birdies on both the front side and the back. I look forward to the return of the warmer weather as it was about 44 degrees when we teed off and warmed up to about 52 degrees. The sun actually broke out on the back side and teased me with it's warmth before quickly diving behind some low clouds and making it feel even colder. I built a fire when I got home and snuggled under a blanket on the couch while watching Dallas do their annual December fold in the NFL. Tony Romo is a great quarterback, but he can't handle cold weather.

My assistant, Dinda, will have her last day with the company on Wednesday and we will struggle to adjust to life without her. I will share an assistant with Gail in my office and hope to see a turn in the market next year so that I can hire some more help. We are down about 14% in premium this year and up about 5% in policy count. Last year at this time I had 17 employees in Sacramento and five in Modesto. We now have 12 in Sacramento and 4 in Modesto, so in point of fact, we are working on more policies with less staff, ergo everyone is having to work harder. Tough times, but we have jobs and the office will make about $250,000 in profit this year down about $30K from last year.

The pictures above -in order- are 1. me with my VP and the new President of RGC, Rick. 2. Me with Joe, the Wade Cable winner. 3. Me with Rick again. 4. Me with my former President, Neil, who I succeeded in 2008. 5. And me with my real boss.

Jennifer and Samantha will be home for Christmas. She flies in Christmas morning and will stay until the 28th. I hope to be able to sit down with Jennifer and see what direction she is taking in her life and why. I look forward to seeing Samantha. If you want to see new pictures of her, check out her blog on the link. John took her on the Santa run in Old Town Vegas (Fremont Street) and they ended up making the news.

Well, until next time, be well and keep Christ in Christmas and Holy in your holidays. Ciao.

Thanks Be To God!

The title comes from a small display that one of the neighbors put in their yard and decorated with pumpkins and autumn colors. I thought it was unique for Thanksgiving. Luckily it didn't have lights or a twirling turkey. The holiday displays get tackier every year.

The boys have come and gone like a 400 lb whirlwind. Wash was done, food was eaten, conversations were had and gallons of milk were consumed. We forgot how quickly a gallon of milk disappears with them in the house. The bottom picture above was taken on Thanksgiving as we were hosted by Alicia's boyfriend, Don, at his home in Folsom. He fixed turkey and all the trimmings and I watched the Cowboys win again. It is a Thanksgiving tradition.

We had the boys over Wednesday night and Darla fixed a turkey. The boys spent Thanksgiving with their dad and had Pot Roast because he doesn't like turkey. We saved our leftovers and hosted the gang on Friday for game day. Everyone arrived about noon and we played Sequence, Rook, 10,000 (a dice game) and the ladies poured over a puzzle. Football was on in the background, but held little interest as it was college ball and none of the BCS top teams were playing. Friday morning I raked leaves and sprayed down the driveway and walks, careful to keep an eye out for my militant senior neighbor who feels it is his place to control the use of water by private citizens in Roseville. I was thinking about that old coot the other day and realized that his clothes and he himself looked a little ratty. Perhaps he has given up bathing and washing his clothes. He's either a good little Democrat or it is the onset of dementia. I then went over to Diamond Oaks and hit a bucket of balls and worked on my putting stroke for an hour.

The practice paid off on Saturday as we played Cherry Island Golf Course a tougher track that seems to invite the hordes of once a year golfers after Thanksgiving. It was foggy in Elverta, yet full sun in Roseville, and we endured a twenty minute delay as the first groups were late getting off due to visibility. We warmed up and watched several of the groups in front of us barely get off the tee and one guy who whiffed three times before he finally hit a worm burner straight right into the driving range fence. There was much muttering among the gathered golfers. To what possible enjoyment is playing a game that you cannot properly play on a course that is clearly over any semblance of ability that you have? There is a county owned pitch and putt course not 1/2 mile down the street that was ripe for these guys' business. I digress. We finally teed off at 9:30 for our 9:08 AM tee time. I managed a birdie on the first hole, but little did I know that we were in for a six hour round of golf. I kept my game and my temper in check on the way to three birdies and a smooth 35 on the front side. The back side finally got to me as we had backups on nearly every hole and I ballooned to a 42 on the back and a 77 for the round, my best score at Cherry Island. It took us 2 hours and 45 minutes to play the front nine and 3 hours and fifteen minutes to play the back. I was remembering my 3 hour and fifteen minute round of 74 in Modesto a month ago with some outright nostalgia. It was brutal and I was thrilled to shoot such a low score under the conditions. The fog lifted and it was sunny and nice from the second hole on, but the human refuse continued to cover the course all afternoon. I like the guys, but hadn't planned to spend the entire period of daylight with them. Boyd shot 75, Darren had a 92 and Bob shot a 102. The top picture is of Bob and his wife, Debbie. We went out to dinner Saturday night and enjoyed getting caught up on their lives.

Jennifer spent Thanksgiving away from Samantha and missed her a lot. She went out to dinner at a friend's house and worked on Saturday. Her shift at the Encore (Steve Wynn's new casino next to the Wynn) ended on Saturday and she'll be back at the City Center project on Monday. Jennifer told me Saturday night that she is trying to arrange to fly to Sacramento for Christmas. Darla and I are thrilled and hope that it happens as we will miss Samantha's first birthday on December 21st. Jennifer's Mom, Diane, will be there. I hope that Jenn and Sam do make it home as I'd like to see Jennifer and spend some time with Samantha.

Darla and I almost overslept this morning, but managed to get up and go to church this morning and it was a great finale to Rick's sermon series on money traps. Today's theme was all about living for today and not storing away for the morrow. He read the Genesis story of the 7 year famine and how God tries to teach us to prepare for the next famine (disaster), but that too many of us are focused on our needs and wants today and don't plan for tomorrow. It is a theme that is close to my heart as I look forward to retirement while trying to help two boys through college now. I don't want to have to work to 67 because I didn't plan well enough. I am working on an emergency fund that would get Darla and I through at least six months if one of us were hurt or laid off. The discussion and sermon are very timely.

Rick also brought us current on the troubles in India. We support a pastor, Ajai Lal, and his wife who plant home based Christian churches in India. You are all aware of the well publicized problems in Mumbai and the takeover of the luxury hotels Taj Mahal and Oberoi, but it is just a small sample of what is happening in India. Teams of terrorists are attacking Christians and bounties are put on the heads of any Christian (50,000 rupies) and Christian pastors (100,000 rupies) and for burning a Christian's home (25,000 rupies) or burning a Christian Church (100,000 rupies). This all started in August and scores of Christians have been forced out of their villages and into the jungle where they are in hiding. ALL Christian churches which had recently come out of hiding have gone back underground. Our church took a collection this morning that will go to the Christian Outreach organizations that are finding these displaced people and offering them food and shelter. It is a sad time in India right now.

I just got an e-mail from NCGA on the handicaps for December and I've dropped to an 8.3. I think I'm officially a golfer.

Well, that's all for now. I have my final board meeting Tuesday night for the Roseville Golf Club and Saturday is our Christmas party. Friday the board plays golf and then Sunday is our final golf tournament of the year. Stay well and pray for India. Ciao.

The Pause before Thanksgiving

A nice weekend is in the books and a short week awaits as we approach Thanksgiving. I have much to give thanks for this year as so many are suffering, being out of work, having homes foreclosed on, fires in Southern California, a slumping financial system in this country. My personal circumstances are nothing to complain about. I'm lucky to have a good family, a fantastic granddaughter, a good job, my health and a solid and secure roof over my head. I give thanks for Samantha's Daddy, John, who has kept us in pictures of Samantha while Jennifer struggles through some personal issues in her life. John is such a good Dad and I direct you to the link for Samantha's blog that shows pictures of a recent Turkey Trot run that John took Samantha on as well as an update on how Samantha is doing. There are some cute pictures on the site of Sam with her new "kicks". She was first place for babies and is now giving kisses. She continues to learn to walk as she totters about between places before landing back on her bum. I really miss her and feel for the pain that she will feel because of the split of her parents. Jennifer is living with a girlfriend and working overtime right now and trying to figure out what direction she wants to take in her life. I just hope and pray that she puts Samantha first in ALL of her decisions because it is about Samantha now and not Jennifer.

I played poker here at the house Friday night and took my guests for about $100 and didn't feel at all bad as they were trying just as hard to part me from my money. The cards were coming my way Friday night. Saturday was golf and I really felt the week off the weekend before as I struggled to a 42+44=86. Boyd had wanted to play in a Turkey Shoot at Woodcreek, but it is a two man scramble and I wanted to play my own ball and post a score. As it turns out, I'd likely have been happier with the scramble.

Darla's friend and maid of honor, Joni, is living in Roseville now and just dropped off an apple pie. She was in Apple Hill, the orchard area up above Placerville and thought of us as she was baking pies for the holiday. Her Dad is coming in to town from Reno and Joni is fixing the Thanksgiving dinner, but her dad is deathly allergic to her cats and she is bringing the dinner over to the Residence Inn in Roseville and they will have dinner there.

It was great to get back to church today. pastor Rick is in the middle of a sermon series, Money Traps, that examines the issue of money and Christians and how we all fall into the traps of More, more, More and the Debt and unhappiness that follows. We are built with a hole in our hearts and the only thing that can fill that void is a relationship with Jesus. So many try to fill it with possessions that end up possessing them. It was convicting and enlightening.

I took the opportunity on Friday morning while the market was tanking yet again to clean up my portfolio and sell some of the dogs that have been fouling the nest. I bought Fortune Brands, a large conglomerate made up of three basic divisions: home and hardware consisting of brands like Moen faucets, Master Lock and Simonton Windows; Premium spirits like Jim Beam, Courvoisier, Sauza, and Canadian Club; and my favorite Golf with brands like Titleist, FootJoy, Scotty Cameron, Pinnacle and Cobra. The stock has been up around $80 and really overvalued, but I bought in Friday at $31 a share. I also added to my Masco position and bought Pepsi Bottling Group. My portfolio is much stronger today than it was last Thursday. A bonus is that the market turned around Friday afternoon and my positions increased, so me well over $1.00 from when I bought them early in the morning.

Darla and I will spend Thanksgiving with Alicia and her boyfriend, Don, at his house in Folsom. We will then host everyone at our house Friday with the boys home from Cal Poly. I have golf plans on Saturday. Next week is my final board meeting as President of the Roseville Golf Club and we will have pizza Tuesday night as we welcome the new board in. Saturday December 6th is the Christmas party where I will officially turn the gavel over to my VP, Rick. We will play golf with the board on Friday the 5th and the final tournament of the year is on that Sunday. Some busy times ahead.

Well, dinner awaits and there is another football game on. The Cowboys handled the 49ers today and saved me the indignity of listening to the boys crow about their crippled and inept 49ers. Take care and in the words of Pastor Rick, "own your possessions, don't let them own you." Ciao.

Girly, Girly, Who's 70? SHIRLEY!!

Pretty lame heading, but did you know there isn't a word in the English language that rhymes with 70? Count the day lost you don't learn something new (Henry David Thoreau). We had a wonderful, although truncated visit to the land of my birth to help celebrate Shirley's 70th birthday. In her defense, her birthday isn't until December, but Dad and Shirley leave Thursday for a three week overseas cruise and won't be back until mid-December. Dad decided to do the deed now and not make it a surprise as he had all of his kids flying in from all over the United States and didn't want to hide us until Saturday night. As it was, the event was very nice and I'm sure a great memory for Shirley. Dad tried hard to mess things up with a speech about how "well developed" Shirley was and how librarians are normally marmish, but he pulled it off the way he always does, flawlessly. Shirley had several friends and relatives come up and share stories about Shirley from her past and it was great. We got to spend some quality family time with a great dinner that Al and Sherry hosted on Friday night, a nice brunch that Shirley hosted on Saturday and a trip to the White Spot for hamburgers Saturday afternoon. Sherry and Al opened their home to all of the Lyon boys and their wives and it was great to hang out with my brothers. If nothing else, it keeps me humble. I haven't been called "idiot" and "penis" and "damn fool" since the last time I got together with my brothers.

At one point we were talking at the brunch table and my brothers started in on me wearing a dress as a kid and I played along, saying it was only that once. We all had a good laugh until Darla asked me on the plane about when I wore a dress as a kid and why. Darn it, I was told it was a Communion garment and that's my story.

I have now been to Dad and Shirley's country club, Hazelmere twice and have yet to even see a tee box or putting green. I suspected this weekend would be golf-free and snuck out Thursday night to a little 9 hole course in Elk Grove. I met my personal lines underwriter there and we traveled up to Modesto from there. We returned about 4 PM and I was going to hit a bucket of balls and it was $7 for a bucket or $9 to play the course on a twilight rate. I not only played, but finished all nine (albeit the 9th hole in virtual dusk) and shot a 37. The pro asked if I'd played there before and I told him no and he ran out to the tee box and gave me a card for a free 9 holes during the week at his course. I'll take him up on it and see what score I shoot for 18 holes. The course is a par 33.

Darla and I flew into Seattle on Friday morning and Randy and Cake showed up late (their plane was delayed) and we ended up waiting 90 minutes for them to get in. We then drove a Toyota Sienna van from Sea Tac up to Surrey, BC. The amazing thing is when we stopped to fill up the van it only took $27 in gas after the trip to Canada and back.

I talked to Jennifer tonight and she has been pulled off the job at The City Center casino project and is working 7 12-hour days on the Wynne casino expansion. It is supposed to be ready by the middle of December and is running behind. She worked both weekend days and made $600 a day with double time. With the split from John she wants to pack some money away in the bank and pay off some bills. John scored because he got to spend an extra weekend with Samantha.

Well, Darla is waiting on the couch for some TV time together, so I'll call it quits for this week. It has been a bit of a whirlwind. The Cowboys won tonight on Sunday Night Football, so all is right in the world. Ciao.

Better Late than Never

I have been slammed since I got home from Detroit. I am usually pretty consistent (Darla would say OCD) at keeping up my blog, but it got away from me this week. My trip to Detroit was a good one. The company is having a rough year and we are doing better than a lot of offices, but the mood was pretty good among the managers and the future is bright. My office continues to improve, although we are down a bit over last year. The managers that actually lost money this year were the ones looking a bit shopworn by the end of the weekend. We have some exciting new products and innovations that will be rolling out this year. Our company partners are thrilled with our production and our outlook and were happy to be there celebrating with us. The theme this year was a campaign theme, "Campaign for Excellence" and it went over well with the managers. This was my fifth year attending the annual meeting and I'm feeling very comfortable with my place within the hierarchy of the company. We've had a fair amount of turnover in Branch managers and I am probably in the middle in terms of seniority with the company. I received my five year platinum pin this year and it was a nice little token of my time with the company.

We stayed at the Ritz Carlton again and the accommodations and food were first cabin. I left for Detroit at 6 AM which helps me transition to the time change as I'm up at 4 AM to make my flight, which is 7 AM Detroit time. I woke up that morning and it dawned on me that we have a President with the middle name Hussein. Who'd have thunk just seven short years past 9-11? I really enjoy Obama's speeches, but they always seem a bit full of air. I hope that he can help rally the country. Our economy is probably the worst it has been since the Great Depression. There is a Democratic majority in Congress, the Senate and in the White House and the one thing we can likely count on is higher taxes and more social services and government intervention in business, medicine, and all other areas of our lives. Four years from now, the Democrats will be run out of Washington and the Republicans will be viewed as the saviors. Some things never change. The one true indicator is that the stock market is not a fan of Barrack Hussein Obama as it has tanked. The averages are down 15% since he was elected in a landslide...well, he had 52% of the vote for President, which with the goofy electoral college somehow corresponds to a mandate. I think the stock market has pretty well given Obama it's mandate as well. Big Business and Wall Street cast a wary eye on Washington.

I got back from Detroit on Saturday night after flying through Denver on my way back to Sacramento. I had time to eat a chicken Philly wrap at the Great Steak Escape in the terminal before boarding my plane and heading home.

It is a small world and that was evident again when I had dinner on Friday night at the awards banquet with our Underwriting Manager in Dallas, Sheila. She mentioned that her daughter was off to college and I enquired where she was attending (to be polite). It turns out that her daughter, Courtney, is a scholarship soccer player at Southeast Oklahoma State University. My nephew and Godson, Chris, is a scholarship football player at Southeast OSU. Better than that, the kids just hung out together on Thursday night at the campus. Courtney lives in Arlington, about ten minutes from Randy's house in Eulis. Small world.

I did manage to get out on the golf course Sunday. We teed off at 11 AM and I played with Bob and Mel at Woodcreek. I shot 40+41=81, Mel shot 82 and Bob shot 76. It was a perfect day on the links. My new Fusion driver is a keeper and I have my Taylor Made R7 on EBay as we speak. I had a new Winn grip installed after I played on Sunday and the pro installed it as I had a beer after the round.

I will miss playing this weekend as I'll be in Surrey visiting Shirley on her birthday celebration. Darla and I will meet Randy and Cake in Seattle and drive across the border with them that afternoon. There is a White Spot hamburger with my name on it waiting in Canada. Darryl and Cheryl arrived yesterday.

Our dog, Buddy, isn't doing well. he is about 14 years old and on his last legs. he toddles around like an old man and his legs can barely support him. He's begun messing in the house and Darla is beside herself. It is likely that we'll have to put him down after the boys come home this Thanksgiving. He really isn't doing well. It's sad.

I had my interview yesterday for the board position with the Sacramento Independent Agents and Brokers and passed with flying colors. I will work with the President and Vice President who both ran the golf tournament over the last two years. The installation luncheon is on December 9th and I will reserve a table for my underwriters and their assistants.

Well, the blog will be late again as we will be in Canada this coming weekend. Jennifer is doing well and Samantha is standing up ad taking four or five steps before plopping back down. Jen said that she said "Kitty" the other night, so she is doing well. John and Jennifer are on speaking terms, but the speech is a bit stilted at the moment. It will get better as time goes on. They are both excellent parents and have Sam's best interests in mind. Take care all. Ciao.

Off to Detroit...Again

I will be on a jet plane come Wednesday morning at 6:00 AM and the country will have a new President to be sworn in once again on Darryl's birthday in 2009. I fly to Phoenix, eat breakfast and change planes to Detroit. On the way back they have changed my flight to United and I will fly to Denver, change planes and arrive back in Sacramento Saturday night at about 8:45 PM. This will be my first year at the Branch manager's meeting as a full Branch manager. The office is doing well in a down market,. Our numbers are off on the bottom line about $100,000, but we actually have about 8% more policies this year than last and my staff has shrunk by three people. How we stay ahead of it is any one's guess. Certainly, the advent of Image right and the paperless system has made us much more efficient, but we still have to set up the policies and type them and I've been making due with one less typist. Service has slipped in terms of the length of time it takes to produce a policy and I finally have a new typist. Bonnie has worked for the Modesto office since I hired her, but she has transferred to my staff and will begin typing policies in the next week.

Darla and I got the new lights put in this weekend and I have to admit they look great. The old ones were polished brass and looked dated. the new ones are antique brass with a silver highlight and just look new and modern. It was a bit of a chore to put the hall light in, but once I figured out how to install that one, the chandelier was a snap. I kept getting the chain too long on the hallway light and it was hanging down into the armoire. I finally cut it back to just two links and it sits just right/ The chandelier is a bit higher than our other one, but that one was always in the way when we were talking at the table and I wanted to install this one higher. The lamps are brighter, so the effect is the same.

I played golf with Bob, Boyd and Darren on Thursday at Lincoln Hills and put my new Callaway FT-3 Fusion driver in play for the first time. My drives were consistently long and in the fairway and I shot (what else?) 44+39=83. I began to get a good feel for the driver on the back nine and hoped to carry that over to the tournament today. Well, finally, it all came together for me. I started with a birdie on number one and shot 37 on the front side. Mind you, I was playing golf with the current two time defending club champion and Boyd, a past two time club champion. I beat them on the front as Boyd had 39 and Jay had 40. I started to stutter on the backside with a bogey-par-bogey-bogey start, but found my gear and put up a string of pars followed by a birdie on 17 before bogeying the number one handicap 18th hole for a 39 on the back and a 76 for the round. Boyd shot 38 on the back and Jay had a a 38 and I beat them both gross. I didn't hang around to see where I finished. I may have had field low gross, but I'm sure I took low gross in my flight. I would have won the trophy for the Past Presidents, but I am not considered a past President until next year. My only regret was that I didn't sign up for skins today as I got there late and didn't have time to stop and get some cash. Both of my birdies were on stroke holes and were net eagles. My handicap dropped back to a 9.7 as of November 1st, but this tournament was played with October handicaps as they changed on Saturday.

I was surprised that we even got a chance to play golf today as we have had a storm that rolled in Thursday night hit our area and we have had over two inches of rain since then. We had almost an inch and a quarter just yesterday. Diamond Oaks generally floods, but the creeks were mostly empty prior to the storm and the course soaked up the water pretty good. The bunkers were wet and had puddles in them and some of the fairways had small puddles in areas, but overall the course was in great shape and the greens were soft. I was pin hunting all day and it served me well.

Samantha ended up with a touch of bronchitis this week and had to stay home from day care on Thursday. Jennifer kept her home on Friday and didn't get to spend Halloween with john, so no new pictures of Sam the Monkey, but I'm sure we'll get more.

The trip to Vancouver for Shirley's birthday celebration will be here before we know it. One of Shirley's grandsons plays competitive hockey and has a big tournament that weekend and will be gone out of the Province. Her son, Cameron, will also be on that trip and won't be able to be there. It would be nice if her daughter-in-law was able to take him, but I think Cam is living vicariously through his son's accomplishments.

Here is a photo of Dad and Shirley as they dressed up for Halloween for a party they attended. Dad wanted to let Jennifer know that he's still hip or hadn't broken a hip or something. Wild and Crazy stuff. I'll blog more next week. Stay well and Be Happy. Ciao.

Samantha the Monkey

Jennifer sent some pictures of Samantha in her Halloween costume. She is a monkey, but she's not too keen on the mask part. She'll get better as she gets older. Boy, she's a doll. I'd empty the whole dish of candy into her bag if she knocked on my door. Jennifer will spend part of Halloween with John so he can see Samantha and they hope to get some better pictures of her then. Happy Halloween!

Indian Summer...Again

Summer does not want to leave us as this weekend has seen temperatures approaching 90 degrees. I have to be prepared for cold weather as the trip to frigid Detroit, Michigan looms in about ten days. My blood is thin after this week of warm daytime highs. I'm sporting a bit of a sunburn after two days of golf this week and some time spent in the yard cleaning the pool yesterday.

We went to church today expecting to meet Anthony and Erin from work, but they failed to show up. I don't know what happened. I invited them as we had a guest speaker today, Ken Mansfield. Ken was an agnostic who was the American Head of Apple Records and was hired by the Beatles in the '60's to direct their album sales and entry into the US market. Ken was a big deal with Capitol Records, the VP of merchandising, when the Beatles came calling. He recognized the potential of the Beatles after visiting London and helped to create a new division with capitol that co branded smaller record labels like Apple. He immersed himself into the entire phenomenon that was the Beatles and slowly lost himself as his fame grew along with he Beatles. He eventually left Capitol to form his own label and after initial success with Waylon Jennings and James Taylor, his label eventually failed and he found himself not only out of work, but out of options. He was no longer a viable commodity within the corporate circle and finally packed up his things in LA and headed to Nashville. He did bring something with him to Nashville and it was the transcendental spiritualism that found him with a guru. He eventually met a young Christian woman who argued with him about "the way". Ken agreed that Christianity was a way, but not "the way". His girlfriend told him that she could not waste her life with someone who would not live in the Kingdom after life on Earth.

Ken found himself so far out of the industry that he eventually accepted a position with a small amphitheater in Nashville. When Whitney Houston came to the theater in 1987, he was a member of the AV crew and was called out by Whitney to fix some re verb on her mike. When he walked out, he saw three of his former cronies in the corporate world of the recording industry sitting in the front row drinking champagne and they just stared at him. It was the single most humiliating moment of his life and he knelt down that day and gave his life to the Lord. He had to be broke for the Lord to break him.

He went on to tell us of a story of an event that he attended at a mega church in San Diego several years ago and a woman stood during the Q&A portion of the event and told Ken that she was a member of a youth group at her church in 1969 and the youth pastor passed around a hat with a slip of names that he wanted the kids to pray for. The names were those of the Beatles, their spouses, members of the roadies, and the Beatles management. Many of her friends got Paul McCartney and John Lennon and other famous people. She picked out a name she had never heard of and began praying for that person. The name was Ken Mansfield. The woman went on to tell him that she prayed for him daily for seven years and then left home and went to Los Angeles, where she fell away from the church and began "sleeping with the enemy". Ken in the meantime had found Christ and he was proud that day to watch as that woman came forward to rededicate her life. It came full circle. Ken's book is "The Beatles, the Bible and Bodega Bay". He was very convicting and a very powerful speaker. He is, by the way, married to the woman who helped him change his life, the one he met in Nashville. One of Ken's credos is that EGO is not a word, it is an acronym and stands for Edge God Out.

I decided Friday night that the Mustang was getting dirty. I took it into the shop and had new front struts installed to smooth out the ride and the mechanics got some fingerprints and smudges on the hood and it was due a good wash. As I was out spraying off the car, some old man walking in the park started yelling at me. I heard him, but thought he was yelling at some kids playing soccer. He finally got my attention. He was wearing Bermuda shorts and sandals with white socks and told me that I couldn't wash my car, it was "against the law in Roseville." I told him that there was an open hose law and that your garden hose had to have a nozzle on it so it wouldn't run down the street. "You're wrong and you could get fined," he said. I thanked him for his opinion, called him a Democrat and told him to go vote for Barack Hussein Obama and leave me alone. We need to be prepared for government taking over our lives if the Democrats win and it looks more and more likely that they will. God help me.

I went to Modesto on Thursday and Lorraine only had two appointments set up, so I knocked off at three and went over to Creekside Golf Course. I had played Dryden in Modesto, but not Creekside. I joined up with two other guys and proceeded to have my best round of the year, shooting 37+37=74, I was on fire and hitting every green. It was great to see it all come together for one day at least. I wasn't able to carry that over to the tournament on Saturday as I shot 43+40=83 and took fourth in my flight.

Jennifer and John continue in my prayers and especially Samantha, who has just started taking her first steps. Jennifer has moved into an apartment with a girlfriend and has Samantha one week on and one week off. Something happened between the two of them and there is a serious disconnect right now. Pray for some Heavenly guidance for both of them as they navigate the bumpy path of separation. Pray also for Samantha that she stay healthy and content during this period while her Mommy and Daddy try to sort things out.

Our two year-old dishwasher is having problems. Darla asked me to look at it last Sunday because the door was hard to shut. I opened it and the right side dropped about four inches. It turns out that the spot weld for the hinge on the right side worked loose from the tub. It is a GE Profile Dishwasher and cost close to $900. We had GE out on Wednesday and they took one look and said they couldn't fix it. The repairman contacted GE and they in turn got in touch with us and offered to replace the unit with a New GE Profile Dishwasher. The new one retails for $1,200 and should be installed this week. The only thing we are out is the $99 service call fee, which I'm sure I could argue. The point is, though, the dishwasher was out of warranty and GE is stepping up to replace it. The repairman said that he has seen several other spot welds not hold, so this is not an isolated incident.

Darla and I went out to Home Depot last night and bought a new chandelier and a new matching light for our entry hall. I plan to install them next Saturday. They are antique brass fixtures with etched glass holders and globes. Darla has been slowly upgrading our fixtures and appliances and things look good around here.

Well, it looks like the weather is supposed to turn cooler this week and we have a chance of rain by next weekend. I'm supposed to play golf Wednesday with Boyd, Darren and Bob at Lincoln Hills. Darren has a pass for four players with cart that runs out at year end, so we are happy to help him use it up. Perhaps the weather will clear up by Sunday when the club holds the Past President event. I will write more next week. Take care. Ciao.

SURPRISES

I came to find out this week how deceptive both my wife and my staff can be. The annual Big I Day Insurance Convention was held at the Sacramento Convention Center on Tuesday. Our office hosted a booth as we do every year and had our brochures and goodies there for the agents to pick up and visit with us. I sent some of my staff there Tuesday morning to man the booth and I showed up with a few other underwriters for the lunch and we worked the booth in the afternoon. The secretary of the Insurance Brokers and Agents had called me on the Friday before and offered to give my office an assigned table at the event. The tables are for 12 and you generally have to buy 12 tickets to get a table. I was a little surprised as we only had eight tickets, but accepted the offer. When the time came for the group to give out the Associate member of the Year Award, the speaker began introducing the winner by saying, "This member likes three sports 'Golf, Golf and Golf'. He enjoys vacationing in Hawaii and Mexico where he likes to play Golf." I thought, "Wow, this guy is a man among men. I'd like him." The speaker went on to say, "He has two sons that attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo University and a daughter in Las Vegas, Nevada and the apple of his eye is his granddaughter, Samantha Paige who is 9 months old." It dawned on me at that point and I looked up to see my entire staff grinning at me like my pants were on backwards. it was a complete surprise and I walked up to the podium to accept the award in front of 1500 of my closest friends. It was a very nice honor and they continue to insist that the call I took earlier in the week asking me to join the board of directors of the Association was just a coincidence. Yeah, sure. We happened to have one of the Managers from Detroit in town for the conference and ended up going to dinner with the gentleman who won the Agent of the Year award that night. Darla was in the crowd seated at the back of the room with the father and wife of the agent winner. She took some pictures, but was at the very back of the room and you can't see anything on her film. Again, it was a nice honor and I look forward to working with the group next year. I've got a feeling that I will be asked to chair the annual golf tournament next year, which will be no problem.

The weather is very nice this weekend, in the mid eighties yesterday and should hit 78 degrees today, perfect Fall weather. I played golf Monday in the Pro-President NCPGA event at Del Paso Country Club. I shot an 80 and my pro, Scott, shot 75. We ended up in a tie for 66 and our undoing was a double-bogey 5 on a par three on the backside where both Scott and I had 5. We ended up one stroke out of the money, with the winning team at 58 splitting $1,300. I got a nice PGA golf shirt and some good memories. It was nice to shoot good golf in such an important event. I played yesterday with the guys and shot 82 at Woodcreek after starting one under after four holes. I won $11 on my two birdies and was happy. I played with Darren, a friend who had played most of the Summer with us, but dropped out about two months ago. He had borrowed my power washer and returned it yesterday with a dozen balls and a bottle of 2006 Ponte Merlot from the Temecula Valley here in California. He called it interest for the time he held onto my power washer.

I ended up using the power washer with some CLR and power washing the tile and river rock on the pool. It didn't do a perfect job. I need to get some ScaleAway and use a wire brush to clean up the area around the waterfalls, which get kind of heavy with buildup.

Jennifer and John have split up at least temporarily in Vegas. They are working through some issues and I hope for Samantha's sake that they end up back together. John is a very gentle soul and a great father. They are both excellent parents, but hopefully their decision not to marry doesn't cost them both their family. Samantha is doing great. John sent us a video of Sam pushing her toy box around. It is on wheels and she would get behind it and push until she hit a wall and then walk around the box and start pushing from the other side. She is so incredibly cute and smart and it is only a matter of time before she is walking. Her one year birthday comes up in December.

This is a bit short this week, but I have chores to do, so I will bid you adieu for now. Ciao.