Dacotah Territory

Grandma H

2011-11-30T17:34:00.000-08:00

Today we held the funeral service for my Mom's Mom, out beloved Vesta Mae. It seems so strange to think if her not being there in her home of 62 years anymore, but at the age of 90 she has had a wonderful life. I am thankful for the relatives I got to share this day with as they are some of the greatest people you could know, and I get to call them family. I am so very proud of all of them and I know how Grandma felt to look out over her clan and know that she had such a wonderful part in all of our lives. Today my Brother-in-law got to sing for us, what an amazing voice. My Cousin read the obituary, nice job Jeremy! And as for me I got to do what I normally do, talk. Below is what I read today to try and convey my thoughts on Grandma and how much she meant to me and all of us.

Good morning, My name is Jason and I am Vesta’s 2^nd oldest grandson, number 5 overall. The so called oldest grandkid of the “second batch”. I am here today to try to put into words what Grandma meant to me and to others. This day has been something that I have been thinking about a lot lately. It started back in August 2009 when we had a surprise birthday party/family reunion for Grandma in Aberdeen. It was a surprise to Grandma, especially since her birthday wasn’t for another month. I wasn’t really involved in the planning of the event, I simply brought my family to spend time with Grandma, my parents, siblings, cousins and their families. It was a great day that afternoon at the campground. The kids played, the cousins caught up, and there was even a play. The next day we all gathered together and held our own private church service. Some of the highlights were the Harms family playing guitar, singing by the mother/daughter duo of Marlys and Vonni, a solo by my brother-in-law DJ, a poem by my Cousin Kari, and the message delivered by Uncle Bob. It was a beautiful service, and I know it was very special to Grandma. It moved me in a way as well. I saw how talented my family Is but I wondered what was my talent, what could I bring to a family get together? I can’t really play an instrument, you don’t want to hear me sing, you can ask Sandy about that! So from that time forward I have been wondering what is my talent to share, what is my gift? This summer Sandy and I joined a church in Fargo, prior to joining we met with the church board, they asked me questions including: what spiritual gifts do I have to be shared with the congregation. I thought for a moment and then stated, well....I can talk. And it dawned on me, I can talk. I talk to my parents, my family, my friends, my co-workers, my friends at church, guys at the gym, my neighbor, I mean anybody!!. I am sure most of you are shocked to hear me say this, but well I come from a long line of talkers. My dad has this gift, my grandpa Denman is famous for it. I remember camping one time as a kid, Grandpa Denman spent at least 30 minutes near our campsite visiting with our neighbor for the Night. When he came back over we asked him, Grandpa who was that??? He simply shrugged and said, I don’t know.
So knowing that I have this gift and knowing Grandma’s time was drawing near, I placed a phone call to her so I could have some time to just talk with her. We spoke for almost an hour, mainly just asking her how she was doing and reminiscing about the past.
·       You see myself, along with my brother and sister, were extremely blessed to have lived here in Willow Lake until we each moved away to college. We got to spend some time with Grandma and Grandpa almost every day after school when we were kids, always getting some candy, usually smarties, on our walk home. Grandma would ask me if I learned anything that day at school and I would reply, “Nope gotta go back tomorrow.” I asked Grandma about that saying, I have used for years. Did Grandpa teach it to me? but she couldn’t remember, she just laughed.
·       I told her I remembered watching Dad and Grandpa play pool downstairs while listening to the Twins play baseball on the radio. We both laughed about the pool cue Uncle Gary made for Grandpa to get around that post in the basement.
·       I had to tell her that to this day I still have no idea what Grandpa was talking about when he taught Jory the saying “Long-time-dooda-whacker-18-20-inches-long”. Grandma has no idea either.
·       I remembered learning to climb up the ladder to clean out her gutters after Grandpa got sick. I remember Grandpa coming out and looking at Grandma and I in disgust saying “Well you got the ladder upside down!” Sure enough it was. Gutter cleaning was not a particularly fun job, it was a little risky come to think of it, especially with that power line on the North side of the house, but a job now I’ll never forget. The job was handed down to Jory when he got older, and when he moved away my Dad continued cleaning the gutters by a Denman for the next 15+ years.
·       I was honored to have her fly for the first time on a commercial airline to see me and my future wife Sandy for Thanksgiving back in 2002. That was the first time but definitely not the last that Grandma was our guest for Thanksgiving. We loved having her there to spend time with our family and of course make us her famous Turkey and noodles. Mom I hope you took good notes of how to continue that tradition.
Of course during this phone call with Grandma, I also wanted to make sure I thanked her. I first had to thank her for saving my life, literally. There was a livesaver incident, same thing happened to Jory. I am surprised she kept giving us livesavers really. Uncle Bob asked if you could really choke on a lifesaver, and the answer is a definite yes! I know Kari had mentioned this story in one of her poems, but it’s something I’ll never forget. Maybe it is the reason I don’t eat many lifesavers these days. Second I thanked her for being such a role model to three generations. She is one of the most loving, kind and beautiful women you would ever meet. I also asked her if I could speak at her funeral. Grandma to some extent never really gave me an answer, but simply stated she didn’t want anybody to have to do anything they didn’t want to do. I guess that meant she was fine with it, she obviously thought I could do it. I joked with her on thanksgiving that I hoped I would think of something to say and she told me she wished she could hear me speak. I know she is listening now.
When I was trying to think of a word or phrase that summarized Grandma the one phrase that kept coming up was “Unconditional Love.”
In the bible 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 states:
4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, belives all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
She loved each and every one of you and you all meant so much to her. She loved seeing her kids, grand kids, and great-grandkids any chance she got. It meant the world to her to see as many of you as she could, it truly made her the happiest when she got the chance to see or visit with any of us. The one thing she told me that was hard for her during her final days was saying good bye to her family. It wasn’t that she wanted to stay, she knew it was her time, she knew she was ready to go. Maybe it was the finality of it but saying goodbye is never easy when you don’t know when you will say hello again. It seemed as though on Thanksgiving she had moved past the point of having difficulty saying goodbye. Maybe it was the pain medication, maybe it was seeing everybody or maybe it was simply being able to be in her home for her last week here, to accomplish one last goal, and that was Thanksgiving at home and to meet Great-Grandchild #27, little Nora.
On Thanksgiving I came up with an analogy as she was preparing to leave us: It was kinda like the times I lived out of the state. When either I had to return or my Family left to return to South Dakota after a visit, the people leaving to go to their home are sad to leave but they are excited to go to home and have planes to catch and things to do when they get home, they have in essence less time to be sad. When you are the one watching your family leave and you are there standing at the terminal you feel a bit alone, you feel sad that they are no longer with you, you miss them. That’s kinda how I feel now, I’m left here at the terminal watching Grandma leave on her journey. However, I take great comfort knowing that Grandma is in a better place.
In Romans 8:31-39 it reads:
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? 33 Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; 34 who is the one condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Just as it is written, “FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.” 37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Grandma was a woman of Faith, she accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. She spent a lot of time in this very building. It was because of her faith that she found Grandpa as members of the same church some 72 years ago. As we spoke during our phone call and at her bedside here in Willow Lake, we both know that we will see each other again. The tears I have cried during these past few weeks are both full of joy and sadness. Sadness for the temporary loss I feel now, but Joy for the enternal life I will one day share with Grandma, Grandpa and others that have gone before me.
As Jeremy read in the obituary, Grandma leaves a legacy of 5 Children, 13 Grandchildren, 27 Great-Grandchildren, another on the way and 2 step-great-granchildren. I know Grandma had a special place in her hearts for her “other kids and grandkids”, because she also had 3 son-in-laws, 2 daughter-in-laws and 11 Grand-Children-in-laws. I know dad got to spend many coffee breaks, almost 13 years, at Grandma’s house. Dad and Uncle Mel did a number of projects for her over the years. Grandma also meant a lot to the Grandkid-in-laws, I know many of them are very grateful to have been able to call her Grandma and to know she treated them as if they had always been her grandchild.
I personally will never forget the hugs and the kisses she gave me or the loving embraces she gave from her bed this Thanksgiving. I will never forget how the littlest things meant the world to her, she understood how sometimes the small things that we take for granted are really the big things you need to treasure. It has been written that “life is more accurately measured by the lives you touch rather than the things you acquire.” Grandma lived her life that way.
I am not really sure how to end this, I could go on and on about Grandma. But I guess I’ll end this the same way Grandma always ended her phones calls with me, “Yeah, you betcha, mm hmm bye.” We love and Miss you Grandma.

DFFL 2010

2010-12-24T20:40:00.000-08:00

Well we have officially started championship week in the DFFL and we have the top two scoring teams in the league in the title game, my buddy Doc's Killer Beef (#1) vs. the #3 seed, my own Dakota River Ratz! It's been a weird season. I started 1-4, with 2 of those losses scoring over 100 points and could have beaten any other team in the league that week with the one exception of the team I was matched up against. In fantasy football what you are really playing against is the schedule, get a good schedule and play the right teams at the right times and you are in the playoffs. Have a bad schedule and all of a sudden you are losing weeks when you are the second highest scoring team in the league!

My team is largely the same as last year, mainly due to my league being a keeper league where we each get to keep 5 players, it's really almost a dynasty league. However, my keepers have not lead the way for my team this year. Draft picks of Arian Foster and Jeremy Maclin have been huge along with adds like Jacob Tamme and some guy named Michael Vick. Vick has almost single handedly lead me to half my wins, and should have lead to another if I had not gone back to Drew Brees one week. I closed on a 7-2 run and probably should have gone 8-1 or 9-0 during that stretch but second guessing yourself usually leads to losses for me. Fow what it's worth this is the 4th time in 5 years I am in the title game, yet I have no titles during that stretch! Maybe I can do it right this time, then again maybe I won't. Fantasy football is hard because all you can do is try and put your best lineup out there and hope to win since you have no control over it. So the question is, why do so many people play fantasy football? I really don't know why, but I do know I love to play!

Fear the Rat!!

NBA 2k11...really!!

2010-12-24T20:25:00.001-08:00

Ok, so I was going to write this at some point when David Kahn was trading players faster than ABC cancels shows (My wife informs me they cancel all their good up and coming shows) and the Heat had just assembled the newest Big 3. However the moment passed and I had no blog post about it. Well a week ago Orlando decided to rearrange everything in hopes to keep up with Boston, Miami, Chicago (added boozer et al) and the Western Conference powers (LA Lakers, Dallas, San Antonio, etc etc). I guess I don't follow the Magic enough to know if this really helps them or just changes things. To me it seemed like they gave away more than they got and now need to go and get another big man to fill Gortat's spot. I am not sure if it will work or maybe it will gel and they become another powerhouse eastern conference team.
Miami made a huge splash and got LeBron to leave his home in Ohio for South Beach. It seems as though they are stacking a team and will just steamroll through the season. Well we learned right away that it takes time to figure things out and get on a roll. Now they are rolling and people are still upset with LeBron, why!?!? Look I know what it's like to want to ball with your friends and if you get the chance to team up I say do it! If your window of time in this league is small and your best buddies also play in the league why not enjoy the prime time of your career together? Oh wait cuz the legends of the 80's and 90's said they would never do that. They always wanted to lead their team to a title and beat the other guys rather than team up with them. Right, you don't ever thing Charles Barkley wishes he had one season with MJ, or maybe Patrick Ewing had a season with Magic or Larry Bird. How about Karl Malone wanting one season with Shaq or Gary Payton wanting a season playing alongside Kobe, Oh wait those last two did happen!! So get off of LeBron's back and leave Bosh, Boozer, Amare and all the other big names who swapped zip codes in the hopes of winning a title and being happy. It's not like the face of your franchise left for another team and won a title the very next year...oh wait that did happen to my Wolves and KG going to Boston! So buck up Cavs fans soon you too can dream about being relevant again one day just like Wolves Nation, yea.

KKKAAAHHHHNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow it's been a while!!

2010-12-24T20:18:00.001-08:00

Ok, so here is one of my New Year's resolutions: Update my Blog more!! Yeah I know I said it before but I need to do it, I have ideas for posts and things I want to say but I always go, I'll do it later. Well I need to do it now when I am in the mood, but I also need help. I need to know somebody is reading this, anybody!?!?! I mean it's good to write but if nobody reads it does it really matter? Kind of like if a tree falls in the forest, does it... well you get the idea. So help me keep my soon to be resolution, come here read my blog and let me know you did it, and I'll keep writing. Unless of course it's terrible then just say no buddy, try something else to spend you time on, I am cool with that too, ha!

Fantasy Football is here!

2010-09-21T07:05:00.000-07:00

Ok so it's here again and my tram is pretty good yet two weeks in I am 0-2! I am once again why I do this to myself year after year. It's fun drafting players and making your own team, but playing a game where you can't have any influence over the outcome after the ball is kicked off is kinda crazy! It totally changes the way you watch a game. Instead of sitting back and watching the game for the enjoyment and getting caught up in cheering for one the two teams is gone! I got mad when a 4th string running back for the Colts fumbled the ball, opening the door for the Giants to score a meaningless touchdown. Well that meaningless touchdown cost me my fantasy league game. Now as I stare up at the rest of my league from the bottom, I ask myself is this really any fun? But I can't quit I cannot have my first losing season ever, I cannot let my 4 year playoff apperance streak end! Or can I, and maybe just go back to being a real football fan again and not just another fantasy rube. Only time will tell I guess.

2010 vacation

2010-07-27T15:33:00.001-07:00

Well we made it out of town for our yearly vacation and this year we went west. Our trip took us to the Black Hills of South Dakota and around the Rapid City area. We checked out Al's Oasis, the Badlands, Wall Drug, Flinstones Bedrock City, Thunderhead Falls, Bear Country, Mt. Rushmore and Black Hills Caverns. We enjoyed spending time together and exploring new places and showing the girls things I remember from family vacations as a child. One place I got to show them was Placerville Camp, a very special place to me during my high school days. I met a lot of great people there and grew in my faith, sharing our love of Jesus Christ. It is also a very special place since my lil brother exchanged his wedding vows with his bride in that very chapel.

It was also quite a treat to see how much my girls have grown since last year's trip. Pookie is still as sweet and tentative as before, but she is so smart and ready to start Kindergarten. BooBoo is just a ball of energy and exploration. She simply has no fear and no off button! BooBoo loved the slides at the hotel pools and wore her loving father out!

We ended the trip spending a night camping with family at Farm Island near Pierre, SD. It always a great time spending time with your family even if it involves trying to remember how to set up a tent that will be 90 degrees by 8am!

The longest part of the trip was the final ride home, its fun to go somewhere and explore and experience new things, but returning home is always a welcome sight!

So I finished p90x and...hey is that a donut?

2010-07-27T15:14:00.001-07:00

Well I had every intention of finishing week 12 and 13 but as the weeks wore on I decided against week 13's recovery week. It's a great program and nice to just follow along as to what exercises to do, and I did see results in my fitness level. I guess I just ran out of steam due to my workouts getting pushed back from 9-9:30pm to 10-10:30 or later. It was partially due to me and partially due to more daylight and the girls staying up later. It pushed everything later and later, and since I am not a morning person less time to work out.

I think I might crank it up again this fall or maybe sooner, vacation and no p90x this past month have finally caught up to me. Over the next month or so I will try to be better about what I eat and continue to play basketball. I will try and motivate myself to lift some at the gym and hit the elliptical staring at me in my house, ha!

Well this was just to wrap up the loose ends on my p90x story. No huge transformation, no future fitness expert in training, just an average married guy with two kids trying to hang on to his youth so he can ball at the Y. I guess some things never change!

2nd Recovery Week

2010-05-20T17:35:00.000-07:00

Well I have now made through the first two phases of the P90X and have enjoyed the program a lot. It has been tough at times but it has been worth it. My main goal for the program was to get into better shape for basketball. It has really worked! I find myself not getting as tired on the court and having a more consistent shot. Now I have to remind people that I did not do the diet, well since mainly I am not much into dieting. However as stated above I am still feeling the benefits. Some have noticed I look a bit thinner and maybe broader across the chest/back. I know that I have dropped 5 to 10 pounds and still have phase 3 to finish. I should be done by the end of June and wonder if I can lose a few more pounds before I am done. I know I can if I "do my best and forget the rest!"

2010-04-18T15:08:00.001-07:00

Enjoyed a day with my girls at the zoo followed by enjoying some ice cream. Always love to go see the Wolf exhibit, they are so cool!

2010-04-16T14:27:00.003-07:00

(2/2) ow the results are there. I have enjoyed the program & wonder what the end results will be. I hope to cut back on eating, but hey, I love to eat! Ha!

2010-04-16T14:27:00.001-07:00

(1/2) As of today, I have done 3 weeks of p90x and definately feel better when I play basketball. I am not doing the diet so pry can't see a difference but I kn

2010-04-16T14:20:00.001-07:00

Today should be the day we welcome a new family member. No not Sandy and me, but my lil sis and her hubby. Can't wait to find out what they are having!

Going Mobile

2010-04-01T08:37:00.001-07:00

In an effort to update my blog more than once every 4 months I am
testing the mobile blog features of this site. I like the idea of
blogging and would like to do it more but fail to find the time. Maybe
this way when the mood strikes I can mash away with my thumbs to
update all of you that follow me. Well at least 2 people follow me!
Anyway if any of my family are out there, click on the follow this
blog link and let me know you are out there. Ok time to go, I'll check
back in later.

2010-04-01T08:06:00.001-07:00

Ok, finally testing some mobile blogging options. Let see if this works!

Angels among us!

2009-11-15T17:03:00.000-08:00

Sometimes in life we get so sidetracked by everything else going on that we fail to see the miracles around us. Angels aren't always standing there with wings and halo, some times they are your neighbor, your co-worker, your child, sometimes someone you don't even know. But they are angels because God has placed them in your life at just the right time to bring you a message.

Someone Out There

Excerpt from Acts 12:6-19

“Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell.”

Reflection by Felix Carrion

Who led Peter out of prison? The text says, "An angel."

I've heard people say that some relative, some friend, some pastor, some child, some stranger, someone out there, was "an angel" to them. What I understand them to mean is that this person was sent to them in that precise moment when they were most needed. Out of nowhere, and with no prompting from the person they reached out to, they appeared or called or sent a book or wrote a letter or prayed a powerful prayer.

In that hour of need, and in their appearing, they were no longer just a relative, friend, pastor, child, stranger, or someone out there; they were an angel and their deed was indeed miraculous. (I recall many years ago, in the middle of a sorrowful night, while prayerful tears fell from my eyes, in search of a sign from God, my youngest son called out, "I love you, Dad," and fell right back to sleep.)

An angel is a messenger, sent by God, with a message. They point us in the right direction; they shine a light; they make clear the unclear; they open a door; they break chains; they move us from bondage into freedom's path.

All kinds of people can and have done exactly these things at God's prompting. So, today be an angel. Or, at least, go ahead and recognize the one that was sent to you (recently or a long time ago). And, be assured -- this is real!

Prayer

O God, you make me smile, how you come to me. Amen.

Inspiration

2009-11-15T16:58:00.000-08:00

Every now and then I get these e-mails from my church (UCC) and I find some of them particularly interesting, so since I haven't posted much lately I thought I'd share some with you.

You Have What It Takes!

Excerpt from Mark 11:20-25

Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Reflection by William C. Green

Jesus did not say believe that you will receive what you pray for. He said "believe that you have received it."

So often we pray for what we already have. Time and again the psalmist says "God is my strength," not "God grant me strength." The same with all kinds of help and healing, forgiveness and guidance, an ability to keep the faith and to pray. "God is my rock and redeemer." Not please, God, give me something I need and don't have.

So why pray? Because our petitions rightly understood are not requests but praise. The dreariest psalms, full of neediness and despair, almost always move seamlessly into declarations of what God has done and makes possible.

We are created in the likeness of God's goodness and strength--"little less than God."

True, we fall away from this and abuse our God-given endowments. But we are not stripped of them. And prayer recalls us to who we are in the first place. It's an awakening, or re-awakening, to what's still ours.

Often enough I've felt like some bottomless pit that no amount of encouragement or reassurance could fill. At those times I'd always pray for strength I lacked. I've now taken to praying another way. "God, make me aware of the strength you've given me." That's proven a good way to respect God, and others. When I quit looking elsewhere for what I already have, I find it!

Prayer

O Lord, I praise you for the strength and hope you give us. Amen.

Halloween

2009-11-15T07:32:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to post a blurb about this year's Halloween events. The week before we went to a Fall Festival at Jacey's preschool where Jacey and Jadyn both got to wear their costumes (Princess and a kitty)and play games for fun and candy. On Halloween we did a little trick or treating in the neighborhood and then gave out candy to kids that stopped by. Jacey loved handing out the candy to the kids, almost as much as she liked going and getting candy. Jadyn is very talented when it comes to grabbing candy. She would get one little piece, and the people would say you can have another, then Jadyn would quickly grab like 3 pieces of candy, she was awesome! It was alomost like I trained her, almost. Ha!

Dacotah Fantasy Football League - mid year (sort of)

2009-11-15T07:11:00.000-08:00

Fear the Rat!

Well here it is almost Thanksgiving and I am finally, finally posting again. We are now starting week 10 and I have found myself in 2nd place behind my little brother. My little brother has been a thorn in my side over that last several seasons. From not being able to beat his team at all for years at a time, to losing the title game to him twice in the last 3 seasons. Will this season be different? Well so far it hasn't with an early season loss to him, but my team seems to be hitting their stride now. Although if I can make the title game and lose one more time I would officially be the Buffalo Bills of the DFFL.

This week is the start of playing the early part of your schedule over again, which means I get to play my Dad again. Even though he doesn't have a winning record he is the 4th highest scoring team in the league, it will be tough to get a win. Plus I seem to beat his team early in the year and then get beat badly the 2nd time we play.

Well hopefully this weekend goes as well as the last few, I am hoping to lock up a playoff spot in the next few weeks, rather than need a miracle and a tiebreaker like last year! Ha!

Another Year, Another Birthday

2009-09-04T09:40:00.000-07:00

Well yesterday was the 37th time the day of my birth has been recognized by friends and family. And as I get older I tend to do less and less on this day, because in reality it is just like the day before it and the day after it. However, I did have a few things lined up to make my day somewhat special. Got up like always and went to work, brought donuts in to share with co-workers, which they love, some more than others (darn diets anyway).
Next off to the Y for a little basketball, man I love playing! After coming home, I got to rock my baby to sleep for her nap and got a chance to relax for a bit. Sandy got cleaned up and ready to leave the house once BooBoo woke up. BooBoo woke up so we got Pookie ready to go as well and then headed out for a quick errand before eating out for my birthday. We chose Chili's and weren't disappointed. Sandy and I got the 2 for $20 deal and we didn't even touch the dessert, heck we were so full we didn't even touch the birthday cake.
Anyway after getting the girls inside from playing I settled in for DFFL Fantasy draft 2009. Didn't do too bad, I think. LOL It will be interesting to see how my team does this year. I am still trying to get over the hump and stop getting runner-up, three straight years!!
Finally finished off the night with a conversation with Ma and Pa, then a quick game of Madden 10. It's the little things in life isn't it?

Timberwolves get their man

2009-08-09T07:55:00.000-07:00

According to multiple sources, ESPN etc and now confirmed by Wolves owner Glen Taylor, the team will hire former Laker Kurt Rambis as their new head coach. I guess he is getting a 4 year deal, which is actually a year longer than President David Kahn has on his contract. It looks like the Wolves are inching closer to becoming something different. I mean from the GM position, to the coaches to the players. The franchise will be a completely version than it has been for the last several years. I certainly hope Taylor is allowing Kahn to do what needs to be done and simply write the checks. So far it seems like it since he is actually willing to pay Rambis a reported $2 Million per season and under contract for those 4 years, something the Kings were obviously unwilling to do.
Things are looking up in Timberwolves Nation, but when we look back in a year or 5 years, will this be another bad decision or a genius move by Kahn. Only time will tell.

NBA thoughts...

2009-07-28T20:14:00.000-07:00

Ok, never updated during the finals but here goes. This was the Lakers year, there was no team that was going to stop them. As an NBA fan you had to see that, especially with injuries to the Celtics and Spurs, followed up by losses by the Cavs.
Next season will be different and it will depend on how the offseason affects each team but it seems there are at least a half dozen teams that have made moves in order to make a run at a ring. Depending on injuries and chemistry issues it should be fun to watch.
My Wolves have made a number of moves, not really sure what the end result will be. Some players brought in seem to have a purpose, only to be traded away again. I think Kahn has a plan, just not sure who he is really targeting. I think the Wolves don't have anybody who was with the team 3 years ago, talk about a roster makeover!
I personally wonder how many times Q. Richardson can be traded in one offseason! Three times so far, with how many more times to go? LOL

Another deck update...

2009-07-28T20:08:00.000-07:00

Ok, its been a while, but anyway...
My dad cam up the weekend of Pookie's birthday party and we got the North side of the railing done and half of the South side. The last part of the railing will be tricky and not sure when it will get done. Need to set a weekend aside, maybe sometime soon and get it done. Regardless the deck is like 97% done and we have enough railing for safety and it looks pretty good as well.

Deck is 90% Done!!

2009-06-08T08:14:00.000-07:00

Well about a week ago, Dad and I worked for almost 3 full days and thanks to what I had done before he got here, we have the deck over 90% complete. The Number could be higher, since all that is left is railing on the stairs and some extra screws on the main deck area, just put the minimum number of screws in so far so we could move on to another part. Here are a couple photos to show how it turned out, I am so proud of the job Dad and I did. My Dad is so good at so many things it is great to be able to learn from him!

Feeling kinda old lately

2009-05-24T07:02:00.000-07:00

Not sure what brought it on, normally a person has these moments at times when they turn 30, 35, 40, 50 etc but I feel it's recently happened to me. Not sure why, birthday number 37 doesn't
t happen for a few months and I have to very young daughters who help me feel young, so not sure why it is. Maybe it was realizing that some guys I play ball at the Y with are like 15 years younger than me, and I am inching closer to 40, maybe it's the physical fitness test for work and realizing my best years are behind me, or maybe it's just the fact I keep getting more and more gray hair. It's not like I am going completely gray now, but I seem to notice it more when there is no gel in my hair. Grey isn't really that big of a deal, at least I still have my hair, but gray hair tends to be more course and stick up and just generally not look as nice on me. Maybe I should bleach my hair and cut it to hide them or maybe color my hair darker. Of course the same would have to go for my facial hair. Ahhh what is a guy supposed to do!? I still act like a guy in my 20's, I need to take better care of myself to feel that way, more exercise for my knees and other ailing joints, and I must do something with my hair. Well whatever I am sure I will adjust how I feel in a while and it will pass, but it'll come back later. Gosh what am I gonna feel like when I turn 40?!?

Deck Update

2009-05-24T06:58:00.000-07:00

Well the post hole shave been dug, the lumber and other materials have been ordered and delivered, and today I hope to start getting the posts in the hole, leveled and secured in the holes. I am a bit nervous about doing it, but well I gotta start somewhere. My Jack-of-all-trades, Dad will be here Thursday to help with the bulk of the work, but I'd like to get a good start on the project before he and my Ma come up. I really want to get this thing done by the end of next weekend so we can move on to other projects. I would really like to finish our lower level, oak trim and new mantel, just so we can officially say the house is done, but one step at a time! :-)

NBA Conference Finals

2009-05-24T06:51:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I been busy lately so haven't posted in a while, but I have to say the Conference Finals in both conferences have been great! Each of the 5 games so far have been close with the road team wining 3 of the 5! LA stole home court back last night from Denver and tonight in Orlando we will see who gets the all important game 3 win. Game 3 in the East is important for Cleveland since Game 4 is also in Orlando, but the Cavs need to find a way to hold on to their halftime leads. That might be very difficult, it might be even more difficult to get a lead down in Orlando, but Orlando can go cold from deep, but will they?

Win or Go Home Day!

2009-05-17T07:32:00.000-07:00

Today is the day, both Boston and LA each earned the right to host their respective game 7's today. But will home court be enough? Both Orlando and Houston have won on the road in this series, each taking Game 1, but Game 7 is a completely different animal.
I was shocked to see Houston win Game 6, but they keep finding a way to get the job done. I joked with a co-worker that the Lakers would win Game 5 by 30, well I was wrong they won by 40! In the NBA role players always seem to play better at home so I am guessing LA wins, I don't think it will be close but Houston will give it all they got to try and advance.
The Magic should have advanced by now to play Cleveland, but they have found a way to blow Game 5, and Game 4 they should have also found a way to win but couldn't hit a shot down the stretch to put the C's away. So today what do I expect, it will pry be more of the same, Orland hitting shots early and then not being able to hit a 3 to save their playoff lives in the second half. Boston's bench will pry play great since they are at home and help Boston to a win and advance to the next round. I'd have to double check but the last 3 Game 7's in Boston have all been wins that they have pretty much been in control of the entire way. Will that trend continue I don't know, I'd like it to end (Must be resentment toward the C's for being so good as I was growing up), but it probably won't end. Right now, I think their playoff runs end against Cleveland, but then again anything is possible in the playoffs!

Baby Steps on the Deck

2009-05-17T07:28:00.000-07:00

Well I have gotten the plans, the building permit, and the spots marked off to dig the holes for the posts. Next step is to get the guy lined up to dig the holes for us. I can't wait to get started on the project, yet nervous. It will so nice to have a deck to enjoy the Spring and Summer weather. That is assuming that the weather ever cooperates and stays above 70 degrees for more than 3 days!!

GOOD FOOD!!

2009-05-10T17:06:00.000-07:00

Today is Mother's day and we had done a few nice things for Sandy today. Pookie and I picked out flowers, cards and balloons for Mommy Friday, and I had gotten her a necklace last weekend, but I still wanted to go out to eat for the special occasion. We decided to try Kobe Restaurant here in Fargo. It's a sushi and tepenyaki place, and we love ourselves some sushi. Well we came for the sushi and discovered a Benny Hanna type restaurant with good chefs and great sushi. The Summer Roll was the special of the day, I am not even sure everything that was in there but boy was it good! It was so good I didn't even get the customary, "you want the last piece" question from my wife, ha!
Well we probably spent more than we should have and ate more than we needed to, but boy was it good! We will definitely be back for more!! Can't wait for Father's Day (or maybe just next weekend)!

Hou/LAL

2009-05-10T17:03:00.000-07:00

Houston, we have a...blowout!?!? What the heck happened on the way to a Laker trip to the Western Conference Finals? I'm sorry I didn't watch the game. My Laker Fan neighbor claimed the Rockets were just taking it to the hoop and scoring at will. So I grabbed my phone and checked the score and sure enough the Rockets were up by like 18 at the break. Very impressive win for the Rockets, can they pull a rabbit out of their hat in game 5? Oh wait I should have used that saying for the Magic/Celtics series, oh well maybe I'll reuse it later, ha!

NBA MVP etc...

2009-05-10T08:43:00.000-07:00

Ok, so the MVP was named and it was none other than LeBron James. Now it's hard to comprehend that the dude is only what 25, and he seems like he is 35 when he talk to reporters. He has been amazing to watch in the playoffs so far, last night was awesome. Not only is the guy big, strong, fast and powerful, but also smart. Each time in the 4th quarter, he was handling the ball , working the clock and getting matchup after matchup he wanted and knocking down shot after shot. Mike Bibby is a good player but he gives up at least 6' on the defensive switch, and when that happened, LBJ just elevated and knocked down the shot over him. The Cavs/Hawks series is all but over, and I am looking forward to seeing them take on the Magic/Celtics winner.

Houston, you have a problem. Down 2 games to 1, and now missing Yao for the rest of the playoffs. The Lakers/Rockets series went form looking like it could go 7, to maybe it will be over in 5!!

Denver has just crushed the hopes of the Mavs fans and owner Mark Cuban with that last second 3 to take game 3. Now I know there was a missed call at the end of the game on the intentional foul, but dude, FOUL HIM UNTIL YOU HEAR A WHISTLE!! Doesn't anybody remember what they were taught as kids, got until the whistle blows so you know the play is done.

The most entertaining series for me, Magic/Celtics, can't wait for game 4 today. C's are still in it, but they need big games from role players and the deep bench guys that normally wouldn't be playing. But due to KG's and Powe's injuries they need to dig deep to try and even the series today. House has been on fire and the Magic tend to let teams back into games rather than going in for the kill. Let's see if the Magic can take it to the next level and put the champs on the brink of elimination.

NBA it's Fantastic!!

NFL Draft and NBA Playoffs

2009-04-25T06:57:00.000-07:00

Well today is the day in the NFL Season where teams build their futures by selecting some of the top young talent in all of college football. Detroit has already decided to select the QB from Georgia, M. Stafford, and after that it's still up in the air. The USC QB, M. Sanchez, has so much hype surrounding him that he could get picked #2 or maybe at #20. It iwll be interesting to see who goes where and if any Draft Day Trades go down. Of course I just hope that the Buccaneers get a stud at pick #19, or maybe they land a stud via trade, who knows, the Bucs need all the help they can get.
In the NBA so far, have we learned anything other than the Cavs should be in the Finals? I'd say the same about the Lakers, and think they will still get there as well, but the lakers stubbed their toe in Salt Lake City recently. With Boston losing KG and Poe, Orlando struggling with Philly, and Atlanta and Miami locked in a battle, it seems as the Cavs are clearly the Beast of the East. I am not saying LeBron and the Cavs don't lose a game on the way to the Finals, but a team does have to beat them 4 times to eliminate them. In the West the Lakers may stumble here or there but they should win the West. The Rockets and Nuggets could stand intheir way, but the Lakers are too good and have one of the best players in the league to lead them at crunch time. What do all my ramblings mean, well it just means NBA fans have to wait until June to see what we all believe is coming, Lakers vs Cavs for the NBA title. I can't wait!

Lower Crest and Falling!!

2009-04-18T07:17:00.000-07:00

Well earlier this week they projected 38' and then lowered it to 37'. Another day passed and they lowered the expected second crest all the way down to 35.5', only to drop it to 34.4' later. Well as of now it looks like it topped out around 34' and should be continually dropping over the next week. I know the water isn't gone yet and there are a number of places that got damaged and things than will need to be repaired, but it's nice to know the F-M area could return to normal soon.
However, there are other small towns dealing with flooding, hopefully the water won't get a high as they predict in those places.

As the river rises again

2009-04-12T15:52:00.000-07:00

I had an idea about a blog post to share regarding the flooding that the area has experienced, however since I didn't write it when the thought was in there I will just give a short update now. The Red River is over 32' which is well above flood stage, but still 8 feet lower than the end of March. It should top out around 39' at the highest this week, but weather may change that forecast.
The sights I witnessed of neighbor helping neighbor and strangers volunteering to help, and even children helping was truly truly amazing. I feel like I should have helped more, that I should have put in more time helping others. It is hard work building the dikes but it is very rewarding when you see how much it means to those in need. I truly hope that the F-M area will take steps to have permanent flood protection, so the next time this happens, the town will be ready and we will hardly even notice the river has risen. I would like to say to those who have lost a home this year my thoughts and prayers are with you and I am sorry for your loss. To those who have helped when asked to do so, I thank you for showing the rest of the country how to stand up and act when needed in a time of crisis, you are all my heroes.

January 31st

2009-04-10T05:41:00.000-07:00

Ok this is something I wrote as a note on my Facebook page, but it is probably a good starting point for my blog. It gives some insight as to who I am and what has made the person I am today.

January 31st, is a normal day for most, but not for me. It has great memories associated with it that will stay with me forever. Today is the day 7 years ago I saw my wife for the first time on St. Simon's Island, GA. Sandy made the trip down to see this guy she had been talking to on the phone after months of chatting here and there online. That was the first night we were together and haven't been apart much since. It's also the day where 5 years ago I got out this little ring and asked Sandy to be my wife. She said yes and she's been wondering if that was the right choice ever since! LOL We have such a wonderful life together and I love here and my kids all very very much.

Today is also the day that my Paternal Grandmother was born. She passed away 7 years ago this past November and every year on her birthday is the day I chose to reflect back on her life and what she means to me. I've been wanting for years to tell my family about what this day means to me but just haven't been able to get myself to talk about it.

When my Grandmother passed away I was in Georgia for training regarding my job. I didn't really have the money to fly home on such short notice or the ability to miss many days of work without having to restart all of the training. So I sat in my dorm room alone, sad, grumpy and feeling guilty for not being there for my family, for my Dad, for my Grandma. I mean I was the oldest Grandson, I felt like I was some how the default leader of the Grandkids, the next in line after the Aunts and Uncles. I felt like I should have been by her side when she left this earth, that I should have been there to help carry the casket, that I should have been sitting at the front of the church with my Brother and Sister, that I should have been there to help hold my family up when they needed it most. But I wasn't, and that guilt has been there ever since.

The guilt gets less each year as time passes, and as I have been able to hear stories from Grandpa on her birthday, and see my Aunt remind me more and more of her each year. It helps, but it doesn't make it all go away.

How does this all end up tying into meeting my wife and the day I proposed to her, well it goes like this. As my Grandma lay on her deathbed and her time drew near, I got a call from my Dad updating me on her condition. Hoping she would improve but knowing that I may not get to speak to her again, Dad put the phone to her ear, and with a sobbing voice I spoke to her one last time. I told my Grandma that I had a good job, and I really liked it and that it was going to become my career, people were really nice and was having fun while working. I told her that all I needed now was to find the right woman and settle down and have a family. I think I ended it by telling her I loved her and missed her and hoped to see her soon. When I was done and was sobbing on the other end of the phone, Dad raised the phone to his ear again and said She heard you Jace. Dad knew she heard me because he could see it in her eyes, Grandma always had the brightest twinkle in her eyes, since she could no longer speak.

Some time after the conversation and the funeral, I started exchanging e-mails with a woman in Savannah. She was beautiful, sweet and made me laugh. Work was busy so I only got to send her a quick e-mail or rarely chat online. We almost met for the first time on that New Year's Eve, but my shyness and not talking on the phone yet prevented that and would have messed up the ending to the story. Anyway, after a few more e-mails, and a little bit of courage, we spoke on the phone, first exchanging voice mails, then a short conversation, then a long one, and then another. Soon it was time to meet.

Which of course takes us back to the start of my story, on January 31st, 2002 I laid my eyes on this beautiful woman, who became my wife.

Some people don't think there angels among us, but I beg to differ. When Grandma left this earth, she wasn't there to make her oyster stew or bake us chocolate chip cookies, but she is still with us, and she is still looking after us. She even put in a good word for me with the Big Guy upstairs and he brought Sandy into my life.

My Dad read this at the funeral:
"As all of you have heard, as Jerry had mentioned, the word NEVER came up quite a few times. That's a word that Mom grew to dislike very much. Because after having her stroke a few months later as she lie in the Watertown hospital, the doctor came in and said, "I'm sorry, but this is the best your Mom will ever be, and she will NEVER get any better." In the back of Mom's mind was a phrase, as Jerry Mentioned, BUT FOREVER will I try to prove them wrong. And as you all know after a few long months of work and dedication, Mom was home again, up walking and doing most of the things she enjoyed doing.
Then Monday evening as we were in the DeSmet hospital, the doctor came in about 9:00 and told us that they were giving her medication in order to try and get her kidneys going because they had shut down and if they didn't, Mom would be lucky to make it until noon the next day. So as all of us stay by her side hoping and praying that the medication would kick in and get her kidney's going, the time grew shorter and morning drew near. We knew that in our hearts it would be just a matter of time now before Mom would be with the Lord.
As I sat by her side, I happened to look at my watch and it said 12:00. In my mind I thought Mom had made her deadline. But then as I looked at the hospital's clock on the wall, it said about 4 to 5 minutes before 12:00. I thought to myself, if anything happens, I suppose we would use the hospital's time on the clock. So as my Aunt Jeannie and my wife, Janet, stand by Mom's side, Jeannie tells Janet to go get a nurse because something is wrong. This is the time Mom took her last breath. As the nurse came rushing in, she knew Mom was gone. She took a few vitals and pronounced Mom dead at 12:01. As I stood by her side, not with tears in my eyes, but with a smile on my face and heart, I knew Mom had proved them wrong one last time."

So on a day that marks the opening of 2 different chapters of my life it also reminds me of a woman that helped shape the man I am today. Numerous people told my family at the time of her death that my Grandmother was a wonderful person, she was a fighter, had a twinkle in her eye and they loved her sense of humor. I hope one day to have such kind words said about me.
Grandma, I love you, I miss you and I will see you again one day!

You want me to do a what?

2009-04-05T11:30:00.000-07:00

So my wife has been asking me to do a blog, and I said why? I have a Myspace page, then it became having a Facebook page, and just recently joined twitter, and now FINALLY, I have my own blog. Now the next question becomes, what do I blog about? Well I guess we'll just have to wait and see what comes out of me and onto this keyboard. Exciting isn't it, LOL!!