Family-Life

We spent 12 hours yesterday and ~2 hours today looking over cars, and we found-out several things: * Old Buicks. Wow…no one can amortize production costs like General Motors. The Buick Century we looked at definitely felt like a quality buick from 1985, manufactured in 2002, right down to the front bench, column shifter, and coarse, powerless engine. * Mazda 626, a very surprising, well-handling machine, but too small for our needs, we think. Whitney had a ball driving it, but it felt like a ’tween’ car…between a civic/corolla and a decent family sedan. Also, CR doesn’t like them too much ...

It’s not final yet, but our Intrigue is junkyard bound. Whitney got a call from the ‘State Farm Total Loss’ department, which we assume implies it’s totaled. I went by this morning, and collected what few things I’d left last week–garage door opener, some CDs, lotion, hair brads/clips/scrunchees. The poor car looked so sad…one year, 25k relatively trouble-free miles, we’re moving on. Last night was narrowing the list…our requirements: * Must be < 200" long (has to fit in our garage like Sharkey did). * Within our budget * Whitney must be able to drive it * 4 doors * Big enough to be a ‘family car’–stroller, car seat, etc. * Safe * Reliable * Low operating costs–regular gas, good mileage, cheap/easy to repair. ...

Gotta love a good mechanic’s vise: Installed my birthday present from Stu on the orkbench today…felt like a crime drilling those 4 half-inch holes in that beautiful workbench, but it went pretty well. It’s an awesome vise: Two positions, two work anvils, and it swivels through 360 degrees. Other random photos: Team Combs will be riding in style, yo Joey, da ninja!

Not much funny about this one. Whitney’s fine, the baby’s fine, and the car (at first blush) looks repairable. Joey’s up with his dad in Louisville, so he’s good too. Whitney was pulling across North Broadway in front of our church, from the Buzz Cafe to the church, and ran the right front of the car into the left side of a northbound Lexus GX470 They bumped at about a 45 degree angle. ...

:-) Making things is fun. My father-in-law, Stu, is a former shop teacher. He likes making things, and probably likes teaching others how to make things even more. He’s made me a fabulous workbench, and decided it was high time I learned about power tools. Now, I’ve spent years watching Norm Abrams’s New Yankee Workhop, marveling at the things Norm can do with his keen eye, instincts, and…uh…$100k of power tools. ...

Told ya…look at that cute nose!

I am so happy for you guys. A little girl. Hope ev… Susan - Oct 1, 2006 I am so happy for you guys. A little girl. Hope everything is going well. Cute pic!!!! OMG–just found out! Congratulations. I am so happy for you guys. I hope she isn’t half the handfull that mine is! I have been so busy that I haven’t slept in about a year! It is still worth every minute! ...

Bella: Why are you tiptoeing through the house with your shoes on? Me: I don’t want to get the carpet dirty Bella: So, you want to look ridiculous AND get smaller footprints on the carpet?

Bella’s car won’t last forever, and I keep wondering what we’ll look at next. Things that matter to me: Small-sized person compatibility: Some cars (including my E30!), Bella just can’t drive. She needs power-adjusting seats (and pedals, preferably!) and a tilt/telescoping steering column. Safety: I don’t want my family in a death trap. In this I include active safety: A vehicle must be stable and maneuverable enough to avoid problems, with positive driver feedback. It must also have enough power to get out of its own way. ...

Joey passes into an icing-induced sugar coma. * * * After the non-practice Soccer practice (lightning, thunder, oh my!), we were able to make it to David’s surprise party, which was awesome for me in many ways: - Got to introduce Whitney + Joey to most of my ‘work family’ - Took whitney to a GOOD thai restaurant, for a change. - It counted as date night. (j/k, dear!)

After a morning of sleeping-in, procuring some coffee at Kroger, and gassing-up the Intrigue, we headed to Beattyville, leaving at 2 and arriving around 5 (!) The news: - Dad bought a truck. It’s the same truck as his last truck, but it has the advantage of 97k fewer miles and a higher differential ratio (3.43 v 3.73) - Used the air tools to rotate the tires on the intrigue. ...

Um…mommy… I wanna wear spidey and my football pijamas, but I can’t ‘cuz they don’t match Yike.

I am SOOOOO happy today: Whitney is 7 weeks along with our first child!!! She gave me the news only a few weeks ago, and I couldn’t be happier. Her first OB appointment was today, and they did bloodwork and gave her brand-name neo-natal vitamins to take. I thank God for blessing us with a new soul to bring into this world, and pray that he give us the guidance in raising him or her. (Whitney think’s it’s a girl, BTW…terrible morning sickness!)

_ Yooooooooooooooooooooo…tengo un amigo que me ama me ama me ama Yo tengo un amigo que me ama su nombre es Jesus! :clap: :clap: :clap: _ Welcome to VBS at Northside Christian church. We’ll happily take your kids off your hands, 2 hrs/day for 5 nights (6-8 pm). We had a class of up to to 7: Drew, Jamie, Faith, Brooklyn, Shelby, Sierra, and that gal I can’t remember. From the 2nd night on, we were lucky to have 5. Pretty awesome week, but it wasn’t too spiritual, just rather practical. Really liked all the yummy snacks we had had from the Church women, and interacting with the kids was neat. ...

On Father’s Day. This is a new “day” for me, and I must say, I like it. I got some cools gifts and Joey, Whitney, and I really liked it. Whitney got me some neat cologne + aftershave (“Truth” from Calvin Klein), which I’ve been wearing for the past week, and Joey got me a baseball glove. Joe-man and I played catch for the first time, and it was AWESOME! :-) ...

One ride. Yep, one trip from the park entrance directly to The Beast killed our day. Me with a bruised ribcage, Whitney with debilitating feminine issues. Tip for those headed to PKI: Put your arms DOWN if you’re a big guy through the turns, I got racked back-and-forth between the 1st hill & the helix (after the braking run) and seriously couldn’t breathe for the rest of the ride. They’ve built the seat bolsters up so much that it’s just PAINFUL. ...

Happy Mother’s Day to all…yes, my 2nd favorite made-up gifting opportunity holiday (after V-is-for-Vendetta Valentine’s Day Chocolate Massacre) is Mother’s Day. This one’s actually nice, and it makes one feel good to treat the mom’s of the world special today. Whitney thought Joey and I had nothing up our sleeves, but was she wrong. She got THREE DAYS of gifts – Flowers and a locket on Friday, a “Son in Law” DVD on Saturday, and some pearl earrings & cards on the day itself. We love her dearly and it made us happy to surprise her 3 times over. ...

Talked to Phil last night about that 1990 325is…got within $150 of buying the car, but I’m at the high end of my price range. After Tax, Title, License, and the “VIN Inspection” at the sheriff’s ofice, it’ll be an extra $350. More bad news: Insurance on E30’s is just as bad as the MINI, while insuring a vehicle for a whopping $2500. Yike.

Randomness: - Kentucky lost in a worthy effort. Joey woke-up from his nap in time to half-watch the game w/10 mins to go in the 2nd. Not a great game, but a great performance from a mediocre team. Once Morris fouled-out, I knew we were done, but Sparks almost pulled it out. - Yesterday was yard-work day, as Joey and I went out and honey-did: Put down pre-emergent, fertilizer, covered Whitney’s flowers against the frost, pruned the rat’s-nest of our pear trees, and swept the front porch. Not warm enough to do much else, but Spring is a-coming. ...

I talk in my sleep. I didn’t know this until I went to college & I got a roommate. Up to this point, I didn’t think Whitney did, until… [interior] [my bedroom, 6am] Bella: mphrfhfhfhfhfh…chicken Me: Huh? B [mumbly]: did you take the chicken out of the oven? Me: Huh? B [annoyed, distinct]: Did you take the chicken out of the OVEN?! It’ll burn.. [I go to the kitchen and verify that the only think in the cold oven is the breadstone, then return] ...