vacation... not so much

I am a big believer in family vacations.  Packing up the family vehicle, cancelling the mail, telling the neighbor to keep an eye on the place, and getting away from the usual grind for some family togetherness.  I have very fond childhood memories of annual trips, and I don't really remember ever not taking at least one annual vacation.

I want that for my family... but life does not always happen the way we want.  Especially over the past few years, that has not been feasible, and it likely will not be this year.  In mid-April I marked my first year at my current job, and was eligible for one week of vacation.  Since my manager (whom I consider a work-aholic) allows only a very restricted amount of vacation during the traditional vacation months... and, since I am currently in the market for a new job and would lose my week (and the pay) if I switch jobs without taking the week... and, since finances are currently tight... and, since I need to get my wife's kitchen back together... we decided that I would take my week April 18-24 and make it a working vacation.  (Now, there's an oxymoron, if ever I heard one!)

My kids spring break started April 22nd, so the original plan was to work the beginning of the week, then maybe do an overnight road trip during the long weekend.  Although I didn't quite accomplish what I had hoped, the first part of the plan worked out pretty well.  I got quite a bit of work done on the kitchen/living room/foyer/stairway/hall, and hope to keep the momentum going for some evenings and days off.  Gotta get it done!

The second part of the plan... not so much.  Getting and keeping a family of six all healthy at the same time is not easy.   At least, not this family.  Jen and Ben are fighting off nasty colds and coughs, so the road trip was scrapped.  We managed to get out of the house Friday and Saturday evening for some simple family togetherness, proving that family fun does not always have to be elaborate.

Not my idea of "vacation", but for now, it'll have to do. 

Now, the challenge for me is to deliberately carve out more of those short, simple snippets of family together fun throughout the summer, to offset the lack of an actual summer vacation... all while getting my family in the new part of the house, trying to earn a living, and searching for a new job.  Phew!

the tire kicker

Car Salesmen Automotive Sales Consultants are eternally annoyed by the proverbial "tire kicker".  We do, like it or not, live off of commission (yes, that's 100% commission... as in no sell, no eat), and the "tire kicker" is rarely a buyer... at least not today.

The term "tire kicker" represents the customer who floats from dealer to dealer, strolls the lot, looks at stickers, peeks in windows, asks questions, gives you a blow-by-blow history of his past/present car/cars, possibly even takes a test drive, and leaves without even trying to buy...  often with no intention of buying.  Basically, he is a guy burning my uncompensated time.  Cynical, yes, but remember:  no sell, no eat!  (Unless you've lived there, you might not understand!) 

I've never actually seen anyone kick a tire.  The term "tire kicker" is, therefore, not literal... until today!

I met him.  The tire kicker.

He was strolling the used car lot while leaving his car door open and the engine running (one of their classic trademarks).  As I introduced myself, he turned to a 2008 Chevy Impala and asked, "Whaddaya need for this one?" (actually kicking the tire for punctuation!)

Wow!  I finally met him... the head spokesman for "Team Tire Kicker"!

Needless to say, he shook my hand (I do get tired of that) and uttered the line every commissioned salesperson loathes, "thank you for your time".


Disclaimer:  This post was written at the end of one of many frustrating 12+ hour workdays with no sales made and no commission earned, and may, or may not (but probably does), represent the views and opinions of Car Salesmen Automotive Sales Consultants, in general.  (And, in all fairness, what do you say about us?)

techno-geek shuffle

Itching to use my new GPS unit to start Geocaching, late last night I figured out how to download cache coordinates from the website into the unit and I readied a few local (within walking distance) finds.  It was a sunny but chilly day in northern Ohio... the kind of day you'll gladly welcome in mid-February in this region.  I got home from work about 4:30 and that left about 90 minutes of daylight.  Jen was in need of a Benny break, so I asked him if he wanted to go outside (he loves outside), and he grabbed my leg and pointed at the door... I'll take that as a "yes".  I asked Dylan and Zachary if they wanted to walk to the waterfall (the location of our nearest geocache) and they agreed, knowing I wanted to find that cache. 

I grabbed the camera (not knowing the batteries were dead), the GPS, and the four of us walked to the small park near the waterfall, where we had to kill a few minutes for some "muggles" to disperse.  Once the muggles left, I used the compass and distance gauge to get as close to the cache as possible (typically within about 20 feet).  Holding tightly to Benny with one hand (so he didn't go swimming in the river) and holding the GPS in the other, new-to-geocaching-techno-geek-dad was shuffling around the park, head-down, eyes on the gadget... searching for the virtual "X" marking the spot whar thar be treasure.  The idea is that the device gets you close, then you search out the cache with the eyeballs.  I guess I was focusing too much on the device, because while Benny and I were still doing the techno-geek shuffle, Dylan and Zachary found the cache at the same time.  Still head-down, eyes on the device, I heard Zachary say, "you can put that thing away, Dad, it's right there."  Behind a small ___, under the edge of a large ____ (don't want to be a "spoiler"), was our first official "find".  The cache contained a little "swag"... but in our haste, the boys had brought nothing to trade.  It also contained a log book... but in our haste, we forgot a pen to sign the log.  We tried to photograph the momentous first official cache... but in our haste, we forgot to change the camera batteries.  So, we carefully replaced the cache and came home to log our find on the geocaching website... a little anti-climatic for the first find.  But... thar be more treasure ta find!

new toy

It arrived, yesterday... the Garmin eTrex Legend H handheld GPS unit.  And, it coordinated with our first burst of pre-spring temperatures in Ohio.

I'm not really a tech-and-gadget-guy, but I have been debating this purchase for quite a while... a few years, to be exact.  I know it isn't a huge purchase, but I'm very frugal, and I have four kids... need I say more?  I have spent the past few months reading reviews, studying features, getting the opinions of a few friends, and scouring the Internet for the best possible price.  I narrowed it down to this model and the one above it (which has basically the same features, but the addition of a color display).  Oddly enough, I could have purchased the better model for a few dollars less, but I chose this one.  Why?  Two words:  battery life.  The model I chose has an estimated battery life of 18 hours, as opposed to 14 hours on the model with the color screen.  Yes, I might be strange, but I hate buying/changing batteries, and the 4 hours of additional fun per battery cycle made the decision for me!

Although I don't use it often, I already have a Garmin automotive navigation device, and I really like it.  So, why does a non-tech-and-gadget-guy need two GPS units?

Geocaching.  High-tech hide-and-seek.  "The Great American GPS Stash Hunt", as it was originally named on May 3, 2000, when Dave Ulmer, a GPS enthusiast, hid the first "stash" in Beavercreek, Oregon.  The idea was simple:  put some small items with a visitor log book in a watertight container, hide it, record the GPS coordinates of the location and publish the coordinates.  Others use their GPS units to find the container (stealthily, without the muggles knowing!), log their visit, trade a trinket (if they wish), and place the container as they found it.  Little did Dave Ulmer know that what started as one simple GPS "experiment" would rapidly blossom into the world-wide hobby phenomenon now known as Geocaching.  And, where I live (and probably where you live), there are numerous caches hidden within walking distance of my backyard.

I first learned about Geocaching a few years ago, and thought it sounded like good family fun.  I intended to by a handheld GPS unit (auto units are not very compatible with Geocaching), but I just never got around to it.  Lately, my friend Father of Five, a fellow-Geocacher, has been telling me that the boys and I would love it, and I need to try it.  So, FoF, here we go... officially joining the Geocaching craze!  With spring knocking on our door, the boys and I can't wait to fire up the Garmin and do some high-tech treasure hunting!

6 years old

Sunday was Lily's 6th birthday.  It doesn't seem like she should be 6 already.  She has grown and changed so much in the two and a half years that she has been a part of our family.

She asked for a "ramonica" (harmonica) for her birthday.

Not necessarily a birthday gift, but friends of ours recently gave Lily this adorable handmade sock monkey hat.

Happy 6th birthday, Lily!  You're my favorite Lily in the whole world...Love you!

an opportunity

I am hesitant to use my blog "commercially".  Yes, with internet ads everywhere, now even bloggers can put ads on their blogs to generate income.  Slightly tempting, but I don't think I have enough readers to make it profitable, it would change the whole atmosphere of my blog, and I like having total control of what appears on "my" page.

Nonetheless, here is a "commercial", of sorts.

I met an adoptive mom in my travel group, when I went to China to pick up Lily, who had also adopted a little girl.  We have since maintained a friendship through blogging and facebook.  Her and her husband have felt the call to a second adoption, and have recently been matched with a special needs little boy.

I can attest to the fact that there are many bureaucratic costs associated with completing an adoption, and many families (like ours) try to find creative and tactful ways to raise funds to offset some of those costs.

I wish I could link you to some of her blogs, but because bloggers sometimes struggle with privacy issues, she has made the difficult decision to make her blogs private.  So, if you decide to help her out, you'll just have to trust me on this one!

Here's what they are doing... and I wish I had thought of it.  I think it's one of the simplest and most creative ideas I have heard in the world of adoption fundraising.  They have purchased a 500 piece puzzle of China's Great Wall, and they are selling puzzle pieces, through PayPal, for $10 each.  With your donation, you can dedicate that piece (or pieces) of their adoption journey in the name of your choice.  They will write that name on the puzzle piece, and create a treasured family heirloom representing the people who helped to bring their son home.  Awesome idea, huh?

Would you care to help?  I believe in this family and this effort, and I purchased 6 pieces... one for each member of my family.  If generosity or giving was a part of your New Year's resolutions, here's an opportunity.  If you would like to help this family, send an email message to (goneartoorphans(at)gmail(dot)com) with dedication names and ask for a link to the secure PayPal site.  Tell 'em Backside of Forty sent ya!  Thanks for considering this cause.

some progress

With my current work schedule, I don't have nearly as much time to work on my remodeling as I used to have.  So, just before Christmas, I made the decision to hire a drywall contractor to get the first floor walls and ceilings hung and finished.  It's amazing what some cash and a hired workforce can accomplish.

The Monday they started, I left for work in the morning and the area looked like this:

I came home from work in the evening, and it looked like this:

By the end of the week, they were finished, packed up, and gone.  The walls were ready to paint!

Or... maybe not.

Once they were finished (but before I paid the bill), I inspected my new walls.  What I found was not exactly what I had in mind.  Granted, I'm a bit of a perfectionist.  And, in all fairness, the result wasn't terrible.  But, I'm an amateur do-it-yourself-er and I felt I could have done a better job on the final finish sanding.  Maybe it's just me, but my thinking is that if I hire a professional to do a job, they ought to be able to do a better job than an amateur, like me... or, at the very least, just as good, right?

So, I called the contractor (he's a nice guy... I like him) and he was very cooperative.  He assured me they would make it right.  He sent one of his finishers out to meet with me.  I discussed my concerns and he went back over some of the finish.  He called me that evening and assured me that if I had any other concerns, they would take care of them.

I inspected it a second time and found it considerably better, but I still found some flaws that I felt should be remedied before painting.  I believe he would have tried again to meet my satisfaction, but at this point (after two chances), I'm tired of calling and meeting to explain my concerns... you know, "if you want something done right, do it yourself".  So, since I was off Wednesday, I got out my drywall tools and finished it to my standards, which means that I now need to call him and discuss a billing adjustment to compensate myself for the material and labor I invested in his work.

But, pick out the paint colors, now it's ready to paint!  (Well, after I sweep... and sweep... and sweep the dust... and apply the primer...)