Our church had an outreach in a park near the famous Country Club Plaza yesterday afternoon. After successfully changing the blog picture, I washed the construction grime off of me and started to head out the door. Then, an idea whacked me upside the head… “There’s a Jack Stack restaurant just a few blocks from the park… “I [...]
Still got the touch
August 1st, 2010Category: Marriage
Getting ready for knighthood
July 19th, 2010Buying this house has been a great experience. We bought our first house under very unusual circumstances… Since real estate was so expensive in California, we bought with another young family. My wife never really liked that house. So, since just she and I were involved in picking this house out and we were both in [...]
Category: Marriage
The dirty little secret is out now!
May 20th, 2010Wednesday night is Bible study night. I received a text saying that the meeting was going to be at the McDaniel’s house. About an half hour later, a second text arrived saying that it was being moved to Culver’s on Douglas. Since we still don’t know everyone’s last name, I texted back that I had not [...]
Category: Marriage
She wore me out!
May 15th, 2010I guess I should just jump right into to the story before you get any strange ideas regarding the title of this post… I had a tiring day today… and I didn’t really do anything strenuous! It all started last night. I watched a movie with my wife and didn’t get to bed until 11:00. That’s [...]
Category: Marriage
I get to play the “bad guy” part
March 25th, 2010Sometimes being a husband and a father is a thankless job… I suppose the same can be said about being a wife or a child…I can’t really see how, but I’ll just ASSUME that is is THEORETICALLY possible…but it’s a stretch. My wife and my youngest daughter recently completed the weight loss portion of a [...]
Category: Marriage
“I don’t recall”
March 15th, 2010My wife has never visited our oldest daughter in Dallas. I think she might be the only member of the family who hasn’t. So, for the better part of a month, she has been looking forward to this week since her school is out on Spring Break. I too was looking forward to this week but for a [...]
True Confessions
March 13th, 2010This blog is in danger of becoming a confessional…(tongue firmly planted in cheek!) I have written about my own mid-life crisis. I have revealed that I have been involved in several long distance relationships for quite some time. I have written about the possibility of my wife having a mid-life crisis. But this post might [...]
Category: Marriage
Here is a woman who really understands!
February 27th, 2010My wife loves watching movies. Me…not so much. Well, that’s not entirely true. I like watching GOOD movies. But so many of them aren’t very good… In my opinion… And while I am watching one of those “it’s oh-kay” movies, my preoccupation with time starts rearing its ugly head and I get restless. I try, but [...]
Category: Marriage
I hope I don’t have my head in the sand?
February 6th, 2010When my wife made the big weight loss bet with me, I had two thoughts: if she does it, she will look great and that will be fun, if you know what I mean! If she doesn’t, I don’t have to get braces. Either way, I win. When she said that she wanted to go [...]
Category: Marriage
That was sooo close!
January 31st, 2010On the way home from church, I drove by the little frozen waterfall… As I drove by, I thought that it was worth taking another picture. So… I started backing up… Made sense to me. Evidently, my wife didn’t think so. As I put it in reverse, Bunch said, “What are you doing?” “Backing up.” “You can’t back [...]
Category: Marriage
What ever happened to full disclosure?
January 21st, 2010I should be more of a butt to my wife… I mean, sometimes I am just too agreeable! I told you that she was going to go on this radical diet to lose weight. I also told you that she if she succeeds in hitting her goal, I will have to get braces. I have [...]
Category: Marriage
I don’t blame her
January 6th, 2010Chivalry is not dead! At least not here at the castle. It is snowing right now. I know, what a surprise! It has been snowing since noon and it is snowing hard. She gets off from work from Costco at 8:00. As I pictured her walking out to her car and seeing it covered in snow, [...]
Category: Marriage
A wild New Year’s Eve
January 1st, 2010New Year’s Eve isn’t really that big of a celebration in our household. We don’t really drink. Our television is in the storage facility. Besides, even if we had it in our apartment, I am just not that motivated to stay up a few extra hours to essentially watch the clock tick. You can dress it [...]
Category: Marriage
Hero…or outlaw?
December 26th, 2009Last night at 8:15 P.M., my wife informed me that she needed the electric roaster to cook the Christmas turkey. There was just one problem with that… The roaster was in our storage unit. My son drove down to get it and confirmed what I suspected: the storage facility was closed for Christmas! When I [...]
Category: Marriage
It’s not on “E” yet!
December 23rd, 2009I still don’t know what I am going to buy for my wife! I am running out of time! But, then again, I am a man. Men are supposed to wait until the last minute. If I bought her gift early, I could be found guilty of “shopping”! Not good! I don’t like shopping. Shopping is [...]
Category: Marriage
What do you mean you didn’t make no meat?
December 11th, 2009My wife sent me a text message informing me that she got called in to work and that she had made a meatless pasta dish for dinner. I texted back a “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” response: “What do you mean you didn’t make no meat?” “Ha, Ha.” When I got home, I headed straight [...]
Category: Marriage
Leave me alone!…but on the other hand
October 8th, 2009For nearly two decades, I had TOO much to do. I was building a custom car, reading and studying for my life calling, mentoring younger men at church, working very hard at a job I didn’t like and remodeling and adding on to a house that I lived in with my wife and four children! [...]
Category: Marriage
I did g-o-o-o-o-d!
October 2nd, 2009The surprise didn’t come off exactly as planned but it still worked like a charm! I arrived at the restaurant first. Fifteen minutes later, my wife zipped by me and entered the restaurant. I walked around the restaurant looking through the windows. My wife was seated at a table at the restaurant’s entrance alone! Hmmm…. I called [...]
Category: Marriage
Now it can be told
October 1st, 2009My wife just started her 12-8:30 shift at Costco. Since she doesn’t have any access to the Internet, I can let you in on a HUGE secret! Everybody celebrates their anniversary… well, maybe not quite everybody… people forget or stop liking each other… but, you get the idea. But, how many people celebrate the day they proposed??? [...]
Category: Marriage
A fabulous date
September 19th, 2009I try to take my wife out on a date regularly. Sometimes it monthly, sometimes weekly. It all depends… on her work schedule, our finances, our energy level, our children’s schedules, etc., etc. Well, we had an unusual date this week. I wasn’t dressed to go out on the town when I picked her up [...]
Category: Marriage
I’m your huckleberry!
September 3rd, 2009My wife has been after me for YEARS to get braces for my lower teeth. It has been a somewhat sensitive issue for me. For the first 20 years of my life, I didn’t need them. When I was 21, my wisdom teeth finally came in and they were fully impacted. I didn’t realize this until [...]
Category: Marriage
A great night in the sack
August 29th, 2009Younger people might not be able to relate to this post… As I drove home from work this afternoon, it was all I could do to stay awake. (see previous post) All I was thinking about was going home and sleeping. I stopped by Costco to pick my wife up since her shift was over [...]
Category: Marriage
She should have listened to me…
August 18th, 2009I came home from work tonight and saw a fairly large box sitting in the living room. I wonder what that is? I don’t remember ordering anything… I don’t remember anyone else talking to me about ordering anything… It turns out that it is my son’s linens for college. Now I know why my wife [...]
That’s why we don’t come here anymore
August 16th, 2009We visited our 9th church today. We liked the 8th one very much but it is an hour drive. Today’s church was planted by the 8th church so we went with high hopes… Since the church was near the Plaza (the country’s first outdoor mall), I decided that we should take in the scenery. Well, [...]
She’s back!
August 2nd, 2009I picked my wife up at the airport this morning. I was VERY glad to see her…IF you know what I mean! I may be almost 50 but I’m not old yet! I know that I have written about this before, but it bears repeating… Living alone is really overrated! I mean, I didn’t sit [...]
Category: Marriage
Hey Mikey, she likes it!
June 12th, 2009You’ve heard of the saying ‘killing two birds with one stone’…I did that! I surprised my wife AND she likes the surprise! I used the money from our recent furniture sales and our Costco rebate to buy a nice, used (of course) pub table with two chairs for our main balcony. I am SO ”The [...]
Get Out of Jail Free!
June 3rd, 2009Our new apartment has brand new carpet. We no sooner got moved in before my wife started saying that she wanted everyone to take off their shoes when they entered the apartment so the carpet would stay nice longer. We’ll have to see about that. Perhaps my wife sensed my less than enthusiastic response. Perhaps [...]
Category: Marriage
This should have been a celebration
May 17th, 2009This is my 500th post on this blog! I just wish it were about a happier topic. I haven’t written about technology in quite awhile. That’s because I haven’t had any problems in quite awhile. After my third Cingular 8525 died, I decided to buy the most basic phone I could find. Forget PIM software, [...]
Category: Marriage, Technology
That’s never happened before
May 12th, 2009We crossed a new threshold at the dinner table last night. My wife is one of those creative cooks who can make something out of nothing. On more than one occasion, I and my children have resigned ourselves to a just snacking because there was “nothing to eat” only to have my wife come home and [...]
Category: Marriage
Happy Mother’s Day
May 11th, 2009I gave my wife an unusual Mother’s Day present this morning. It was very inexpensive… Actually it didn’t cost me anything… But it is something she has been wanting for a long, long time. I am one of those annoying “morning persons.” In fact, I am a VERY early morning person. I don’t even like talking about [...]
Category: Marriage
Was it a conspiracy?
May 5th, 2009We got home from the banquet last night at 9:00. I was tired!!! I had no sooner got in the door and my son asked me if I could help him with his college essay. I’m telling you, I did not want to. Man I did not want to. But, I’m supposed to the the mature [...]
The Grille is Gone
May 1st, 2009“The grille is gone, The grille is gone away The grille is gone, The grille is gone away No more oatmeal and soup I can eat solid food again today Those are my modified lyrics to legendary blues guitarist B.B. King’s song “The Thrill is Gone.” The original song is a sorrowful tale of love betrayed [...]
Category: Marriage
Why did I come here?
April 23rd, 2009I actually went to the mall today. It’s not the first time. I guess I should say I went to the mall to shop! As we all know, shopping at the mall is different than going to the mall to buy something. Today I actually went to a mall not knowing what I was looking [...]
Getting me ready for the slaughter
April 12th, 2009My wife is a hard woman to live with… I have recounted my battles to get my body back in shape. Last year, I lost 25 pounds. This year is a different story. So far, I have gained 6-7 pounds. Not all at once, mind you. A little here, a little there. In the battle of [...]
Category: Marriage
Why can’t a woman be more like a man?
April 10th, 2009What is it about women? What do they have against having a little money in your pocket? I have a great coupon for TGI Friday’s. Buy one entree, get the second for $1. The first time I took her out, we spent $36… WITH the discount. I told her that another guy at work took [...]
Category: Marriage
If I only had a brain…
April 9th, 2009That was the Scarecrow’s chorus in “The Wizard of Oz.” He called me and wants royalties from me! I didn’t get a call from the general manager of the Honda shop last night. So, in anticipation of his call this morning… I left my phone at home!!! DUUUUUHHHH! I called my wife as soon as [...]
Helpin’ the little lady
December 11th, 2008My wife called me this evening to see if I was going to pick up the kids from school. I told her that I was just leaving the storage facility and couldn’t make it in time so she went to get them. When I got home, I waited for her to return with my two younguns [...]
Category: Marriage
You thought what…?
November 7th, 2008Something amazing happened tonight. My wife and I came to understand each other a little better. You might say, “What is so amazing about that?” Well, it’s just the way it happened. (This is going to be a long post so you should probably get comfortable) My wife and I had just been marveling that I [...]
I should have known
October 22nd, 2008I need to toughen up. I mean, sometimes I am such an easy touch… For example, as I sat in the truck outside of Costco, my wife called and asked if I was already outside waiting. “Yes.” “I have to buy a few things. Do you want to wait in the truck or come inside?” I [...]
Category: Marriage
Surprise!
September 24th, 2008My son turned 18 today. Just like his father, he forgot that fact so his boss scheduled him to work tonight. But, having had much practice at making lemonade (you know, turn your lemons into…), we decided to surprise him by having his party at the pizzeria! Cakes, my youngest daughter, has been surreptitiously (right [...]
Category: Friends, Marriage, Parenting
A completed project
September 5th, 2008We had a scheduling conflict tonight… my son and youngest daughter wanted to go to the school football game. I however, wanted to take my wife out to dinner, so… My son decided to take the old F-150, named Wild Bill to the game. Before they left, they put the new seat covers that he [...]
Category: Cars, Marriage, Parenting
Sometimes marriage is hard
September 1st, 2008Sometimes, marriage is tough. And frequently, it’s not the big things that are the toughest. It’s the small things, the things that should have been easy, that were supposed to be great but weren’t because the you and your spouse are just so different. After seeing our oldest daughter hit the road back to Dallas, [...]
Category: Marriage, Real Estate
Too much estrogen…
September 1st, 2008You’ve heard of chick flicks… Well, from time to time, I get trapped into living a chick’s life. Take the latest event as an example… I told my wife earlier this morning that I started crying while running this morning. I remembered a very touching video that my wife’s friend e-mailed her awhile back. I [...]
Category: Children, Marriage, Masculinity
She’s gone…again
August 3rd, 2008My wife left me today… to go to the Southwest Believer’s Convention in Fort Worth, Texas. When we lived in Anaheim, she would attend the West Coast Believer’s Convention in Anaheim and just spend the week with her parents. But, this is a new season! Since we gave our economy car away to my second [...]
God thought that I was right!
July 17th, 2008There is a tremendous irony to my dependable, old truck breaking down this afternoon. My wife is leaving for California for one week. She will visit her parents for a few days and then join two friends in Big Bear for three days of talking and fellowship. I am calling it Yakfest 2 since the [...]
Category: Cars, Marriage, Travel
Fresh doesn’t mean fresh
June 28th, 2008With the 40 day fast rapidly approaching, my wife and I went out to eat at our favorite restaurant for our last dinner date, The Cheesecake Factory. While she was figuring out what we would eat, I looked at the page on the menu with all of the different types of cheesecake on it in [...]
Category: Marriage
To the rescue!
June 20th, 2008This morning right after breakfast we heard the sound of grinding metal. “What was that?” my wife quickly asked. I stepped out onto the balcony to investigate and the noise disappeared. “I don’t know what it was. It’s gone now.” About an hour later, my wife urgently called to me from the living room, “Ray, there [...]
Category: Marriage
A Fat First Impression
June 7th, 2008We are staying with some friends who recently moved to Nashville from LA, Roberto and Hope. Roberto made a great pancake and egg breakfast. The only problem is that my wife and I were supposed to be at the rehearsal brunch at 10:30. The brunch location is a 30 minute drive from their home. We started eating at 9:50. [...]
Why did I do that?
June 5th, 2008I stayed up working on my e-mail database until 11:00. When I went to bed, I couldn’t sleep.I went out to the living room to see what my wife was doing. I ended up watching City Slickers with her and my son on my old Apple laptop until 2:00 A.M.!
Category: Marriage
Her kind of day
May 18th, 2008When my wife came out to help me pack up our belongings, I arranged for a surprise packing party with several of her closest friends who she had not seen in several months. We gave the women as much money as they would accept and told them to go out to eat together as a thank [...]
It’s Been Such A Long Time
April 14th, 2008That’s the title of an old Boston song. As I walked by the kitchen, I saw my wife lightly crying. When I inquired what was causing this, I learned that they were tears of gratitude. Why, you ask… because she was able to use a dishwasher FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OUR MARRIAGE! Man, does [...]
Category: Marriage
The Beautiful Letdown, Part 8: The Reprieve
April 9th, 2008After we picked up the Nissan, I decided that I ‘deserved’ to treat myself to something fun to make up for the aggravation that I had just endured as a ‘good parent’ so I drove to the Apple store at the Plaza. I mean it makes sense. After all, I am in the process of [...]
Category: Children, Marriage, Money, Technology
All night long!!!
March 17th, 2008It’s NOT what you might be thinking… I took my wife to the airport. She and a friend stayed up all night packing and cleaning!
Category: Marriage, Real Estate