Holidays

My Independence Day Shirt

I went out this morning and bought a bunch of causal t-shirts and then let Karen and Allyson pick which one I would wear today.

They unanamously picked this one.

My sleep schedule is totally messed up.

It’s the 9th day of 2008 and every day this year I’ve been awake till 4AM. I think the Holidays screwed me up.

Today I had my first early morning appointment which I hope will help to get me back on schedule.

Of course even my normal schedule had me up till 2AM.

Father’s Day… WooHoo

My wife and daughter got me a cool (pun intended) drink fridge for my office. It can hold 125 cans of soda.

It has a nice glass door so you can see what you want before opening it.

I actually received it earlier in the week since we had guests over. Apparently it required sacrifices as it took two Big Reds to the frozen beyond then they exploded.

Father’s Day, hey, I’m one of those.

I’m a father and the calendar says today is my day.

I received a card from both Karen and Allyson.

My gifts were an iTunes gift certificate and a very cool looking framed Tree Frog poster.

Also received a coffee at the coffee shop, which is where I’m at now.

I got the impression there would be more after but I don’t know yet.

I’ll update this later. CYA

Well after church I got Buckheads for lunch (one of my favorite restaurants) and then we went back home for a nap.

In the evening we went to a church VBS pool party, it was fun.

That’s it, I think I had a pretty good Father’s Day.

WYWO, Mother’s Day

In the spirit of WYWO (While You Were Out), I attempt a makeover of our bedroom in one day. I did it by myself for my wife on Mother’s Day 2004.

Karen was gone for the day and I had 12 hours to remake the bedroom.

She was gone on Saturday visiting her mother which gave me the day before Mother’s Day to show her how much I appreciate and Love her.

I recorded key points throughout the makeover and will be putting together a video that I post online.

The new bedroom included a new ceiling fan, alarm clock, , I built a new head board that looks like a Torii and a bed frame that sets on the floor with side boards and two window valences and two shelves. Some staging was also done.

Easter project, not really.

I just finished a project I started yesterday when we got home from my Mom’s for Easter egg hunts.

When I got home yesterday I decided to fix a couple things that had been bothering me since I moved into my new house.

The light switch in the basement, it’s a three way switch and the one at the bottom of the stairs was not on the same side of the wall as the one at the top of the stairs.
You guessed it, it was on the opposite side of the wall, in the room to the left instead of being in the staircase.

That took me about 30 minutes to switch. Kill the breaker, pull the wiring, cut a hole in the staircase side of the wall, place the new box, run the wiring in the new box, hook up the switch, turn on the power and you’re done.

Then I moved on to the more annoying of the two projects, my basement door opened the wrong way. When you pull a basement door open the light switch is suppose to be closest to the door knob.
Not mine. You would pull the door open and reach past the hinges to turn on the light. My light switch is on the left hand side and my door pulled open to the left which meant it also blocked the walk way from the living room to the kitchen, very annoying.

This took a little longer. Mark opposite side of door frame for hinges, chisel out 3 areas for hinges to rest, cut 3 additional grooves in door and reverse hinges, drill hole and chisel area for door bracket, reverse cat door (yes cat door), sand down door where it touches and shouldn’t, apply spackle in all old holes (three times throughout the next day), attach door, reverse door knob, done for the night go to bed.

Next morning applied more spackle, sanded spackle down to proper depth (using RIDGID Wet/Dry Vac to minimize dust), remove one hinge and the door bracket, paint them and reinstall pieces, continue one hinge at a time until all painting is completed as well as painting over spackle that covers the old holes. And were done

Once I got the paint on it was hard to tell that the door was even reversed, but now it opens the correct way and I’m happy.

One busy week.

How to find and buy a house in 7 days.

Ok so this is how I found our house, will anything here help you find and buy a house? Absolutely not, but it’s interesting how stuff can happen.

Week One:
Sunday May 18th
Talked with Karen about buying a house.
Monday May 19th
Called Richard Herde about qualifying for a home mortgage.
Tuesday May 20th
Gave Richard Herde all of the pertinent information about our credit.
Wednesday May 21st
Richard Herde called to let us know we were approved.
Thursday May 22nd
Looked for a house after Allyson’s Dance class, stopped in to see how the Endris’ from Sunday School Class were doing. I did not know Mike built homes, I was really stopping by to see if they had any problems since I worked on their computer. He told us about a house he had just finished building, we looked at it that night. This was the one.
Friday May 23rd
Called Richard Herde to let him know we found a house and called Mike to acknowledge our intent to buy house.
Saturday May 24th
Signed papers with Mike and Lois to buy house.

Week Two:
Sunday May 25th
Started moving in and stayed first night.
Monday May 26th
Moved more stuff in, Mom let me borrow her truck to move patio furniture.
Tuesday May 27th
When I started writing this Someone in my new neighborhood has an unprotected wireless router,
which is what I’m using from my new home right now. I love being a geek.
Ordered new phone service and had the old disconnected.
Had the electric put in my name.
Had the water put in my name.
Got home owners insurance.
Trimmed the grass at the trailer.
Cut the grass at the trailer.
Pressure washed my neighbors entire trailer, I told her several months ago I would do it when I did mine, I needed to take care of that and it looks great.
Pressure washed part of my trailer.
Moved some things to the new house.
Wednesday May 28th
Went to work until noon, went to HHgregg and bought new Fridge, Washer and Dryer, emptied out shed on trash day.
Thursday May 29th
Stayed home to wait for HHgregg delivery, Transferred Gas into my name, moved more stuff while Allyson stayed the night at a friends house, Mom let me borrow her truck to move bed, dresser and cubicles.
Friday May 30th
Worked a full day (phone guy called to say box was in place, went to Organized living for hamper and plunger, went to Home Depot while Karen and Allyson went to tumble class for cables parts, went to McD’s, stopped at trailer. Tried to locate cable line, hooked up phone.
Saturday May 31st
Went to see Finding Nemo

6 days later:
Friday June 13th
Fixed windows and doors while Culligan Man installed water softener. Followed by bringing the cats to the new house and picking up Brisco from the Vet after his tooth surgery. Then checked on trailer after bug bomb and paid Hawley for TiVo.
Saturday June 14th
Worked on yard then bought Dennis’ scanner and went to install it, stopped at Meijer to get Jack a Father’s Day tackle box.
Sunday June 15th
This was the first day I did not go to the trailer since we moved out. Happy Fathers day.

My Eye Surgery.

Tired of glasses, me too?

The gentleman with me in each photo is my friend Nick.

May, 2001-Top Photo / Bottom Photo-May, 2002

If you read “My wife’s new husband” story then you know wearing glasses ruined part of my fun at Disney World. When I got back I decided to do something about it.

While there are others where I work that have had their eyes done at both John Kenyon and American Eye Institute, I chose Eye Associate’s (812-945-2020 or 866-HAVE-2020 www.have2020.com) because they are using the most advanced form of Lasik instruments as of January 2002. The same doctor (Dr. Black) performs all the procedures and the equipment they have has been in use for more than year.

My first visit to the Eye Associate’s of Jeffersonville (IN) was on Thursday January 31st 2002. This visit was free and designed to test my eyes to see if I could be a candidate. They started with the poof test. Then my eyes were mapped. Did the eye chart test to compared my eyesight to that of my glasses, I received those glasses almost two years ago and my vision had only changed slightly. Not worth getting new glasses. Measured my pupils. The depth of my cornea was measured to make sure they had plenty of room to work.

I am nearsighted, mine is correctable.
I have an Astigmatism, it is correctable.
I have large pupils (6.5mm), they use a 9mm incision which means no halos.
I have plenty of cornea to make the proper corrections to my eyes.
I am the perfect candidate, all of my corrections have no complications.

My eye surgery is scheduled for Friday February 15th 2002 at 1:45p.m.
Must be at Eye Associate’s at 1:45.
Actual surgery begins at 2:30.
Leave for home approximately 3:00.

They called and said that they had an opening a day earlier. So I took it.

My eye surgery is scheduled for Thursday February 14th 2002 (Valentine’s Day) at 2:15p.m.
Must be at Eye Associate’s at 2:15.
Actual surgery begins at 3:00.
Leave for home approximately 3:30.

I picked up my prescription. You’re suppose to take antibiotic eye drops three days prior to surgery.

I’m getting a little nervous. I’m sure the Valium they give me before surgery will ease my tension.
One day to go.

Well this is it, I’ve had my valium (5mg) and could probably use 5mg more. But I’m doing fine. Bring in a blank video tape and they will record your surgery for you, I did and it makes an interesting silent movie. The surgery took a total of 20 minutes for both eyes. After the surgery the doctor had me open my eyes one time to check something. My wife guided me from the doctors office to the car and then the car to my bed. I took some sleeping pills so I would have no trouble falling asleep. I did not open my eyes from surgery for 5.5 hrs when I woke up at home. Took my eye drops watched TV for two hours, took my eye drops again and went to bed.

Post-op exam next morning.  Still have healing to do so any fuzziness will clear up (full recovery 3 months). Before surgery (without glasses) my vision was, Left eye 20/160 with slight astigmatism, Right eye 20/200 with slight astigmatism. After surgery my vision is, Left eye is 20/15 with no astigmatism, Right eye is 20/20 with no astigmatism. Together 20/15. Unbelievable difference in just one day.

I have to take two medicated eye drop four times a day until they run out and artificial tears every two hours or more for as long as I have dry eyes. They lasted about one month.

Post-op exam one week. I’m healing at an amazing rate. Still have slight fuzziness between 4 and 20 feet, doctor says all of the fuzziness will disappear with time. And that a full recovery should net me with 20/15 in each eye.

Brief update for three month and six month Post-op exam. I no longer have any fuzziness. Both of my last two exams resulted in 20/15 for both eyes. I have had no problems.

UPDATE 3/3/2003: I had my one year exam this morning and my eyes are 20/15 with no problems at all. They did many different test and I passed them all with flying colors.

If you were ever curious what those numbers mean:  If you are 20/200 that means what the normal person sees 200 feet away, you can only see 20 feet away. If you are 20/15, what the normal person sees 15 feet away, you can see 20 feet away. That’s better than 20/20.

Dr. Black is an extremely nice and fantastic doctor whom I would recommend to anyone, he is professional, informative and comforting. The nurses were extremely nice, and are a great source of information as well as very comforting.

Everyone who is interested asks if I would recommend this to someone else, as I stand there looking at them without the use of any glasses (which I wore for ten years prior) I say “Hell yes.”

Next question, How much? People off the street $4000, company discount $3200. I did not have the cash for this so I was able to finance it through one of their financial partners. Vision Fee Plan http://www.visionfeeplan.com/ (877-837-2272) I chose 60 months for the lower payment which included 12.99%APR. That means $74 a month for 60 months with no early payoff fee. APR is as low 9.99% with fewer months.

My disclaimer. To the best of my knowledge all of this information is accurate. Please remember that everyone’s results will vary slightly at first and that these are my results.

You are more than welcome to share this story with your friends and family who may also be interested.

Make sure you tell Eye Associate’s, Rob Jones sent you.