Well... all is well and the new year has begun.  2006 ... wow!

On thursday I go in to have Lithotripsy on my kidney stone.  Wierd feeling.  Only one time have i ever been put under anesthesia in my life and that was to have teeth extracted for braces 28 years ago.  So, feeling a little apprehensive.

Tomorrow I turn 44.  That is strange too.

Turn of the year this year has me reflecting on what my dreams were as compared to my reality was this past year.  Read a book called "Think Big, Act Small" and am trying to set goals that are realistic, so that on the occurance of not reaching a goal I do not feel the failure.  Instead of being goal oriented this year... I am trying to be moment oriented so that whatever I am doing in the moment I am doing to the best of my ability in the best possible way.  If I do the small things right the big things will fall in place.

Well, God bless and Make a Great Year!

Well ... hello world.

I have 99% of my backyard deck completed.  It looks good and will be a lot of fun when we get back to summer.

I have been to the doctor several times in the last few months and I am still not done yet.  The urologist says although I passed an 8 millimeter kidney stone... I still have a 9 millimeter stone in my kidney that will probably not pass, so i am set up for lithotripsy on January 5 (the day after i turn 44.)

I have been told to lose a few pounds (I was 217 lbs at my last doctors appt.) so, I have changed just a couple habits.  I no longer eat anything after supper and I don't drink any sodas anymore.  It has been 3 weeks and i am weighing in at 207 at the moment.

The urologist said... not as much red meat and no salt added at the table... drink 100 (gasp) ounces of water every day and 2 to 3 glasses of lemonade (from fruit or concentrate) for the acidity.

Ok.. enough for now... maybe not a full month before i post again.

Been forever since I logged.  I know.. sorry.

Still have not passed any kidney stones.  But mostly not having any pains either.  Have a doctors appt set up for when I return from a missions trip to Jamaica (Aug 30-Sept 6).  Seems that I may have a bit of hypertension too... we shall see.

Today I am blogging from my mother-in-law's house in Antioch CA... tomorrow we drive to La Mirada, CA and my father's house.  We will be spending 4 days in Newport Beach.

I have been given a project.  It is an 18 foot fibreform boat

with a mercury 115 hp outboard on the back and trailered.  It doesn't look nearly as nice as the one in the picture, but it is the same type.  My daughter Jen and I have been working on recovering the front seating area.  We will have to buy new seats for the middle of the boat and a new steering cable for the motor.  I will have to replace the rollers on the trailer that the boat runs up on.  And hopefully after that it will be in shape to have a wonderfully great time skiing or fishing.  Maybe over the winter I will work on the aesthetics some.  It is very exciting to me.

I MOWED THE BACK YARD FOR THE FIRST TIME TODAY.  Later I will be watering and waiting another hour or so after that and then putting out weed and feed.  Then on Monday or so I will overseed the low grass areas with another batch of grass seed.  I think it is going ok.  When it is done I will post some pictures here.