Zoo Day

Monday's w/ Michael

Last Saturday, we went to the zoo with the Reinhard family. Here are some pics from that day.


Deacon the wombat.


Deacon loves our goats at home, but I don't let him in to play with them. They are way too big and would certainly knock him over. But the goats at the zoo were just his size!

Grandpa and Finn

Deacon the joey.

Daddy and Finn on the carousel.

Family photo under the waterfall.

Deacon and Finn relaxing.

Camping with Uncle Ben.

Hanging out with Uncle Joel.

The whole crew on TV.

Make it a great Monday!

Team Chuckwagon

The Caducity List

Monday's w/ Michael

I don't want to embrangle anyone. I realize that many of Jane's readers suffer from muliebrity, so I will try to handle this with mansuetude.

The English language is constantly changing. New words are being created and older words are being used less and less. Lexicographers are the people who track these changes. They read through new books, articles, etc and determine which new words are taking hold and which old words are dying out. Then approximately every 10 years, they update dictionaries with the changes.

Here are a few words on the chopping block.

Caducity - transitory; the state of being impermanent or perishable

Embrangle - to confuse; make more complicated

Mansuetude - gentleness of manner

Muliebrity - the condition of being a woman

Agrestic - rural; rustic

Hither - to this place

Olid - foul smelling

Snollygoster - a shrewd, unprincipled person, especially a politician

Skedaddle - to leave a place suddenly

Nigh - nearly; almost

Oppugnant - combative; opposing; antagonistic

Fubsy - chubby or squat

Hootenanny - an informal gathering featuring folk singing and often dancing

Make it a great week!

***The above words were taken from Uncle John's Endlessly Engrossing Bathroom Reader***

In it to win it

Monday's w/ Michael

Only three days left in the weigh-in. My competitive nature is really kicking in. I'm trying to do the small things now to win. For example:




1). Jane gave me a haircut.

(I think I need a new barber!)





After receiving this trim, I did some research on the internet. One site estimates that 45 inches of hair weighs 14 ounces. Since my hair was much shorter and only covered 3/4 of my head, I'm estimating that it only saved me .1167 ounces.






2). I'm starting my celery only diet. A lady at work told me I needed protien, so today, I put peanut butter (and raisins) on some of them. But tonight a friend told me that wrestlers eat peanut butter when they want to put on weight, so I guess tomorrow will be strictly celery.


Here was my breakfast.

Here was my snack at work.

Honestly, only part of the reason is because of my competitiveness. I'm actually really enjoying the challenge. I really think the next 2 days will be fun.

Make it a great week!

Happy Mother's Day...Bailey

Monday's w/ Michael

You all know our outdoor dog, Bailey.


Bailey had a surprise for us yesterday morning.



By my count, there are 11 puppies. But they are hard to count, since she dug out a cave in the straw and had them in there.




On a side note, only 10 more days in the Wells County Weigh-In. I would like to lose about 8 pounds in the next 10 days, so if anyone has any tips, let me know. My plan now is to only eat celery Monday and Tuesday, eat nothing Wednesday, sit in the sauna for about an hour Thursday morning, dry off and weigh in. But I'm certainly open to suggestions!

I will be glad when this is all over with. Then I won't have to be eating a veggie wrap with roasted red pepper hummus...


while Jane is eating a 1/2 pound Bacon Blue Cheese Burger!



Make it a great Monday!

Weekend to Remember

Monday's w/ Michael

Jane and I attended the Family Life "Weekend to Remember" marriage conference over the weekend. I would strongly encourage all married couples to attend one of these conferences. The one we attended was in Kalamazoo, MI. There were over 730 people in attendance. There were 8 conferences being held across the country last weekend. Regardless of the state of your marriage, everyone can benefit from attending this conference. There was a couple there who has been married 48 years. There was a couple there who has been married 5 weeks. There was a couple there who has attended 19 "Weekend to Remember" conferences. It was really neat to see so many people committed to investing in their marriages.

Here are a few key points or quotes I picked up this past weekend:

"Talking is easy. Communication is difficult."

Your spouse completes you. "Complete" without the "l" is "compete". The "l" represents "love".

"The mother is the one supreme asset of the national life. She is more important, by far, than the successful statesman or businessman or artist or scientist." - Theodore Roosevelt

"I mean to make myself a man, and if I succeed in that, I shall succeed in everything else." - James A. Garfield

"Success in marriage does not come merely through finding the right mate but through being the right mate." - Barnett R. Brickner

"Often the difference between a successful marriage and a mediocre one consists of leaving about three or four things a day unsaid." - Harlan Miller

"What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal." - Albert Pine

"The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision." - Hellen Keller

Make it a great Monday!