Saturday

Slept till 1:30PM. Wasn’t planning to sleep that long, but it happened. Another cloudy, rainy day, but that is a good thing. Had a call from someone who can’t get their Quicken to balance a credit card, will be going to their place sometime next week.

Work went well, quiet & routine. One fairly tame ER & nothing out of the ordinary. Lots of opinions at work about Saddam’s hanging. I really don’t have much to say about that. It happened because God allowed it to happen.

Had a call from a young female friend (platonic) than I haven’t heard from since Feb. She’s having rough times and had a lot to talk about. Able to carry on a conversation among several interruptions at work.

One of our workers is stranded in LaJunta, CO in the big snowstorm. Glad the moisture here is coming in the liquid form. Home now & time for bed.

mikey

Friday

Spent all day finishing up my EOY transactions & entered most of my info into the tax program…the first for this year. It’s all basically in except for a few minor items. Income down considerably with several nonpaying clients. Getting a bit frustrated & is much greater than I was expecting. Don’t like asking people for money, so will just bill it next season.

Ran around putting in last minute deposits here & there & transfers & got that all done in time. Cont on Redden Brothers all day & had a big family meeting at 7PM tonight. Dad seems washed out & says he is tired and most of all is missing Warren. He is planning on knee surgery early next year. Another situation is that Grandma seems to be failing. Several items discussed and one thing I appreciate is that most of the issues seem to be that the other person is not getting their fair share. I appreciate my family being this way.

Still plodding along and almost 5AM & too tired to go any more.

mikey

Thursday

48 years ago today my parents were married in Garden City. Tonight they had plans to eat out. Paul & Elizabeth & family took off for their home in Colorado at 6AM & made it home just in the nick of time before the snow started falling there. We had a good time this week. Couldn’t get back to sleep so cont on Redden Brothers Quickbooks most of the AM.

Now for the bad part of the day. One of my coworkers was terminated just as we were clocking in at 2:45PM. She was sent to her supervisors office to hand in her name tag with bar code. This is a situation where no one wins. This particular person has very few friends and this place became her social outlet. I enjoyed working with her and am sorry to see her go. I knew she had a lot to say when she left, but she kept her dignity and left with style & grace. Planning to do her income tax soon, so intend to keep in contact with her.

This person at times felt picked on because she didn’t belong to the “right” Church according to Hillsboro standards. Some feel Hillsboro Mennonites bash other Church groups and I don’t feel God is honored when/if this happens.

This pretty much ruined the day for all of us. Then we had some ER’s that are not my favorite. One lady with the big 3….NVD (just guess what that stands for) was coughing & sputtering all over me, so am once again waiting for stomach flu to strike.

Please pray for this friend of mine. Can’t say her name, but God will know who she is. Out at the usual 3AM & a bit tired. Hi Em! The pizza was great….came from CiCi’s. Sorry it’s all been eaten by now. Rec word from Josh that Oren’s are back from IN. Glad you made it home safely Becca, thanks for the email. Been up almost a 24 hour stretch. What a day!!

mikey

Wednesday

Happy Birthday to my dear mother! Age 72 today. Another day of end-of-year transactions for myself & Redden Brothers, but have a long way to go. Made a trip to the bank for various deposits, transfers & all kinds of things. Cut off for 2006 business is Friday at 4PM.

Mailed a bunch of EOY payments, letters & such. Spent 2 hours for 4 online transactions for myself….only to save 4 stamps. Good use of time wouldn’t you say??

Tonight was ladies night at Darcees & the guys came to our house. About 15 of the male gender here appx. Pizza & snacks were to be eaten & just yakking away. Arlen brought his wii sports & we played wii tennis. (actually I watched that). Then I DID play wii baseball & mikey actually hit the ball. What a great buzz I got from that (literally). Also struck out Eric, so was feeling pretty good about myself.

Another blizzard headed for the Springs area, so Paul & Eliz & family are leaving here at 6AM to hopefully get back before the roads get too nasty. It’s been a good time having them here.

mikey

Tuesday

Got an early start today (for me) and frantically trying to get Redden Brothers LLC books up-to-date for the big family meeting Friday. Going much slower than I had hoped. Lots of new things & reviewing percentages and various things. Think Friday will be here much sooner than I hope for

Mailed a big package at Salina in regards to litigation in a stock trade. Needed to send them some dates, shares purch and price/share, etc. for this particular client. The attorneys will probably get most of it. Glad to get this project done and hope the client rec what he is looking for.

Home & cont on Redden Brothers & then played Mystery Museum with Mom, Eliz & Eric. Very challenging for my limited mind, but finally got the hang of it. Mostly a process of elimination which is a particularly helpful accounting tool. It’s like the game of Clue with Bible references.

Glad that Jim really likes his new job at the former Infinia. Now it’s called Deseret Healthcare. Guess that’s all for now.

mikey

Monday-Christmas Day

Woke up at a fairly late hour. Glad there wasn’t a big rush to open presents. Had our traditional kringlas & cocoa & then opened gifts with my immediate family. The boys rec a wheel that can be launched & go a very long way….outside preferably. I rec various nice items such as gift cards, a towing chain for my car & an indoor/outdoor thermometer, etc.

Took a nap & went back to Vivians for the Noon meal at 12:30. About 30 people there for that and several there that didn’t make it last night. I sat at the table with Mom, Wilma & Marsha & definitely had the most excitement there. Marsha & Wilma almost had a food fight with ham when a piece got away from one when being cut with a knife. Wilma is 87 & quite lively & feisty for her age & says just what’s on her mind. I was reprimanded for going heavy on ham & potatos & gravy & not trying a little bit of everything. All in fun, of course. She assumes I will NEVER sit by her again. Don’t count on it!

Then Marsha told us stories about getting back at telemarketers. She was one of those unloved persons in times past & has had lots of experience. Story after story & each funnier than the last. Had difficulty catching my breath during fits of laughter, but somehow survived. Marsha definitely got the last word in these encounters.

Grandma didn’t make it today. Yesterday about did her in & needs to get rested up from her big day. Glad she could make it for Christmas Eve as that is our really big celebration. Dad spent much of the afternoon with her today.

Went home for a nap & back for games: imaginiff & dutch blitz & rummicube were popular today. Had a relaxing evening meal & basically took it easy all day. A nice brown Christmas & not exceptionally cold.

Rec a call from Josh Y with the unhappy news that food poisoning made its way to Indiana & several were sick. Hope all have a quick recovery. Good to chat with Josh again.

A nice holiday break, but need to get serious with tax items tomorrow. Somehow I don’t think I personally experienced this year what I should have in thinking about our Saviour’s birth. Hope to do better next year.

mikey

Sunday-Christmas Eve

Went to Center for Church as usual. SS was on Luke Ch 2 & discussed some of the background issues of the day and contemplated some of the difficulties Mary & Joseph experienced that we normally don’t think about (soul being pierced by a sword, etc).  Ronald Miller had the sermon with a primary thot being “wise people still seek God” and all about seekers. Ronalds, Stan Nislys & David Sommers there from Labette, Gerald Millers, Tony & Grants friend from VA were there as well as Linford Miller with a friend from Faith Mission. Seemed like old days at Center with so many former people present. Counted the offering with Keith, then had dinner at Marvin Nislys. Marvin Yutzys were also there so had a big crowd there. Good to get better acquainted with Marvin Y’s. Jordan regaled us with his mishap with an inkpen in SS. Had a great time there & stayed around till about 4:30 & then headed home for our big family gathering starting at 6PM.

Estimate about 40 people at Vivian’s for the annual Swedish smorgasbord. Good to have Grandma with us, but could tell she is not feeling as well as she does sometimes. We were informed that smorgasbord means ‘butter table’ literally which I had recently heard her teach me. There were times Warren was missed-he usually read Luke 2 for us every year. Stephen, his oldest son, did that for us this year & did a fine job. Cindy & Steve finally made it at 8PM after car trouble in Nebraska. A highlight was a picture passed around of Steve & Cindy with Pres & Mrs Bush. We oohed & ahhed over that until we had to be reminded that Steve’s eyes were closed. Funny how we missed that at first glance. Steve has a classified job at the White House & one aspect was completed recently-hence the picture. Steve says Pres Bush is quite tall & pleasant to work with.

Fun to be with all my cousins & other family members who we don’t see every day. Chatted with Mark who is Arlen’s father-in-law & who has a son, Derek, serving as a medic in Iraq. The comment was made that it is more dangerous to live in DC than being a medic in Iraq-considering the cold hard facts of how many are killed per day in each locality. Mark just finished a term as mayor in Manhattan, KS. A really nice guy.

Chad & Eric had some serious wrestling going on tonight & provided much entertainment for all. Had the usual program & gift exchange, etc. Considering everything it was a good day, tho it seems to be a time of transition. Looking forward to tomorrow.

mikey

Saturday

Didn’t do a whole lot today. Cont cleaning up the house & doing various odd jobs, take out the trash, take shredded paper to Audrey, etc. Went to Salina & met with a potential new tax client-looks like an easy one. Just what I like.

Went to Pondersosa at 6PM & met Paul & Elizabeth & family there with my parents. They had a fairly good drive most of the way. Dry all the way from Oakley, but had some ice in Eastern Co for a short way. Glad they made it safely and apprec that God answered my prayer in the affirmative. Had a good meal and then did our traditional looking at Christmas lights at Red Fox Lane & various other neighborhoods on the hill. More lights than ever this year. Then finished my shopping at the Mall & ended up at WalMart. Home now & getting that all ready, wrapped & whatever else needs to be done.

Today is Paul’s 41st birthday. Happy birthday Paul!

mikey

Friday

Had several phone call messages waiting for me when I woke up. Why is 7AM such a great time to place phone calls. Surprised the answering machine didn’t wake me up like it usually does. Did lots of cleaning & tidying up for our visitors. I-70 is open now & Pauls are going to try to make it tomorrow if all goes well. Hope the road melts quickly between there & here.

Took several old computers & printers and other heavy things from point A to point B which required using the stairs. Glad the direction was down the steps & not up. Was huffing & puffing when that was all over. Dad helped me lift this stuff to a high shelf and as always think he took 90% of the weight, yet said he apprec how well I can lift. Yes, he is kind hearted & can outwork me any day.

Very pleased to pick up my car at Conklin about 5PM. Enjoyed the dark, almost black, clouds to the north silhouetting the leafless trees in the Smoky Hill valley. (probably said this backwards). It was a beautiful scene in my opinion. First day of winter according to my calendar.

Very pleased with the work done on the car. All new front & they did a complete detail on the inside with new car smell and all. Then it was off to Hutch & Grant & I ate at China Star. Fascinated by Grant’s skillful use of chopsticks. I knew better than to try that myself. A good meal with lots of new things to try. Hope Shane has a quick recovery from his recent procedure. Grant is looking forward to his Uncle Tony coming and another friend from Virginia. Think hunting is on their agenda, of course.

Then back to MP & took Jim to run his errands. His new job at Infinia is going well and is even coping well with one bossy coworker. The others are all very pleasant. At times I am jealous that he endears himself so quickly to his elders and their family members. I guess ‘elder’ is the politically correct term instead of ‘resident’ as I was taught to say. Jim really is a caring individual and does his work well, so it should be no surprise that so many like him. Did the usual WalMart errands and Jim picked up some more scrubs.

Then to Hillsboro & picked up the Christmas ham we employees get every year. Always a treat. Home & now it’s time for bed. A good day.

mikey

Thursday

Got myself up at Willards & had a bite to eat at DK. Sat with Elmer & several others stopped by the table. Haven’t eaten there in ages. Picked up some more bank statements at a local stop & went over those.

Then it was off to the grade school Bethlehem program. Quite impressive & it was apparent there was a lot of effort put into this project. Seemed quite realistic. Sorry to hear that Lee Nisly had a serious eye injury & was sent to Wichita. Hope he has a speedy recovery.

Then it was off to Hillsboro and then a sinking feeling as I discovered the gas tank showed below empty in my rental car. This was in no man’s land between Burrton & Newton. Drove at least 12 miles on fumes & prayers & was grateful to reach Hill’s station with the engine still running. Even made it to work on time. Sleepy at 7PM after a big meal (as always) and wonder how I will ever make it to the end of the shift, but woke up again at 9PM. 4 pts with a new one trying my patience and just could NOT get settled down. This means countless trips to the room with no success at getting this individual comfortable. Had to remind myself to keep smiling and asking what else I could do for you, etc.

Lots of news coverage of the blizzard in Eastern Colorado. Westbound I-70 is closed at Salina. The motels are all full west of here. Don’t know if Elizabeth & family will make it Sat or not. A welcome call from Josh just before leaving on their IN trip (in between stops to a certain patient’s room). Also had a nice email from Harold detailing their intended route to their Florida destination. At least some people know what I really like to hear about their vacations. Thanks Harold! Hope all the travellers have a great Christmas holiday.

mikey