MVD :\

Yesterday I attempted to go re-register my car, which has been expired for over a year. Yes I know. I should have registered my car a year ago when I was supposed to, but it's a whole long convuluted story of why I didn't. Anyways, I finally got everything in place that I needed to register my car so I went over to the MVD for the worst part of the whole process. I had forgotten how much I really despise the MVD. First of all, you have to wait for hours, literally. And why do you have to wait so long? Because there are hundreds of people there and the MVD only decides to open 5 of the 12 windows they have. That makes sense, right? Then, after you wait for over an hour and finally have them call your number, which they tell you when you get a number that they don't call in order, you go up the window, have them ask you what you are there for, and then they tell you to go sit back down and they will call your number again. This will take another hour or more.

It was so frustrating! I spent over an hour there, was late getting back to work, didn't eat lunch, and still wasn't able to get my car registered because I had to go back to work. Then, on top of it all, they close at 4 so there is no way for me to go during the week. I would do it online, but I let it go too long so I can't. Grrr

Anyways, I guess I will attempt this again on Saturday, but until then I will continue to be a driver with expired registration...

Yelp

I was attempting to add this to my main blog page, and for whatever reason, I cannot seem to figure out how to do it... Does anyone know where to place new HTML in the Blogger HTML editor to get it to show up in the Sidebar?

Recent reviews by Scott D.

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Goals

Yesterday was Manda and my 4th Anniversary. We didn't do anything huge or go on some trip across the country as we have done in the past. I took the day off work and we were able to spend the day together, just basically living life. It was great! Last night we got a babysitter for Mallory for a couple of hours, and Manda and I went out to dinner and got to talk for a long time. One of the things that we talked about was what each of our goals are.

Here are some of my goals that I came up with.

1. Learn Web Design: HTML, Java, Flash, CSS, whatever else. I want to be able to build and design webpages, and do it well.
2. Write a Book: This has sort of been a goal of mine since I was a little kid. I used to want to be an author. Now, with Manda's encouragement, my goal is simply to write a book. However, to that end, I am curious what type of book you like to read.
• What genre?
• Fast or slow paced?
• What is more important? Plot, Characters, Dialouge, Setting?
• What is inticing to you? Give me your thoughts.
3. Landscape our front/back yard. I have been slowly getting this done, we have planted a peach tree, and Manda bought me a Dogwood tree and Blueberry bush, which I planted yesterday, and we have been working on weeding and getting everything ready. My goal, however, is to have everything set-up, grass seed planted, a few more fruit trees, etc... in our backyard by the end of September. Eventually I want to have sections of bark and plants along the walls, grass and rock in the middle, a nice back porch with ceiling fans and lights and nice area for our grill, garden area for Manda, and I want to fix and make really nice the sandbox for Mallory, and get a swingset for her. After that I want to get the front yard looking really nice, picket fence, grass, bushes, flowers, and probably tear out our "mostly dead" tree and replace it. It's a lot, but I'm really motivated to get it all done and looking great for next summer!
4. Finish the laundry room project we have been working on for almost a year now. We have hit a setback in that we recently discovered we have a leak, which has resulted in a puddle on the floor with all the recent rain we have received, but I am still set on getting this thing done in the next month, and then finishing up all of the small projects I have left unfinished for the last year and a half.

At the moment that is all of my primary goals, except for one. I have a goal to continue making and reaching for goals, to continue growing and learning and accomplishing things! I will post again when I have met some of these goals, which should hopefully be soon!

A Daddy's Love for His Kid

As I write this Mallory is sleeping totally peacefully in her bed. She is so amazing and beautiful! I do think, however, that my skin secretes some sort of potion that puts her to sleep because every time I hold her she falls asleep almost instantly.

Anyways, tonight Manda went to Bible Study so Mallory stayed home with me, which was great! This is the first time, I think that I was able to have some just me and her time, not that time with Mommy isn't great as well, but it was nice to be able to spend some time with Mallory since I have to be at work so much and don't get that much time to spend with her. We did some laundry, watched some TV, listened to the radio, talked, and played. I even got some videos of her kicking her ball, which was pretty cool. I will have to put that up later, but it takes too long to upload at the moment.

I am just so amazed at how incredible this little girl is! She is so great, and she is such a perfect example of pure, innocent love and absolute joy! When she smiles you can't help to feel thrilled, and I don't know how anyone could keep from getting the biggest grin on their faces when she looks at you and laughs.

When she cries it is so devestating because all I want to do is make her feel better and bring the smile to her face again. It somehow seems so much more wrong for her to be upset because of the joy that eminates from her most of the time.

I guess I'm just basically saying that I absolutely love this little girl! She lights up my whole world, and I cannot imagine life without her. If she is crying and fussy at 2 in the morning or smiling and laughing in the middle of the afternoon, it doesn't matter. I love her all the same, she's my kid, and I am so amazed to realize that the intense burning love I have for her regardless of the fact that she has pooped in my face and kept me up for the past 3 months is absolutely, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING in comparison to the love that God, my daddy, has for me, and has for every one of His kids, which means YOU too. I am blown away by that love!

It is SO Amazing!
Mallory is SO Amazing!
God is SO Incredibly Blow-you-away Awesome!

Goodnight!

Danger

Welcome back to another edition of SADness & Truth! It's been awhile since the last newsletter, and I hope everyone has been doing great! As it is nearing the end of the school year, and summer is fast approaching, I thought that I would tell you all about something that I used to have a blast doing during the summer as a little kid.

Do you remember Slip n' Slides? Those long pieces of plastic that you cover in water, throw your body on and slide! My brother and I played with those alot as kids. We used to live in a house that had a two leveled front yard with a rock wall, about 3 feet tall, that separated the upper yard from the lower yard. I remember deciding one summer that it would be fun to get 2 Slip n' Slides, have one end at the top of the rock wall and the other pick up 3 feet below in the lower yard. We would take a running start from the top, slide off the wall and, hopefully, continue sliding below. Sometimes it hurt, afterall we were falling on our stomachs from 3 feet up, and we could have potentially hurt ourselves by missing the slide below, sliding into the rocks, or many other things, but it was great and we did it despite the danger.

Similarly, we would often ride our bicycles down the hill in our back yard, off the 4 foot wall and onto the concrete patio below. Oh we set up a ramp of sorts made up of two 4 inch boards, one sticking straight out from the top of the wall and one holding that one up, to make the 4 foot fall a bit better, but it was still ridiculously stupid.

These are just a few of the supid things I did as a kid, but it makes me think about my life as a Christian. I did crazy, dangerous things as a child because I had no fear, and the things I was doing brought me joy and thrill. Our lives as Christians should be the same way. God calls us to do some crazy things, and yes, dangerous things. He never said that following Him would be a walk in the park. He said we would be picking up our cross every day, that we would face persecution and that Satan himself would fight against us.

'Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me."' - Matthew 16:24

"Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me."

- Matthew 24:9

However, despite all of this God also tells us not to be afraid. He tells us to be like little children, having no fear and absolute faith in Him. Christianity is not boring, safe or simple it is dangerous and exciting, but through this we can experience the joy and thrill that comes from the fact that "perfect love drives out fear." So embrace the love, embrace the danger, put your total faith in that perfect love!

Do not be afraid!