Why We Count Down

I know what everyone must be thinking, "How lazy can Will be that he can't even uphold his promise to update the blog weekly?" Well, let me tell you why we count down until our children are out of the house, because we can't afford to keep them in the house any longer than we have to . First, let me say that, yes, after two attempts, I finally passed my Aircraft Commander Board. I was going to write immediately about the feat, but I had to have a couple of days of absolute worthlessness, which included the absense of working on the computer (except, of course, to make my Fantasy Football Team, which I have a good one this year). The next big news was that Madison officially became 1 year old on the first of September. Shelly was out of town this weekend, and so Madison's birthday will be celebrated next weekend. One the best blessings God bestowed upon me was to have my first child born on the first day of the same month as my anniversary and my own birthday and thus should never forget her birthday. I only wish it was so easy with Shelly's birthday, which she will eagerly tell you I have forgotten more than once. This past weekend I played single parent while Shelly went to her friend's wedding in Seattle. Not only did both Madison and I still have all our fingers, toes, and eyes, when Shelly returned, I was also was able to go grocery shopping and reinstalled the car seat to face forward (both subjects I could write lengthy passages on). Saturday morning, after dropping Shelly off at the airport, I sat down at the computer to write a blog entry on Madison reaching one year old. As I sat there thinking of all the witty titles for the blog, Madison crawled over and grabbed the cd case my coffee was sitting on. Of all the things on the desk to grab (pens, sheets of paper, siccors) she had to grab the one thing that could make a mess, and before I knew it, my coffee was spilling off the desk and waterfalling onto the computer's modem. Needless to say, after the lights started blinking like a Christmas tree, I knew I was probably going have to buy a new modem. I am now thinking of keeping a ledger of everything Madison breaks while living under my roof. I can then calculate a conservative 7% return on that money, compounded of course, until Madison is out of the house. This will only include items I have to replace, not food, clothes, or diapers, which are necessities and my obligation as a parent to supply. I will then either subtract my end figure from Madison's wedding fund, or I can charge her future husband (depending on if I like him or not) before he can have my blessing on marrying my daughter. Maybe I will continue to let the money rollover until I reach retirement. I will drop the the bill on her and Shelly and I can to the Mediteranian. What Madison's mishappening meant to the immediate future was that I was unable to update the blog until I replaced the modem yesterday.

On other news, Shelly got new clients, who are having their wedding in less than a month. The best part is that they haven't done a thing for the wedding and are unbelievably picky, even during the 2 minute drill. Also, their best man and maid of honor are going to be their two dogs. Being a dog lover myself, I support this, but I would never do something so silly but to each their own. What is great is that the ceremony is going to be on the beach, and the dogs, which are less than a year old , are suppose to walk down the isle unescorted. I foresee wedding being interrupted when those dogs take off after a runner, or a bird, or because they can taste freedom, and then I predict the groom running down the beach after them, leaving the bride at the alter, or maybe this is what I would like to see. Anyway, you can imagine Shelly's stress level as she tries to plan something in three weeks that usually takes a six months. Even better, the bride and groom, who live in San Francisco, have never been to San Diego before last week. They just heard about Sand Diego's beautiful beaches and decided to get married down here the next month. The groom apparently scored perfect on the GMAT, which only supports my theory that book smarts and common sense are inversely proportional, especially when he asked the hotel if they could paint the walls of the room they are renting for the reception. I think the hotel representative was a little bewildered. As for Shelly's business, her website is up and running, so check it out when you get the chance, www.bellaseraeventdesign.com.

They say that 80% of cars seats are installed incorrectly. I don't know how this can be, for there is not much to it, or I am missing something. All you do is put the seat belt through the holes in the car seat and then try to cram yourself into the seat, while you yank on the tether with all your strength. If the seat is indented into the car's seat, it is installed correctly.



Okay, I am sure most of you are tired of my diatribes and just want to know what Madison is up to. She is still not walking yet, but she can stand unassisted if she is not paying attention. Though as soon as she realizes she is not holding onto something, she immediately sits down or grabs something. She will also walk around the house using her walker (just like an old person), and she is starting to do tricks on her little bike, like sitting backwards or standing on the seat (pictures to follow). She is talking up a storm and to my amusement, "daddy" is her favorite word.