RECAPITULATION

Viva Las Vegas!!!!!!

2007-07-10T08:20:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I feel bad about not posting... but not really. I've been crazy busy at work, and have been working through lunches - which is normally when I blog. But I thought I'd write a quick note because next week, I'm going to Las Vegas to get marrried!! WOOHOO!! We fly out on Monday at 2:00 pm, so we'll have to be at the airport on Saturday in order to get through security. Then we'll arrive in Vegas at about 7:00 pm, and I hear that there are slot machines at the airport gate. Now, I'm not much for gambling, but I think I'll give it a try as soon as I arrive, just to see. :) I'll be staying at the Wild Wild West Hotel and Casino Monday and Tuesday night, and that was only about $35 a night, so we'll see how that is. Either way it's just a place to rest my head those first two nights. Susie will be in our room at New York New York for the whole week, so she'll sleep fine I'm sure.

Tuesday, we'll be running errends, like getting our marriage license, etc. and Wednesday, we'll be married (not by Elvis, so just put the thought out of your mind). The girls will be doing girl stuff all day, and that'll give my dad and I some time to hang out.

After the wedding, I'm thinking we'll spend the rest of the week by the pool, sipping brightly colored beverages.

And Saturday, we fly home. :( Bummer.... But we'll be married, and I'll be able to live in my apartment again. Oh, how I miss my bed, and my chair, and my normal morning routine. And after 7 months of staying up late at Susie's, and then going home and getting about 20 minutes of sleep before going to work, I'm thinking I'll hit the sack at about 6:00 pm every night for the rest of the year. I need to get caught up on my sleepy time.

Anyway, I'll see you all after the wedding, and then I'll be Mr. Matt Wolters.... Wait, I'm already Mr. Matt Wolters. My bad.... Susie will be Mr. Matt Wolters.... Forgive me, sometimes I'm a little slow.

Camping

2007-06-19T09:44:00.000-07:00

We went camping this weekend and had a blast. Ethan and I slept in my little dome tent from when I was a kid, and Susie and the girls slept in a big tent with an air mattresses. The Pleunes had an impressive spread, complete with cots and air mattresses, electricity, running water, a two stall garage, and 1 1/2 baths. Their rec room isn't finished, so we couldn't play foosball yet... but next time.... :)

Dave and Ceci came too, and truthfully, we were a bit unsure about how Ceci would do, but she seemed to enjoy herself a lot, and was only slightly annoying.... Just kidding. She was ENTIRELY annoying.... just kidding again. She seemed like a seasoned veteran, and we were glad that they came, because they make the campfire that much more fun.

All in all, the whole group had a blast, and the kids were going nuts with all that outdoor fun. Dave, Joe and I got in trouble because we were playing frisbee golf, and I hit the new building with my frisbee. And then Dave hit a sign, so we were told that we couldn't play any more.... But we did, because we're cool like that.

kaybye!

Sugar!!!!

2007-05-09T09:55:00.000-07:00

Okay, a couple of weeks ago, I said that I was going to start posting what I heard from my doctor, and I just saw him the other day, so here goes:

Rule number one: Sugar is the devil!

Did you know that before the year 1900 the average annual sugar intake was approximately five pounds per year per person? In 2007, that number is approximately 165 pounds per year per person. Back in the days of less sugar, you rarely saw people suffering diseases such as heart attack, stroke, diabetes, Parkinson's, allergies, cancer...... etc. etc. etc.

Most people say that those diseases were there, but that they weren't diagnosed because medical science hadn't gotten to that point yet. My response to that is that I agree that those diseases were present, but not nearly as common as they are today. I would be willing to say that the incidences of those ailments was less than 10%.

Sugar increases the production of free-radicals in the body, which are like... enemy soldiers doing their best to break you down. With higher levels of free-radicals, your body isn't able to fight the diseases that are thrown at it.

With that said... avoid sugar at all costs. And don't think that you're in the clear by drinking diet soda, or sugar free candy bars. Those are worse yet. Artificial sweeteners are chemicals that God did not intend for you to put into your body.

Here's another one for you. Do you know how drink manufacturers make caffeine free drinks? They ad formaldehyde! Yeah! That's right!!

Next time, I'll talk about how the body processes sugar, verses how the body processes fat. And I'll tell you how I lost 40 pounds the healthy way.

For now, cut back on sugar... or if possible, avoid it all together.

2007-05-04T12:10:00.001-07:00

Your Star Wars Name And Title

Your Star Wars Name: Matwo Otzee

Your Star Wars Title: Srebac of Eisus

What Is Your Star Wars Name and Title?

This is what it feels like in youth group meetings with Dave

2007-05-02T05:12:00.000-07:00

What color blue am I?

2007-05-02T04:56:00.001-07:00

You Are Sky Blue

Dreamy and creative, you the potential in everyone ... and everything!
And while you strive to have an ideal life, you are pretty mellow about it. You know your time will come.

What Color Blue Are You?

This sounds all too familiar.

2007-04-26T08:55:00.000-07:00

My thoughts on gas (oline)

2007-04-24T10:14:00.000-07:00

So, last summer I was sitting at work, and my co-worker got a phone call, which he seemed to be very excited about.

“What could it be?” I wondered.

Maybe his daughter had won an award at school. Or maybe his wife had gotten a big, fat raise. Maybe he had just gotten the call that his billionaire uncle, whom he had never even known about, had just left him his entire fortune. Surely, based on his reaction to whatever he was being told, it would have to be something of monumental proportions.

“Gas is two-thirty-two north of town!”

“What…?” That was all I could think to say.

That was what he was so excited about? Earlier in the day, I had filled up for $2.35, so I was thinking, “Wow. You can save three cents a gallon. That’s like… 50 cents off a tank.”

But apparently, I was the only one thinking that way, because within minutes, the whole office was abuzz.

“I hope it stays down ‘til after work.”

“No way! They’ll probably raise it at five minutes to five! Those con artists!!”

“Scoundrels!!!” I said…. Nobody picked up on my sarcasm.

“I’m gonna take an early lunch” said one woman as she ran to her car to take advantage of the greatest deal in the history of Gasoline… apparently. A year later, there are still skid marks in the parking lot.

After work, there was a rush to the door. It was like the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona! I thought surely I had seen my last day on earth. It had the potential to be like one of those mass catastrophes, like a stadium grandstand collapsing at an international soccer match where the fans get out of control… or a Michael Jackson concert gone bad… wait… no… never mind.

Later that night, after I had dressed my wounds and said the rosary, I was watching the news and saw a gas station with a line of cars a quarter mile long. This gas station was like… the Dutch Promised Land, flowing with milk and honey, and cheap gas!

Then it hit me…. These people that I work with live on the south side. That means that they’re driving about 5 miles out of their way to get to this gas station on the north side… in order to save, at most… 75 cents.

Being the antagonist that I am, I did some research and found that the average car uses approximately 15 cents worth of gas per mile. Multiply that by the 5 extra miles that they were driving, and they were paying 75 cents to save… 75 cents.

Sometimes there are just no words.

Me and God

2007-04-23T09:33:00.000-07:00

Okay, one more post for the day:

I've been in a really high time in life for the past few months, but spiritually, I've felt like I've been in a valley. I've got this great girlfriend, and I'm so happy with her, and I think I've relied less on God because my life is so good.

So, that being said, I think that what Jared (SP?) has been talking about in church the past couple of months is right on for me. Though I haven't opened my heart to it yet, I think it's time that I do.

There is a fundamental problem in my life, and it manifests itself through arrogence (SP?) and a self assurence that separates me from God. I need to listen to God more, and be in communion with Him at all times. I need to stay aware of the fact that He is always within me. I want to praise Him always. I want to honor Him. Not because I feel like I need to earn His love, but because I love Him, and I'm so grateful to Him for saving me, and I'm ashamed to say that I haven't acted out my love for Him.

In fact, an interaction with my son yesterday, now helps me to put it into perspective. He had misbehaved and I asked him after much conversation if he loved me and his sisters. Of course his reply was yes, and I said, "Then you should SHOW us that love." That's a clear analogy for me. I need to SHOW God my love. Not just say that I love him.

So now the question is... what does this all look like? I'm not sure, but I have faith that He will show me in His time.

Ethan

2007-04-23T09:25:00.000-07:00

So, I don't know if I've ever talked about this here or not, but I have to tell you the funniest thing about my son, Ethan. You see, his favorite joke to play on me, is to put his butt on me... and fart. Gross, but funny. Funnier still is what he does after.... He runs away, laughing the whole way, and says... "I farted on you Dad!" Like I didn' t know. "Thanks son!" Just what I always wanted.

So yesterday, when I dropped the kids off at their mom's house, Elyse was sitting on her mom's lap, and let one fly.... "Scuse me mama... I farted on you."

Now... I have to take total ownership of this, because Ethan started doing it to me after I did it to him. My bad. We had to lay down some fairly rigid rules for the "fart game", as it were. So Ethan knows that I'm the only person he should fart on, and that's cool, because, if you can't fart on your dad, who CAN you fart on?

Get off my back Kim :)

2007-04-23T09:13:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it's been a while, but I'm back now. I've been going over some ideas, and I think I might have a few interesting topics.

1) I've got to get back on the wagon. I've gained about 15 pounds over the past year or so, and that is NOT COOL! I lost 40 pounds the year before that, and I'm not going back. A couple of weeks ago, Amanda HW was listening to me drone on about my doctor's philosophies on health and fitness, and she said I should write it all down for her. So I decided I'll put some of the finer points here on my blog. Stay tuned. I'll try to put a point per week at least. And you can all hold me accountable when you see me. I'll warn you now though, that when I'm at my running weight, I look pretty much skeletal, but don't worry. I am in fact, in good health. :)

2) I can talk about the kiddos. They're alwasy good for a laugh.

So there you have it. A commitment. A new hope. Not as big of a new hope as, say, Luke Skywalker or anything, but it will give you something to look for anyway.

Later,

Matt

The kiddos

2007-03-13T09:03:00.001-07:00

Some random thoughts on my kids:

Once I gave my youngest (Ella) a corn dog, and she looked at it, and started to cry. It was the kind of cry that means that she's scared of it. I'm not sure what that was all about. I took it from her and it seemed to have a perfectly lovely disposition. And it was tasty too. I cut one up for her and put it on a plate, and she was fine. Weird.

Elyse has a farting problem lately. I swear, that girl can rip right along with the best of them. They're long and loud, and she gets the funniest little smirk on her face when she's doing it. Ethan likes to sit on my lap and fart on me. Then he giggles and says "I farted on you Dad". I have to take the blame for that one. I did it to him once, so......

When we were on our weekend getaway with my family, Ella fell out of bed in the hotel, so I went and picked her up, comforted her and put her back. About 30 seconds later, she started singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Talk about a mood swing. But it was too cute. Even though I had to tell her to be quite.

Ethan and I are wrestling lately. I don' t know what happened, but he all of a sudden decided that he enjoys beating the pulp out of me. I was sitting on the floor at the foot of the bed the other day, and he surprised me with a well executed pile driver! Then, while I was down, he stood on my back and jumped up and down a few times. He's ruthless! He may have a future in the WCW.

Well, there are some random thoughts on my kids. Lots of fun.

:)

Wolters family weekend!

2007-03-12T06:46:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I wanted to make sure that the rooster wasn't able to play in the hen house... if you know what I mean, so I deleted my last post. I hope at least a few people saw it.

At any rate. We went away for a weekend with my family this past weekend and played in the pool until we all looked like produce gone bad. It was fun to watch Ethan go at it, since he can now hold his own in a pool without swimmies or anything. Elyse jumped in without too, but had a hard time staying afloat, scaring everyone a lot. Of course, when my mom got to her, she said with much indignation... "I can swim!" Makenna was having a blast, and she's a water rat, so we didn't have to worry too much about her getting bored. Ella liked it as long as she could give me a death grip. I wish she would hug me that hard when she doesn't fear drowning. :) I was alright as long as I had my elmo floaty ring. One of the kids tried to take it from me, but I held fast, and wouldn't give it up. :) Don't mess with a man's Elmo!!

My new Bears blanket!!!

2007-02-16T14:04:00.000-08:00

So, I made some cupcakes for Susie, but she made me something so much better. She made me a Bears blanket!! It's so warm and soft and cozy that she won't give it to me. :) She slept with it the past two nights, and she says she's going to let me take it home tonight, but we'll see. She'll probably "forget" to bring it downstairs again. :) I also got a nice framed picture of us that is now sitting on my desk. What a beautiful girlfriend I have!! Now I can turn my head and see her any time of the day.

Isn't she sweet?!?!?!

Happy Valentines day!!

2007-02-14T13:58:00.000-08:00

So I made some cupcakes for Susie, and I have to say... they turned out pretty well. I had one this afternoon, and it was tasty. I decided to give her the cupcakes, candy, etc. Then I got a box of Care Bears Valentines, and filled each one out with a little message. I have to say, I even impressed myself with that one. I also got a few balloons, and two of them flew away before I could even get them into my car. But I saved one, and gave that to her too.

I went to her bank at lunch and delivered them, and it occurred to me that it's been a long time since I had a good time on Valentines day. I'm loving this stuff, and I'm so thankful for her in my life. What an amazing person she is. I'm smiling even now as I write this message. I know that if I'm sad or stressed, all I have to do is picture her smile, and it makes me smile.... I can't help it. :)

Anyway, I gave her the cupcakes, candy, and Care Bear cards at work, and as for the rest, I broke into her apartment and put it all on her kitchen table. I'm wondering if she'll see it before youth group tonight, or if she'll go straight to church after she picks up Makenna. Hehehe.

What a fun day!

Weekend!!

2007-02-09T10:04:00.000-08:00

Great weekend planned with the kiddies. We're just going to hang out tonight, but then tomorrow, we have swimming lessons at 10:00. After that, my mom will take Ella and Ethan home with her. I'll take Elyse to a birthday party for one of her class mates. Then I'll go back to my parents' house to hang for a while. At 1:30 I have to pick Elyse up from the party, and drop Ethan off with Susie and Makenna, so they can all go to the Aquatic center. After that... I'm not sure. Playing it by ear. I do that a lot.

I know it doesn't sound like much, and it probably isn't, but it took me about two days to figure out the logistics. In fact, I just figured it out fully while I was writing this post. Wow. Kids are fun, but I can't imagine what it's going to be like when all three are in school, playing sports, singing, dancing, etc. But I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Then on Sunday, we get to meet the newest Pleune! Max looks like a really happy boy, and I think he fits right in with the family. I CAN'T WAIT!!

Well, that's all for now. Have a great weekend!

Thanks Dave!!

2007-02-08T10:00:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!

Dave Roberts hooked me up with the know. So now anyone can comment on my blog.

WOOHOO!!!!

Should I write a book?

2007-02-01T14:05:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I found out that my mom's late uncle, Gord Spykman ( Sorry if I spelled that wrong Uncle Gord. Mom, don't disown me please), wrote a couple of books. Pretty cool stuff. I thought he was just a teacher, but I never knew where, or of what. It turns out that he was a prof at Calvin Seminary. The book that I'm reading right now is a book that he wrote about AC VanRaalte, and it was called Pioneer Pastor (I think). Pretty amazing stuff. I never realized what VanRaalte was all about, but it turns out that he left the Netherlands because the church was persecuted there. Maybe that's not news to anyone else, but I had no idea. He was jailed for being a pastor, and yet, he didn't give it up. He lead a group of settlers here, and founded Holland, and was at the center of the CRC movement.

Now... I'm not really a fan of what the RCA and CRC have become in this day and age, but they were founded upon passion enough that a man would endure persecution for the cause of Christ. Amazing.

Anyway, my great uncle wrote this book. Which begs the question.... Should I write one too? I know I have no training, and I've never written anything for anyone other than my freshman English teacher. But I'm pretty positive that I could be an incredible author. :) Just kidding. But the idea seems interesting anyway. And I've already decided on a subject. I'm going to write the biography of the great thinker and pretty boy... Dave Roberts. It's going to be RAD!!

After that sells a couple million copies, I'm going to write a book about my first love.... Cage fighting.

The Pleunes, a great book, Da Bears, and God's incredible goodness!

2007-01-30T09:13:00.000-08:00

My friend Joe says I need to update my blog, so I'm doing it now. ARE YOU HAPPY JOE?!? :)

My friends Joe, AmyJo, and Esther Pleune are in China, picking up their new Pleune! Maximus! Doesn't that sound like a really solid name? And let me tell you, he looks like a Maximus. That boy's going to be a bruiser! Seeing pictures of Him with his new Mommy, Daddy, and big sister make me want to cry. I know... girly. But I can't help it. I'm so happy for them!

Oh, by the way... Susie says hi... and she can't wait to meet Max.

I'm not in China, and I'm a bit jealous that they are, but we're getting all kinds of fun fluffy snow right now, as most of my readers are probably aware of. Anyway, I really like the snow this year. I never did before, but I'm really appreciating it's beauty this year. I love to sit in my apartment, and look out the front window when the snow is falling gently down through the trees. It's really pretty. I also really like to take walks in it. When you're nice and bundled, it's great to enjoy the snow. If you haven't noticed already, do yourself a favor, and go outside and take note of how peaceful it is when there is this much snow. So quite. I love it.

What else? I got a new book last week called "God Guides". Great book with a bunch of short sections, so it's good to read all at once, or take in small chunks. Anyway, it talks about this missionary in India who would ask God a question, and then just sit and listen to what He would put on her heart. One time He told her to give someone an egg, and she thought it was dumb, so she blew Him off. When she got home, there was a chicken on her kitchen table, and it laid an egg and walked out of her house. She delivered the egg to the woman whom God had said to give it, and she was thanked with tears. The woman had given the last of her food to her children, and had asked God, "please, just give me an egg." WOW!! Anyway, I don't think you can get the book in stores, but I'm thinking about getting a bunch, so let me know if you want one. You won't regret it.

I think that's all for now... except that as I write this, I have this overwhelming sense of God's goodness. I have to say it.... GOD IS SO GOOD, AND I LOVE HIM!!!! That's rather significant, because even after I had become a Christian, I still didn't know how I would love Him. For years, I was saved, but not living a full life in Christ, and I felt just as lost as I did when I wasn't saved. He has granted me that love, and I am so thankful for it. I'm almost moved to tears just thinking about it. What a mighty God we serve. I can't wait to fall down before him and stay there for all of eternity, enjoying His presence free from the temptation and condemnation of Satan. What an incredible day that will be! And, as the song says (this is my favorite verse of any song), "When we've been there 10,000 years. Bright shining as the sun. We've no less days to sing God's praise, than when we'd first begun!" What an incredible truth!

That's eternity... but in the mean time, I'll be praying for a Bears win this weekend. :) I think this is the year, but everyone on the planet seems to disagree. That will surely make it that much more satisfying when Uber-lacher and crew put a hurtin' on the ponies. :-0

Anyway, Joe, I hope this post is to your liking. :) I'm so glad to see you guys with Max, and I can't wait to meet him. I think he and Ella will be good friends. :) Maybe he'll be able to understand what she's saying. :) haha.

I love you guys!

I've been tagged!!

2007-01-23T05:28:00.000-08:00

Okay, so Susie alerted me to the fact that I was "tagged" by Dave a while back. I had no idea. I remember seeing that post on his blog, but it looked too long and boring, so I didn't read it. Anyway, I'm supposed to post five things that people don't know about me. This should be fun:

1) Believe it or not, I used to have a pretty bad temper. When I was a kid, I was shooting baskets in the driveway, and I wasn't happy with the number of shots that I was making, so naturally, like anyone would do... I kicked the basketball pole. I'm pretty sure that I broke my toe, but I'll never know for sure because I didn't tell anyone, so I never went to the doctor.

2) One of my favorite basketball players is Lindsay Hunter from the Detroit Pistons, and once when I was in high school, I was at a rest stop going to the bathroom. I know this sounds like it's going down hill fast, but stick with me.... I was standing at the urinal, doing my thing, and who should come in and choose the urinal right next to me, but Lindsay Hunter!! Wow!!!

3) I've been shot.... Point blank.... In the chest.... No kidding.... Okay, fine, it was with a Red Rider BB gun, but it hurt like a monkey's uncle!!

4) I narrowly escaped an early departure from our world when I was almost hit by a car travelling about 50 mph. I was racing my brother home, and didn't stop and look at the corner, and was unpleasantly surprised by the screeching of tires. Thank goodness nothing happened. It would have been a shame to mess up my beautiful, yellow, ten speed bike. That was some bike (sigh).

5) When I was a kid, I used to think that I had super human strength, so I would pin a towel around my neck and make believe it was a cape. Then I would jump off the couch to see if I could fly.... I couldn't. And as it turns out, I don't actually have super human strength either. The rocks that I was crushing with my bare hands were actually just little balls of compacted dirt. But the girl two doors down didn't know that. Score!

Now I have to tag some people.... Amanda and Ceci.... I TAG THEE!!!!

LOOK AT MY BLOG!!!

2007-01-17T12:40:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I'm not getting as much traffic as I want on this blog, so I'm getting cheap. I'm going to give...... a shout out. I know... cheasy, but sometimes effective.

Let's see... Zack, Hillary ( sorry if I spelled your name wrong), Steven, Breanna (spelling???), Amanda, Drewski, Joe Mamma!, Joe and Amyjo, David, Spencer, Tiffanny (SP??), Merlino.

I'm shouting out to you.......... NOW!!!

Leave a comment to let me know if you saw.

I'll shout out to some other people later.

IKEA

2007-01-16T07:04:00.000-08:00

We went to Ikea on Saturday, and we were there so long that we never made it downtown. I think after it was all said and done, we were in the store for about six hours. WOW!! It was so much fun though! Susie got a couple of end tables for $13 each, and a couple of lamps too. I got an end table, and a couple of kitchen things. But we probably could have walked out empty handed, and it still would have been a blast!

Quayle-isms

2007-01-12T08:24:00.000-08:00

"If you give a person a fish, they'll fish for a day. But if you train a person to fish, they'll fish for a lifetime."
- Dan Quayle, former U.S. Vice President

"It is wonderful to be here in the great state of Chicago"
- Dan Quayle, former U.S. Vice-President

"It's time for the human race to enter the solar system!"
- Dan Quayle, former U.S. Vice President on the concept of a manned mission to Mars

"I love California, I practically grew up in Phoenix."
- Dan Quayle, former U.S. Vice President

A couple more quotes. These are some of my favorites.

2007-01-12T08:19:00.000-08:00

"The internet is a great way to get on the net."
- Bob Dole

"I get to go to lots of overseas places, like Canada."
- Britney Spears

Chi-town!!!

2007-01-12T05:04:00.000-08:00

Going to Chicago tomorrow!!! WOOHOO!!!

Susie and I are going to go to Ikea and then downtown tomorrow. The Cheesecake Factory beckons! I doubt we'll buy anything at Ikea, other than maybe a knick-knack or two, but it will be a lot of fun to check out anyway. I love Ikea! Then downtown.... Maybe one of my favorite places in the world.

Anyway, we're looking forward to it. It'll be a really nice time to just hang out and enjoy eachother.

Tuesday

2007-01-09T06:06:00.000-08:00

You know, I'm not a big Tuesday person. I usually mis-spell it (Teusday), but also, it just seems to be this "no man's land" kind of day. Mondays are Mondays, so you come to grips with that, but then comes Tuesday.... What is there that's good about Tuesday? Just sort of a blah day. Anyway, it's Tuesday now, and I just feel... blah. That is until lunch time, because I get to have lunch with Susie today (WOOHOO!), and that makes this particular Tuesday better than a Friday! Also we're going to Chicago together on Saturday, and I'm SO looking forward to it. What's more romantic than a trip to Ikea and The Cheesecake Factory. It doesn't get any better than that!

:)

Hi girls

2007-01-05T06:33:00.000-08:00

Susie and LA! I hope you're having a great night! I wanted to give you a heads up.... The posts go in order from bottom to top, so you should scroll down and start there.

Have a great night, and enjoy your incredibly femenine movie. If I had a TV I'd be watching Rambo tonight.

Instead I think I'll read my newest Danielle Steel novel.

:)

Oh, I just remembered that you wanted to see a picture of me with no hair, so here you go. Enjoy, but try to keep yourself under control.

One more quote

2007-01-05T06:30:00.000-08:00

"You can only be young once... but you can be immature forever."

-Author unknown

Time for a new post!!

2007-01-05T05:34:00.000-08:00

I love to write on my blog. But today I have a mission, to write something that will amuse Susie and L.A. But it's really hard to do this under pressure, so I'm going to have to think about it and post later. For now I'll just give a shout out.

I'M SHOUTING OUT TO YOU.................. NOW!!!! (8:58 AM)

Something to consider

2006-12-29T11:48:00.000-08:00

"If there is no God, who pops up the next Kleenex?"

-Art Hoppe.

WHY????!!!!!!

2006-12-28T07:21:00.000-08:00

So you call the credit card company, and the first thing that the nice lady on the recording asks for is your account number.

"Please say or enter your account number."

This seems reasonable, and you think:

"Oh! I can say it, and the computer will understand what I say! That's so cool!"

So you try saying it, and the computer doesn't understand you, and says:

"I'm sorry, I did not understand you. Please try again."

So you try again, and it still doesn't work. Dissappointed by the overhyped technology, you use the phone key pad. You enter your account number, and it doesn't work. You enter your account number again to see if you entered it wrong, but no... you had it right, and you know it! And yet, the phone still doesn't have your account number.

Finally it works. Halle-freakin-lujah!! They finally have my account number! All that for an account number!!! So now you're in. And, inevitably, you've spent so much time trying to penetrate the system, that now you've forgotten why you called. And while you're trying to remember, your time expires, and you get routed to customer service... which isn't all bad, because that's where you wanted to be in the first place. Sweet. So now someone answers the phone... and by they way, they sound like they're really excited about their job. And what's the first thing they ask you?

"May I please have your account number?"

AAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Susie

2006-12-27T07:27:00.000-08:00

Okay, so the whole church is all in a tizzy about Susie and me. And so I thought I'd write something about it....

We sat together at church on Sunday, and felt like more people were watching us than Pastor Paul. It was really funny, and we got a laugh out of it. But I don't mind it a bit. It's cool that people are interested and want us to be happy.

I don't want to speak for her, but I'm really excited. I think she's amazing, and I love the fact that we can talk so openly to one another. We have a lot of common interests (we went for a run together last night), and more importantly, we have a common love for Christ. How cool is that!?! I've been praying for that for a long time, and God has definately answered that prayer.

Anyway, things are really going well so far. We're getting to know eachother, and seeking God's will together.

Oh... did I mention that she's amazing?

:)

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

2006-12-19T09:58:00.000-08:00

I did my Christmas shopping this weekend. I got some cool stuff for the kids, and I can't wait to play... I mean watch them play with everything. I also got the essential MSU gear for my son. That's a must. I thought about getting my nephew some green and white to try to lure him into the light, but I think my brother would pitch a fit. :) Sorry Jon.

Anyway, I only have a few more things to get, so that feels pretty good.

We've got the youth group Christmas party tomorrow, and we're supposed to wear the craziest Christmas sweater that we have. So a bunch of us went to Goodwill on Sunday and got some stuff that might make you question our sanity... to which I reply "I ARE SANITY!!!"

I don't really know what that means, but have a merry Christmas!

THEY'RE HERE!!!!

2006-12-16T11:04:00.000-08:00

The shoes have arrived!! These are the ones. I'm sure this time. 'til death do us part! I know you all want to see them, so I'll post pictures later. :)

Part III

2006-12-15T08:12:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I just got online and tracked the shipment of my shoes, and they're out for delivery today!!!! I had them delivered to work, so I went out to the shop to see if UPS has been here yet, and they haven't.... I CAN'T STAND THE SUSPENSE!!!!!

Incidentally, I needed some boots too, so I ordered a pair this week. Those came the next day, and I've been wearing them ever since. I even slept in them. They're.... wonderful (sigh).

I'll write when the shoes get here.

WOOHOO!!

Pics of the kiddies

2006-12-13T06:58:00.000-08:00

All of my friends and family from different parts of the world are screaming for pics of the kids, so here they are. Please excuse the messy hair, etc. They're still the cutest kids EVER!! :)

Christmas Card

2006-12-13T05:29:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I sat the kids down last night to take a Christmas card picture, and I'm pretty sure we didn't get even one picture that's going to work. But that's alright. At least my friends and reletives will have a nice fuzzy image to look at and say "That's a nice picture of Matt and the kids.... I think it's Matt and the kids anyway."

Here are a few that didn't make the cut:

This is my favorite. At least Ethan was ready. :)

Merry Christmas!!

Sara and the shoes

2006-12-12T10:47:00.000-08:00

So I'm writing this post for one person.... Sara. She's my friend's daughter, who apparently thinks that I have a shoe problem. And since we've been on the subject this week, I thought I'd tell her to check out my blog. So if she doesn't tell her mom what a dork I am next time she talks to her, then I'll know that she didn't check it out.

Sara... this blog's for you.

The Shoes: Part Deux

2006-12-12T08:39:00.000-08:00

Okay, I returned the defective shoes last night, and much to my surprise, they didn't give me any trouble. I thought for sure they would hassle me about exchanging them instead of refunding my money, but they were great (Shop at The Outpost.... They rock).

So about five minutes ago, I continued the search for the perfect shoe. I ordered a new pair online, and I have to tell you... I have a really good feeling about them. I know what you're thinking... How could I possibly "know" a shoe after having only seen a picture of it? Well, let me tell you... when you know... you know. It's just a feeling that you get. Way down deep in the pit of your stomach. Music plays, the sun breaks through the clouds... and you just know! It's an amazing feeling. (Kids, I'll explain it when you're older).

Anyway, I just wanted to give the readers an update. I know that you've all been hoping and praying that I would find that special shoe, and I really believe I've found her... er... um... them.... the shoes....

Stay tuned! More to folow in 5 - 7 business days!!!!!

The weekend

2006-12-11T06:22:00.000-08:00

So, I had a great weekend with the kiddies. Friday, I had a Christmas party with the youth group leaders, so they got to play with other kids from church. Saturday, we got our family picture taken, which was, of course an ordeal. Although it wasn't as bad as I expected. I think we got an okay picture though. We spent the rest of the day at my parents' house, and the cousins all got to play together. Sunday was church, which was really good, and in the evening, we had a kids Christmas program. Ethan was participating, ever so subtley (I'm not sure if I spelled that right), and Elyse just stood there. It was really cute. All these other kids jumping up and down, and Elyse... was checking out her nails....

It's okay Elyse.... You're daddy's a bit scattered sometimes too. :) But you looked FABULOUS!!

blogging

2006-12-08T12:44:00.000-08:00

I like to blog. It's a good release. And I need one right now.

It's almost the end of the day on Friday... thank goodness. I get the kids this weekend, and I'm excited to see them. We're going to get a family portrait taken and have some Christmas cards made. I know.... I'm totally late, but better late than never. I think I'll still be able to get them out in time.

We've also got a Christmas party for the youth group leaders tonight, and that should be fun. My kids will get to hang with some of their church friends while I'm at the party, so that'll be cool too.

What else??????? I guess that's all. I've got another half hour to go before the weekend, and I have a feeling it will be a long half hour.

ug.

SHOES!!!!!! I like shoes.

2006-12-08T05:22:00.000-08:00

So, I've bought three pair of shoes in the past month to replace my current brown ones. The first pair, I didn't like after a day or so.... Luckily, they turned out to have a manufacturer's defect, so I could take them back and get a refund. The second pair of shoes, I bought, brought home, and the next day decided I didn't like them. But I hadn't worn them outside yet, so I returned those too. Now, I bought a third pair this week... and I thought they were the ones... my soul shoes, if you will. I was so confident about it that I wore them immediately after I bought them. I thought that would keep me from returning them because they won't take them back after they've been worn outside. But alas... another manufacturer's defect.... Which is okay, because I really don't think I like them anyway. Actually, I like the shoes, but I think I want a different color. So back to the store I go.

I think I've got a problem. I need shoe therapy.

2006-12-07T13:06:00.000-08:00

These are my friends Brad and Tracy at the Tigers game we went to this fall. Just thought you'd like to meet them. They're getting married next spring. Aren't they CUTE!?!

Let it snow!!

2006-12-07T05:22:00.000-08:00

Okay, so up until this weekend, I didn't like the snow all that much. But after spending a winter weekend in Chicago, I was thankful to be home. You see, we get a lot of lake effect snow here in West Michigan, but because of the humidity that comes off the lake, we're warmer. I thought I was going to freeze in mid step on the other side of the lake (a Matt statue). After this past weekend, I'll take a couple of feet of lake effect snow over those cold Chicago winds any time.

My new digital camera!

2006-11-21T13:32:00.000-08:00

I DID IT!!!!!!!!

My first picture upload on my blog!

This is me driving on the day that I got my new digital camera.

-Photo by Amanda HW.