Dude I Know : Intro

5-7-2006 : Solo hurting and Picture are ready!

Well, Solo (our Sussex Spaniel) had to goto the Vet yesterday. Earlier in the week his back left leg was swollen and hard. He was limping on it. We watched him for a few days and then that area burst open... nasty nasty puss and blood came out. After doing some internet research, I believe that he was bit by a Brown Recluse Spider. Found a website that shows a dog with virtually identical problem in the identical spot..and they said it was a Recluse. The VET however didn't concure with MY ASSESMENT. She (being younger then I) said she had never seen anything like it and that our "spider out here aren't really all that dangerous compared to spiders in Australia".. she thought it might be a cyst or prehaps Cancer. She ordered a biopsy. They gave us an antibiotic for him to prevent secondary infection and then took a sample. When the did, MORE skin sluffed off of him. His infected area is NASTY to look at. It looks like someone removed the hair and skin and we are now looking at is muscles and everything below the skin. Time will tell, but from everything we have gathered.. this is MOST LIKELY a Recluse Bite... Here are the NEW pictures of Lorien and Zane PICTURES

5-5-2006 : Standard Update

Well, it has been quite some time since my last update. Zaner and Lorien sure do keep me busy. Let's see since the last update... We've had Christmas (which went very nicely), and New Years, my birthday, Zane's FIRST birthday. Ohh here's an opportunity for a story. After doing 3 paries for Lorien, we have learned that throwing a birthday party for a young child is TREMENDOUS work. Lorien's last party was at Chucky Cheese's - which I THOUGHT was quite costly. We decided that MARCH was a beautiful time to have an OUTDOORS party. We reserved a ramada a the local city park, planned for a 10 foot sub. Everything was looking GREAT for the party. Then (after having like 6 months of NO rain here in central Arizona the weather was suppose to change to RAIN on the day we planned to do the party. We came up with a backup plan and HOPED it wouldn't rain. We cleaned the house... which took like 2 days. Sure enough it rained! We had like 35 people over that day.... it was standing room only for people to watch Zane rip into his gifts.

Marcy and My 10 year anniversary was April 27th... we decided to revisit Disneyland and this time take Lorien with us. We left Zane with his grandparents as we drove to California (with gas prices at $3.00 a gallon, I sure was glad that we have the Prius.) Ohhh what a trip! We stayed in Costa Mesa in the Marriott (we used Priceline.com and payed $60 a night!). Mapquest.com gave us some BUM direction to get to the hotel and we got taken about an hour of course. The hotel was beautiful! We ate at the Macaroni Grill that night. Great food! The next morning we got up and headed for Disneyland. We were there ALL day long... 9am to about 10pm. Lorien was scared to death of Pinochio's Daring Journey (thank to the Whale popping out at here and the thunder and lightning area... she about cried when we did Mr. Toad's Wild ride (explosion...), she LOVED anything that took her HIGH or FAST. Matterhorn Mountain, Big Thunder Rail Road, Star Tours, the Flying Dumbos, and Peter Pan's Grand Adventure where all favorites of hers. She was also quite fond of Smallworld (this was the FIRST time I had ever ridden Smallworld in my 6 trips to Disneyland - it was enjoyable). We didn't DARE do the Haunted Mansion (one of my favorite rides) for fear that Lorien would total freak out. We did get to the front of the line for Space Mountain, but the ride broke down minutes prior to us riding it.... Ahhh Splash Mountain was also one of Lorien's favorite rides... I thought it would freak her out, I was wrong. The parades were GREAT and we all enjoyed them.
The next day we went back and did California Adventure. The park was beautiful and had a great atmosphere. We did a few ride which were ok. We all really enjoyed "Soar'in over California" a motion simulator that lifted our seat into the air infront of a GIANT screen and then gave us the illusion we were flying over various areas in California. It was REALLY COOL! We then headed back to Disneyland and did a few rides we missed the day before. We once again stayed until about 10pm... Lorien was exausted! New Picture will be up VERY soon - I have about 20 of them I'm editing for upload on the site right now.

10-25-2005 : SITE FIXES/CHANGES

I made a few adjustments tonight to fix problems that have cropped up.

1) I created a NEW message board/forum as I discovered that my OLD one got deleted in a freak mishap by the company that was hosting it.
2) I have added some BAND Alumni pictures within one of the POSTS in the forum - now you have a reason to check it out!
3) I've of COURSE added some new pictures of the kids.
4) I've attempted to update you on my life.

My future adjustments should include a REVISED "Links Section", MORE pictures of the family, updates on the Aquarium and some NEW pictures of it, a few other other little surprises. Now I just have to find time to do it all!

10-25-2005 : The Saga continues!

Hmmm it's October already?? Well actually it's closer to November - ARG! Time flies when you are having fun. Since my last update, much has happened. Lorien celebrated the big 0-3 at Chucky Cheese's. She grows more each day and her vocabulary is almost scary. It's not unheard of for her to correctly use words like "celebrated" or "ingrediants" correctly in a sentence. Heck...I've even got her saying "help me ObiWan Kanobi" (that one just cracks me up!).
Zane (or Zaner as I often call him) is now 7 months old. He pulls himself up and stands. Sometimes he inches along furniture. He can often be heard saying"mmaaaa maaaaa mmaaaaa" "daaaaaa daaaaa daaaaa" and "baaaa baaaa baaa". He crawls like a pro, and his latest new found ability involves him attempting to CRAWL over most any obstacle that gets in his path. His two front (bottom) teeth came in a few months back. Lorien LOVES Zane... and Zane LOVES Lorien. Zaner just lights up when he sees Lorien first thing in the morning. Zane almost always is happy when we have to wake him up in the morning. Lorien on the other hand is almost always in a foul mood when we attempt to wake her up in the morning.
Life on my days off are always interesting. On days that I am home alone with the kids, my world almost totally ceases to exist. That day is dedicated to them. At first, it seemed that they were conspiring against me. Trying my nerves and attempting to drive me to the brink of sanity. They would "tag-team" eachother. Zane would cry for something and I would take care of him, then Lorien would start in. I must admit, it has gotten MUCH better in the last month. Lorien grows more independent, and Zaner is just plain growing.
I spent the latter part of September and almost all of October with a hacking cough. About a week ago I finally caved and went to the Doctor. It appeared that I had a "touch of Bronchitis". I am glad to report that I believe I have finally gotten over it.
With all that said... here are some PICTURES

I have decided that being 31 and having a job that basically requires me to sit and be chained to a computer for 8 hours a day wasn't helping my health any. Don't get me wrong, I'm still chained to that computer, but I have decided to loose a few of the pounds I've packed on over the years. The city of Apache Junction recently opened a "Multi-Generational Center" (basically a senior center and a gym tied together). Their rates are quite reasonable and as of today I have a YEAR'S membership with them. I've been going twice a week for the past month and a half - spending 30 minutes on a lifecycle, speed walking about 1/2 a mile on the track (while reading a book usually), and then hitting the weights. I've already toned up a bit and I can tell I've shed a few pounds. If feels good to be MOVING again.

7-6-2005 : Time to Ramble

Hmmm last update was.... March 20th - I guess you can say I've been "somewhat" busy. Between Lorien and Zane and work, ARG! I love my children; staying home with them for 2 weeks is both a joyful experience and a vacation that seemed more exausting then restful. The last few months have been busy. I spent some time at home with the kids when Marcy had to return to work (for the last 2 weeks of school).
Zane (I call him Zaner most of the time) is growing up fast. He is wide eyed and smiles all the time. He LOVES attention and his big sister. Lorien helps out some with Zane, but really... how much can a "soon to be" 3 year old do??? Zane (unlike Lorien at his age) LOVES to be naked. He loves to take baths and he kicks and smiles like a mad-man when he is naked.
For the most part people say Zane looks like me. I must admit, when I compare baby pictures with him, he is my "mini-me"
So far we can't determine what color his eyes are going to be... possibly brown, possibly hazel... time will tell.
Other then "life" itself, I haven't had the opportunity to do much else. I did virtually complete a sprikler/drip system for the backyard. I say virtually as it still has a slight leak prior to the valves. At any rate, I have MORE pictures of the kids - Lorien, Zane, and Asa (my niece) They can be found HERE

3-20-2005 : Zane Pictures

Now that I'm home for the night.... I have posted a few pictures of Zane from the 19th and today. We have had many visitors.... Grandma Helen, Uncle John, Mom & Dad Ferrill, Brandon & Rachel, Seth, Rick, and Travis & Christina.
Sleeping on a "hospital cot" has much to be desired, but thus is the sacrafice of a few nights to see my new baby boy. At any rate... the NEW Pictures can be found HERE

3-19-2005 : Zane ARRIVES

Zane Joseph was born on 3-19-2005 at 7:22AM.
He weighed 7 lbs 9 1/2 oz
was 20 1/4" long
has lots of DARK hair and thus far has been a very very good baby.
I have included ONE picture (as I don't have time to post MORE at the moment).

here he is!!

1-17-2005 : 2005 the year of Zane

Once again I keep up my usual habit of updating every 30-60 days (what a slacker!).
Christmas has come and gone.... no casualties this year.
The New Year has begun and life is crazy as usual! Today was a BIG day. We FINALLY learned the Sex of our unborn baby. This would be ultrasound #3 and the first time the little bugger actually cooperated. Marcy talked me into getting a 3-D ultrasound, my mother, Grandma Helen, and Marcy's parents joined us at the Gedde's Clinic to have the ultrasound done. It was quite amazing to put a face to our unborn child; which by the way is a boy. Well, rather then discribing the pictures... here are a few...

3d Ultrasound Image of Zane's Face.

Zane's fist

3d Ultrasound Image of Zane's Hand.

11-28-2004 : Holidays, Memories & Dora

Well the last month has been interesting as usual. Lorien is growing up so fast. She can almost count to 20, she can identify virtually all letters in the alphebet, she knows her colors....
Lorien loves to play Hide and Seek (she's still not very good at hiding, but improving all the time!). She freely states that her favorite color is BLUE, and her favorite animal is a TIGER. Then of course she goes arround asking everybody else what their favorite color/animal is.
She is a massive DORA the Explorer fan. God help me if I have to watch another episode of that show! Since we are preparing for the new baby (due in late March), we have moved Lorien to what was the "spare" bedroom. She is now sleeping in MY old bed and she loves it. Since we have moved her into the other room with the bigger bed, she hasn't had any complaints about "the monster". My mother bought her DORA bed sheets.... god help me... and yesterday Marcy and I painted the LOWER half of her new room; striped a nice pastel pink and pastel yellow. It matches her DORA sheets... god help me....

We had the ultrasound a few weeks back. That darn baby of course didn't cooperate. We THINK it's going to be a boy (our gut instinct the whole time), but no CONCLUSIVE pictures were taken. The little bugger was sitting cross-legged! Marcy says she is carring "this one much lower this time" then with Lorien.
Thanksgiving was great, but not like that gatherings of old (when I was very young). This year, Marcy, Lorien and I joined Uncle John, Grandma Helen, Mom & Dad, Tom & Sally, and Mel & Ken (Marcy's parents) at Mom and Dad's place. I remember Thanksgivings 20 years ago when we had small armies of people crammed into Mom and Dad's place. All my brothers, Grandma Sophie, Gramps & Grandma Helen, Uncle John, Aunt Sophie and her Crew (Seth, Amy, Cassandra, Dale).... those were great times.
Now the family is separating into smaller clans (as we grow and get married and now have "other" families to consider). The family (which seemed balanced for 20 years), is keeping the balance... as new members enter (Asa & Lorien)...other members exit (Aunt Sophie, Grandma Sophie, and now Gramps).

I never understood how and why people get depressed at the holidays. This year I feel the loss of 3 loved ones that are no longer here to celebrate with me. This year I'm both happy & excited (for Lorien) and longing for Christmases of yesteryear when I was the center of attention (never even knowing it) being surrounded by those that truly meant the most to me.

We took Lorien to her FIRST movie. We didn't know exactly how she would doing sitting in a darkend theather. We chose the movie "The Polar Express". The critics really bombed this one, but I truly enjoyed it and for the rest of my life I will remember my little girl sitting there on a booster seat eating popcorn as her eyes were mesmerized by the movie. She absolutely LOVED it, and she was almost perfectly behaved the WHOLE time. I'm now totally stuck on a song from that movie, "When Christmas comes to Town". Lorien says that it's "the sad song"... to me it's a song of hope, family, and love; 3 things I have been dwelling on this holiday season.

The night before Thanksgiving, a few of us made a pilgrimage to Zoo Lights (last year was the first time Marcy and I went.. and we brought along Mom, Dad, Uncle John, Grandma Helen, Gramps, and Docie and her family) This year Mom & Dad, Uncle John, Grandma Helen, Brandon & Rachel and Ben & Sue (Rachel's parents) accompanied us. It was a great time and wonderful way to start the holiday season.

I try to remind myself eachday that my loved ones are always with me, and looking into Lorien's eyes I see so much hope, love, and potential.
Time is the great equalizer... and growing old is something that nobody truly looks forward to when they are in the prime of their lives.
We should all be so lucky to live LONG, FRUITFUL lives.... but when at last my time is over and I leave this reality for the next, I want to be able to look back and hopefully see the picure of someone that was loved by those that knew me and being a person that was able to do good and be a giver and not a taker.

As for now, I struggle with past memories and those who's voices I long to hear laughing jubilantly... and the golden glem in Lorien's eyes as each passing day she amazes me with her grasp of life and the world we live in.

I hope to have some new pictures up soon... but my digital camera (which is about 10 years old now) is starting to have some problems. I think Marcy and I are going to invest in a new one for the holiday.
Ohh one SIDE note... I forgot to mention last update.... I traded in the Old Isuzu Pickup and bought a new Kia Optima (I needed to get a car that could hold 2 kids). I do miss my little truck though. Everytime I think about doing a project around the house, I then being wondering how I'm going to get stuff from Home Depot to the house. I might have to pick up a used truck in the next few years.

10-25-2004 : A Quickie for all you FANS!

Life seems to have only a few constants - Death, Taxes, and being constantly occupied doing work you don't necessarily want to.
The last few months have been crazily busy for me (what else is new?!?!). Marcy is about 4 1/2 month pregnant at this point. We go infor a sonogram next week. Lorien is getting bigger and smarter each day. It's easy to have a conversation with her now, and she never ceases to amaze us with some of the things she says and does. Her favorite animal is a Tiger, her favorite color is Blue, and of course her favorite TV show is DORA the Explorer. Somedays I wonder if I can sit through another Dora episode without doing bodily harm to myself... but I muddle through it.
At age 2, Lorien is about 30 inches tall and weighes in at about 30 pounds - a real scrapper!

It's mid October so that means that temperatures in Arizona are finally cooling down and once again the collective IQ of Apache Junction and most of the East Valley is dropping by the minute as more and more "winter visitors" enter our great state.

I could dedicate an entire website to the SnowBird Incursion (as I like to call it), but instead I will offer up a few examples of how the intellect of this town is quickly dimishing.

Example - At work we have a recorded answering service (like most businesses do now-a-days). The very first thing the message says is, "Thank you for calling the Good Apple. Our hours are from 8AM to 8PM Monday thru Saturday, 11AM to 5PM on Sunday....." After the message our customers are given a few options, one of them being Customer Service. Here is where I get involved. When they press a button for Customer Service, my phone rings. I ALWAYS answer in the folling way, "This is Soren, how may I Assist you?"
Invarriably I will get ONE of TWO questions at this point.
Either the question will be, "Is this the Good Apple?" or "Is this (insert another Employee's Name Here)?"
Now I can understand the aging process to a certain degree... but I can't phathom how people can ask either of those questions, when BOTH were clearly answered less then 10 seconds prior to their asking of said stupid question. I usually just want to hit my head against my desk at this point in time....

I went through my College Graduation Ceremony in September... ironically the same day Tom had back surgery.
I have added a few pictures... one of Lorine, one of Asa, and one of Zevin.
They can be found HERE

8-17-2004 : Saying GoodBye

My grandfather, Joe Saggio, passed away on August 10th. It was a long journey spanning 85 years. I sit here with 30 years of memories of him that continually flow through my mind.
Sometimes the tears flow, and sometimes I'm just happy that I got to spend as much of my life with him as I did.
I do know that the additions of Lorien and Asa brought the ultamate joy to the last 2 years of his life.

The AJ News and the Mesa Tribune both put out nice big article on Gramps' passing. After all, he was the AJ "Watchdog" for years... always adhereing to his priciples even at his own personal expense.
In his last few weeks I recall many times that I looked into his eyes... his blue eyes which held so much emotion. He knew he was loved and he knew he would be missed, but his time had come and he knew that as too.

He has only been gone a week. The "viewing" was this evening and I find it strangly ironic that tonight a massive monsoon storm rolled through the valley dumping over an Inch of rain in Apache Junction in less then 25 minutes as well as hail and causing massive power outages in the Apache Junction area. Go get'em Gramps! Still fighting the good fight even in death!

A tribute to Gramps

Lorien & Asa May 04

The Apples of his eye.

6-16-2004 : Journey's End

Hmmmm once again it has been over 2 months since my last update.
As of tonight... June 16th, 2004 - I have finished my schooling at the University of Phoenix! I attended my last class, and I can now begin putting down that I have earned a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Information Technology (or a BSIT)! I'm thrilled in spite of the fact that I know I must begin repaying my student loan in December... and they are quite hefty.
June 16, 2004.... just over 12 years since I graduated high school I have finally completed ONE of my lifelong goals.

Aside from earning my degree, I have (as of today) finished reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy... a process which began right before Lorien was born (about 2 years ago!). The first book took almost a year and 8 months... the next two were read quite dilegently. Great books! It seems that I had forgotten (or didn't understand much) when I read them 16 years ago.

Andy Sinelli and his family moved back to Washington... I little as I got to see them, I will miss them.

Andy and Abbi (our old neighbors) had a BBQ a few weeks back... it was great fun spending a little time with them again.

At work, we did our biannual Inventory - always a FUN night. Neal (my good friend and store manager) is off with the National Guard for 2 weeks, then is taking a week long vacation. There is talk that his unit may soon be headed to Iraq. None of us are thrilled with his possible departure.

Miss Lorien is growing up quickly. She is very fun, and very cute. She is talking in sentences for the most part. She is hinging on her "terrible twos" as we hear her often say "NO" as she hits or pushes us away. To be quite honest, she is a JOY to have in our lives. Marcy has been working on potty-training her, and for the most part that is going very well. She has been sleeping in a toddler bed for a few months now, which is quite a change from her crib. She now has FULL dominion of her room. Lorien has always been a GREAT baby, she sleeps solidly through the nights, eats very well, is very talkative, loves to be arround people, and loves to perform. As a matter of fact, she is learning to sing "twinkle twinkle little star". Lorien is quite fond of popsicles, pizza, cheese, and yogurt. She jumps up and down, climbs the stairs, and loves to "dance".
She is quite spoiled visiting her grandparents and great grandparents. They each have their own "names" to her...
My mother is "Grandma"
My father is "Honey" (she picked this up from my mother calling him "Honey")
Marcy's mother is either "Grandma" or "Grammy"
Marcy's father is "Grampy"
My grandmother is "Grandma" or "Nana"
and my grandfather is "Pop-pop"

I have updated the Lorien picture section, just a FEW pics.. more to follow soon They can be found HERE

4-2-2004 : New content!

So much to do, so little time to update my own site. I'm only 3 classes away from finishing my degree. I'm am quite exited, and thrilled to scratch this goal off my list of lifetime accomplishments.
Lorien has been growing up sooooo fast. She is speaking in basic sentences now. We are working on words like "Please" and "Thank You", she is also picking up a few Spanish words here and there as well.. like "Por Favor", "Mas", and "Platinos" (als Please, More, and Bananas). She has full rule of the house now, but usually stays in the room where we are. She loves here Baby Einstein videos and refers to the Baby Neptune video as "Turtle". It is NOT uncommon to hear her chanting "Turtle ON... Turtle ON!" when she wishes to watch that particular video. Tonight we took her to Red Lobster... she has loved French Fries for almost a year now, but with the discover of Katsup, a whole new world has opened to her. Tonight she kept dunking her ONE french fry in the Ketsup and then ate the Ketsup. I decided she need to broaden her taste buds and offered her some Cocktail Sauce. She loved that too. After about 15 minutes, her hands and most of the table immediately in front of her had some from of red condiment on it. She had a great time and we about died laughing when she grabbed a piece of lemon off of Marcy's plate and gave us the craziest look as she tasted it.
I don't tend to get much freetime with work and school and homework. I am working on another website with a few of my friends, GameDays.com, it is a sight dedicated to video games and people that play them. Funny thing is, I think I spend MORE time on that site then I actually do playing video games now-a-days.
Once again, I have updated the Lorien picture section... there's even a picture or two, of Asa in there as well. They can be found HERE
Grandma and Gramps got a compture for Christmas... and to my surprise, they are picking up on it very fast. I'm quite proud of them.
Well... I think that's all I have for now. Hopefully my next update will be SOONER then this one was.

12-20-2003 : They call me the slacker....

Ohhhh I could give a million excuses as to WHY I haven't updated in 6 months... but I won't
I've added a handful of new Lorien/Asa picture. They can be found HERE
My aquarium section NEEDS to be updated. I have actually received a few emails from devote fans of my aquarium project and they are dieing to know whether or not my living room is flooded. Well, I've had the aquarium up and running since late July/early August. I've had a FEW problems, MOSTLY with the rubbermaid sumps. The tank construction and the acryllic sheet have held up GREAT! I HOPE to give new pictures and new links VERY VERY soon.
Work, School, and LORIEN have been keeping me busy. Lorien is getting big now. She almost 17 months old now and she is getting into everything! She climbs the stairs like a pro, she climbs onto chairs, tables, and pretty much anything her little legs can reach. Her vocabulary and intelligence never ceases to amaze me. We have been teaching her body parts... ala nose, head, hair, teeth, fingers, toes... she's got them all down now. She also has grasped animals and the "sounds" they make... like puppy, cow, rooster, duck, sheep, kitty cat, and more...
She is picking up new words daily.. I can point to something and say what it is and she will oftentimes repeat me. Then to my amazement, she will call that items by it's name 2 days later without having heard it again. We find her wandering about the house carrying pen once in awhile. She is very coordinated and can pull a pen lid off and put it back on. Lorien is a whirlwind of energy and barely sits at all. She races about the house talking and getting into trouble.

School is going very well... I WILL be finished in June (which is now less then 180 days!).

Christmas is approaching.... 5 more days! I THINK Marcy and I managed to get all our shopping done. Seems like my memory is fading and I can't seem to recall simple items. I'm HOPING this is just the effect of my crazed lifestyle as of late.
We are planning a big trip to "Zoo Lights" tomorrow night. Basically it's the zoo lit up with a gerbillion christmas lights. I believe most of the "local" family is going... mom, dad, Grandma, Gramps, Uncle John, even Docie and Doug and their crew are going with us. It SHOULD be a good time for all.
So far this Cold/Flu season has been kind to us.... Marcy has been healthy, I have a cold, and Miss Lorien has had a runny nose for weeks, but nothing serious.

And lastly I'm greatly looking forward to seeing "The Return of the King" on Monday with Marcy and Uncle John. This series has been incredible and this final flim with complete my 5 year wait to see all 3 films. I'm excited!

7-18-2003 : Updates for EVERYONE!

Ohhh sooo busy yet I manage to take time for my adoring fan club!
I have JUST added 4 new Lorien picture to the site. They can be found HERE
I have updated my aquarium section a FEW time in the last week... those updates can be found Aquarium stuff HERE!
Life is busy.. school, work, Lorien.. wow! Marcy is enjoying her time off from teaching, and I know Lorien is loving every minute with her Mommy. I spend what little free time I get with Lorien or working on that blasted aquarium (which SOMEDAY WILL be done! I swear!).
Lorien's birthday, that's right, the big OHHH ONE is the 24th, so we are planning on showing her with even more toys which will most likely NOT get played with, but WILL litter my living room floor. Hehe I love it!

6-22-2003 : Aquarium update

Well, Marcy and Lorien returned to me on June 17th. Lorien has changed so much! Lots of hair now, walking around like a Pro, and making alllll sorts of new sounds. I do intend to update my Lorien pictures... but I haven't taken any of her since she has returned to me, so that will have to wait.

I have however updated my aquarium site. Take a gander, I've added updates for the last 6 months and I just added about 6 pictures to it tonight. Well, it's off to bed for me. Only 11 PM and I'm totally exaused!

6-10-2003 : Ohh the Humanity!

Been sorting "Lorien" Pictures again. I've posted a NEW page with some of her highlighted pictures. They can be found HERE

Marcy and Lorien went up to Oregon on May 30th to visit Marcy's Grandparents. The are suppose to come back in 3 weeks.... it's been about 10 days and I miss them both tremendously. On the flip side of that statement, I can honestly say that I have been working like a "mad-man" on my aquarium. I have many pictures ready to go up.... but I'm 1/2 asleep, so that set of pictures will have to wait until tomorrow.

University of Phoenix always keeps me busy. I have exactly ONE YEAR to go and I will have a Bachelors of Science in Information Technology. I'm quite excited!

I've been frequenting websites such as www.ableshopper.com looking for deals on computer related equipment. Yesterday I ordered 256MB DDR Ram, a 50 pack of blank CD-RW disks, a new CD-RW drive and a scanner. AFTER I get my money back for all the rebates involved, the total transaction will have cost me $45. NOT TOO SHABBY!

The Video Game site I help out on www.gamedays.com is steadily growing and is also becoming one of my favorite spots on the internet to "hang out". Lots of info on allllll sorts of video gaming, as well as a wonderful community of people that are friendly and like to chat about various things. Its a wonderful mix of people, we have a large member base here in Arizona and an equal to (or greater then) member base in England, as well as members thoughout the US and even a few in Austrailia.

Well it is quite late and I DO have to work in the moring! So hasta until next time!!

5-14-2003 : Pictures Up!

Ok, I looked though about 70 digital pictures and have picked a handful out and placed them on a new "Lorien" page. They can be found HERE

Life with little Lorien has been quite exciting lately. On May 3rd she took her first steps independent of the couch. Then she refused to walk for a week. Then on May 10th she decided to walk more. She is an incredibly STRONG willed child, just like her mommy. I KNOW Marcy is going to have LOTS of fun with her in a few years, I'm more of a dipolmat.

So what is Lorien "saying" now-a-days??
The Cat is... "kee ka"
The Dogs and most Winnie the Poo pics/toys are... "pup pup"
I'm of course... "da da"
Marcy is... "ma ma"
She also rambles on with "la la la" - "na na na" - and the ever popular "pa pa pa"

May 4th was a fun day. We were celebrating my "mommy's" birthday and the WHOLE family prettymuch managed to get together. It was great seeing all 3 of my brothers and Asa again. Lorien is still HIGHLY excited by children.

The aquarium project is also making some progress, I will update those page ASAP. Sorry all you aquarium fanatics, you will have to wait a little bit longer for an update!

I promise MORE pictures are on the WAY! I have many to go though and reformat for this website. My life is excessively busy, I must do it when I find a few spare moments.

4-28-2003 : Anniversary and Lorien Update

Well, yesterday, April 27th was our wedding anniversary. We have now been married for 7 years! We had some friends watch Lorien and we went out to the movies (first time in about 6 months!) and saw, "Holes". I was pleasently surprised how good it was. Of course this is coming from a guy who now spend most of his TV time watching such great hits as, "Sesame Street", "Blue's Clues", and "Dragon Tales".

Then we went out to Red Lobster for dinner. We got in quickly (bye bye snowbirds!), but we weren't thrilled with the service we were seated within 10 minutes. Then we waited another 10-15 minutes before our bozo server took our order. He also didn't check on us as often as I like, ya see, I really take advantage of the "free refills". Aside from that the meal was good.

Today Lorien went in for her 9 month check up. (Drum Roll please.......)
She now weighs.... 20 Pounds 7 ounces
and she is now.....29 1/3" tall
That little rascal is standing up on her own now and is within weeks of walking by my calculations.
She is cute as can be (new pictures coming soon!), and she is really fun to be around (when she isn't cranky).

Well, that's it for now.... I will post new info and pics VERY soon!!!!

4-1-2003 : Wow, I'm an UPDATING FOOL!

I have been searching my ARCHIVES and have been finding some GREAT old photos. I just updated my on personal section with a few new, errr OLD pictures. Check them out HERE

3-31-2003 : Happy Birthday ASA!

Today is Asa's first birthday. Congrats!

On a side note... as I'm rereading SOME of my update that I did last night, I am very quickly realizing that I should NOT update in the weee hours of the night. I'm finding horrendous spelling errors. I guess when I'm half asleep, I'm also have illeterate. ARG, how embarrassing.

Today is my day off... and my usual day to watch Lorien. Marcy took her to school this morning to show off. So I'm sitting here alone in the house, and it's oddly quite. As much as I long for some free time, I miss my little munchkin when she isn't around.

3-30-2003 : New content! Yay!

Well to start off let me apologize for NOT updating in almost 2 months.

Lorien is now 8 months old and is quite exciting to be around these days. She can crawl like a little lightning bolt, she sits up on her on now, she pulls herself up and STANDS while holding nearby furniture, and to top everything else, she is "talking."
Most of her talking consists of "ma ma ma ma ma", "da da da da", and "ba ba ba ba" Although she does occasionally make all sorts of "other"sounds. She is smiling and giggling and VERY responsive to interaction with us. We are feeding her ALL sorts of stuff now-a-days. Aside from her usual bottles, she alsooo has eaten squash, green beans, peas, sweet potatoes, apple sauce, vegetable chicken, vegetable beef, and many other babyfoods. We had to upgrade her "carrier" to a car seat a few weeks back. Her little legs were beginning to hang over the carrier edge. She has gotten so big and so mobile that we now find ourselves making a baracade in the living room to keep her confined to ONE area. Furniture and boxes along with some of her BIGGER stuffed animals make the perfect walls.

Lorien has taken a liking to Sesame Street, she is a huge GROVER fan. She also likes to watch Blue's Clues and Tiny Planet. She adores MUSIC and responds by smiling, giggling, or "bouncing." "Bouncing" is a movement she makes by bending her knees while stanging (either holding on to furniture or while standing in her little "saucer", and basically flailing her body up and down. It is really quite amusing.
Lorien still LOVES the cat, and the cat is becoming a little be more accepting of her, although I have seen the cat take a few swipes at Lorien.

We paid a visit to Rick and Jenna's in February so Lorien could play with Asa. Check out the link to the NEW pictures to see these two cutties! Asa's birthday is tomarrow! March 31st, 2003 Asa will hit the big 0-1.

Zevin (Seth and Misty-Dawns) son had his first birthday in early March. We had a family gathering at Seth's place to celebrate it.

Any way, without further ado... here are the new Lorien Pictures!

I have also added a few new ASA Pictures and a new Brenden Picture can be found here Baby Pics

And LASTLY, I have added a new Opal picture here.. PETS

2-6-2003 : Once again I have returned!

First of all.. new pic can be found on these two pages:

Lorien in Nov-Jan

Holiday pics of lots of family

I know, I know... no updates in over 2 months! What can I say, life has been extremely hectic.
The upkeep of this website is incredible... and really when I think about it, this isn't really ONE website, I'm really working on 3 websites all based at dudeiknow.com.
The AJ Alumni site --- My Family Site -- and my Aquarium Site.

It's a huge undertaking somedays, especially when you figure that I'm working, going to school, attempting to complete that mamoth aquarium, taking care of the household chores, and of course attempting to spend as much free time with Marcy and Lorien as I can. Life has changed since Lorien was born. I think I've only seen 4 movies in over 6 months now.
For me that's is practically nothing.
Sleep is always questionable. From talking to everyone else I know who has had a baby in the last 2 years, I have come to the conclusion that Lorien is one of the worlds BEST sleeping babies! She sleeps for hours upon hours without waking up most nights. That is until recently. She just started cutting a tooth in the last week. To say this last week as been ROUGH would be an understatement!
She had her 6 month doctor's appointment on January 27th. At that time she weighed: 16 Pounds 8 and 1/2 ounces. He heigth is still up there for a baby her age... 28 1/2 inches tall. Doc says that's still in the 96th percentile!
About mid January Lorien finally figured out how to crawl. So she is basically everywhere now-a-days. The poor cat is NOT thrilled about this new found ability of Lorien's. Lorien absolutely LOVES the cat and the dogs... the cat however feels a little differently about Lorien. It's more of a... "you stay about 5 feet away from me, and I'll just lay here" kind of relationship.
About a week after Lorien figured out how to crawl, she began pulling herself upright and standing. We anticipate her to be walking by the end of March... but we won't be disappointed if she takes longer....

Termites in the Garage have been erraticated. I talked to the "termite - guy" and he told me prior to 1983, they used to use a pesticide that would keep termites away for 50-70 years! The EPA banned that... I guess it was working TOO good. Now the BEST stuff they have will ONLY last UP TO 5 years. Thus I better plan to maintain a termite contract while I live in this house.... ARG!

Ohhhh can't believe I almost forgot... on Christmas day, Marcy broke her arm! (hehehe another reason why I didn't have time to update this site!). At her parents house, we where unwrapping gifts on Christmas day. I decided that my old knees were getting a little stiff, so I out stretched my left leg. Marcy was running back and forth to the tree grabbing gifts. She apparently didn't see my leg sticking out like a giant LOG. She went flying over it and almost took out the tree as she landed. This was about NOON. At about 5PM we decided we needed to go to the emergency room. We were prepared to wait the rest of our lives in the ER before getting helped. We lucked out! We chose a hospital a little further out and after we were admitted, Marcy was called back within 10 minutes. Long story short... she broke her Radial Head (bone in the forearm right next to the elbow). This kind of break is NOT put in a cast. OHHH JOY! Basically I became the "baby handler" for about 4 weeks until her arm healed up enough to pick her up.

The aquarium -
Well, I have found sometime to work on it. I have some new pics I need to put on the site and I need to update the aquarium page. That' won't happen tonight though... I'm falling asleep typeing this....

AJHS Reunion stuff -
I MOST definately need to work more on this site. I have TONS of picture to upload yet. I'm pretty sure that this site is going to break off into it's own new domain name. I'm very quickly running out of SPACE. Having a TRUE second site will free up more space for picture on both sites.

Well, I'm off to bed.... I hope to update MORE this weekend.

Soren

11-27-2002 : So what's REALLY going on?!??!

ohhhh where to begin....
The 10 year high school reunion went great! Jason and I are working to get some picture of it up ASAP. I expect them to hit the reunion website in the next week.

Life has been very busy. University of Phoenix has been piling on the work recently, and the "snowbirds" have returned to Arizona making life even MORE hectic.

Little Lorien has been VERY cute and is growing at an alarming rate. I have a FEW new pictures of her here. Tomarrow she goes in for her 4 month doctor's appointment (I'm sure she isn't looking forward to it!).

The Aquarium Project is going slow but steady. It's difficult to find the time to do homework, yet alone continue building this behemoth, but I manage to. I've added a FEW new pics here.

Lorien had her 4 month doctor's appointment last week. She now measures 25 3/4 inches long and weighs a cool 13 Lbs 13 1/2 ounces.

The AJHS reunion website has a NEW addition of 80+ pictures from the 10 year reunion.

I have been receiving email from my Uncle Joe and Aunt Tina in Floria. With all the picture they have been sending me, I'm considering opening a WHOLE new family "wing" of dudeiknow.com

Much to my sorrow, I have discovered TERMITES in my garage. From what I understand, they are quite common here in Arizona. I'm not exceptionally worried about the problem, I have only been in the house for 2 years now and I have a 5 year contract for termites. My BIG concern right now is clearing out all the garbage I have in my garage to make ROOM for the pest control guys to RESPRAY. Arg.....

10-05-2002 : Updates

I updated the Aquarium Project page.

A few new Lorien pictures are up, they can be found here

Lastly I added a new Zevin and Seth picture to the site. It can be found here on the baby pictures page.

9-29-2002 : MORE PICS!!

In my standard fashion, I have added new Lorien pictures, they can be found here! This is a continuation of the THIRD webpage of pictures of her.

I took Lorien for her 2 month check up on 9-25-2002. As of that date, she weighs 11 pounds 3 ounces and is 24 inches long. That was also a FUN visit as she received 4 separate shots. She ran a slight fever for the next 24 hours, and seemed to sleep like there was no tomarrow. Today she appears in MUCH better shape.

As far as personality goes, she seems be more exciting to be around everyday. She is starting to do MORE then just eat, sleep, and make deposits in her diaper. Lorien is smiling quite often now, and she is just beginning to give us some gerbled verbal sounds (other then when she is crying!). She is SO much bigger then she was 2 months ago!

University of Phoenix is keeping me quite busy. I'm now in my 3rd class and this one is loaded with work. I can hardly wait for all this schooling to be done and overwith!

I'm currently in the middle of my 2 weeks "vacation" with Lorien. Marcy started back to work last Monday. I decided that I wanted to have some "bonding time" with the Munchkin. I also had my heart set on working on a few of my projects that I always seem to neglect.... heheh yea right. I've hardly had a spare moment to do anything other then devote time to Miss Lorien! I don't know HOW anybody could have MORE then 1 kid and remain sain enough to continue living.

9-11-2002 : MORE PICS!!

I added some new Lorien pictures that can be found here! This is now my THIRD webpage dedicated to the little Munchkin! Only 3 pictures up there currently, but I'm in one of them... so it makes it worth the mouse click!

9-4-2002 : Updates

NEW Lorien pictures posted tonight. They can be found here!

Been very very busy lately. The 10 year reunion is looking up again. I'm starting to get checks in the mail or verbal confirmation that checks WILL be in the mail very soon.

Docie, Doug, Chayenne, and Dakota are staying with us now. It's only been 2 days so far, and things are going great. I haven't eaten 2 homecooked meals (in my own home) in ages. Opal and Solo are also getting some MUCH needed attention (provided by Chey and Kody).

On Labor Day we went to a BBQ/Pool Party. Marcy took Lorien in the water and MUCH to MY surprise, she seemed to like it! It was surprising in that everytime we give Lorien a bath she screams like a banshe.

Between work and school, somedays I wonder how I manage to get home to eat and see Marcy and Lorien. Life has been especially busy for me the last week. That compounded by this nasty cold I somehow managed to attain has made life quite interesting lately.

8-20-2002 : Updates

I added a slew of new Lorien pictures that can be found here!

I updated the Pet picture section with a new shot of Opal. They are here!

Life has been quite busy for me lately. I'm back at the University of Phoenix and I'm working 40+ hours a week, as well as doing my best to get my 10 year high school reunion planed. I do look forward to every eveing when I can come home and see little Lorien's beautiful eyes and heart melting smile. It is quite late and I STILL have more to do for my class. Keep checking back, I will update again soon!

7-27-2002 : Updates

I discovered that the "Baby Pictures" section wasn't linked. Whoops! I added some NEW pictures of Zevin and Asa they are here!

I also updated the Pet picture section with a few new shots of Opal and Solo they are here!

Last night was somewhat rough. Little Lorien decided to cry all night long. So basically Marcy and I had to deal with her in shifts. Did this baby come with a "Warrenty?" You know 60-90 days??
Just Kidding! She is so adorable, we plan to love her at least until she is a teenager (heheh).

7-26-2002 : More Lorien Pictures Available!

You asked for them, you got them... MORE Lorien pictures!

We left the hospital today and got home at about 2PMish. We introduced Lorien to Opal and Solo. Opal took an immediate liking to her. Solo still doesn't realize that she exists (what do you expect for ONE Brain Cell?!?!)
It feels GREAT to be home and even better to have little Lorien with us.

7-24-2002 : Lorien Arrives!

Ok this has GOT to be quick as I need to get BACK to the hospital.

Time of Birth : 7:40pm, 7-24-2002
Weight : 7 lbs. 4 oz.
Length : 20 inches.

She is a happy, healthy baby! Marcy is doing just fine. Labor was literally all day yesterday, from 8 am - 7:40 pm. Delivery was astoundingly quick... only 15-20 minutes! I WILL get MORE pictures up in the next day or so (assuming I'm at home to do it!).

Lorien

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