Back Issues #1

As some of you know, I have been dealing with some issues with my back. Since I am spending a very large part of my day laying on the floor, the couch, or in my chair, I thought that blogging my be a bit therapeutic for me. I'm starting to have some pretty major cabin fever. I thought I could post the updates I did on facebook and then continue updating people via the blog.

Here is a brief history of my back. About 5 years ago I actually went through a very simular situation. It was pretty bad but fortunately the PT helped and within a couple months I was back on my feet and things were fine. Actually the MRI I saw just recently showed the scarring/and calcium build up from that old injury. I didn't know before but it was in the same disk L5/S1.

So with that being said we jump to a couple months ago. Michele and I did a couples yoga workshop February 18th and due to some of the cool acrobatic moves we were doing it caused some pretty strong pressure on that L5/S1 area and I think this may have been the beginning of the end. With that being said, in February/March when I would work out, my tailbone area would be a bit irratated. Nothing major, just a little sore. Through out April it continued to progress and I started to walk a bit funny. May was a rough month. I started having issues sitting and the pressure of sitting would set off my right leg but I continued to work and eventually had to go to the Dr. They recomended physical theripy again so I started going and at first it was working a little and keeping the pain controlled but I couldn't seem to catch a break. Something would set it off and I would be back at square one again. I should have shut down all activities looking back. It would have gotten better but I was caught in the moment and thought I NEEDED to get that lawn mowed, I NEEDED to pick that up so we could get this done. I felt that if I couldn't get things done around the house I wasn't living up to my end of the bargen. Now I regret that because I'm not living up to any of my bargins. I know if I would have layed low for a couple weeks I would be walking around and probably not in the situation I'm in now. I can't change the past but I sure am learning from it. So that is the history. As I move forward I will post more and we will get through this.

That's it for now. Talk to you soon.

Books

Sean... my other brother

About 7 years ago I asked my future in-laws if I could have their daughter's hand in marriage. I however never asked her brother. Most people would probably think that I shouldn't have to worry about this and I honestly never really thought about it. He recently found out that I asked his little twin sisters if they were cool with it that same day I asked his parents (they were living with their parents at the time) and I never brought this subject up with him....and he has made sure that I know that he knows. He does it jokingly but I need to be honest and say that I truly regret now that I didn't include him in this important day. I know it would have meant a lot to him and I'm sorry. You see, Sean is someone I look up to and respect and his opinion matters a lot to me. He is a person that is genuine, caring, and is one of the best examples of integrity I could think of. As an official apology I have created a video montage for my brother. I hope that he will find a place in his heart to forgive me for not including him in a very important day;)

Sean... This one's for you.


On another note, recently we found out that Steph and Sean are going to have a little girl in a few months. Being a father of two girls, I feel like I have some things to share.
Sean,
There are a couple things you should know since you are having a girl. Fatherhood is amazing, it's hard and amazing all in one. Sometimes it's like a really awesome horse kick to the gut but it's great. You will understand this when it's 4am and you are feeding your little girl and it hurts to be awake. I'm sure you have already heard it but cherish it and enjoy it. I would give anything to hold Ave and Lil as tiny little babies one more time. Every dad said it goes too soon and I was like "whatever" but buddy... It goes too soon. Also, some day she is going to tell you that she wants to marry you or some variation of an almost crazy obsessive love and affection towards you (refer to an older post I did called "Avery... My Baby Girl").  Don't be weirded out by this, it's a common phase littles go through and just get all the attention you can from her.  I work with middle school girls every day and most of them act like their dad is the devil (I keep telling myself Avery and Lil won't be like those kids but I'm still a little worried). My friend Dave said something very poignant to me a while back. He said "I'm going to push her (his oldest daughter) on the swing every time she asks because I know someday sooner than I think, she isn't going to ask anymore." Since that day, I try very hard to make sure that when the girls ask me to play (even Barbie, Tea party, or dress up), I play with them even when there is other work to be done... It can wait, the girls won't, they keep growing up. Lastly, recently I taught myself how to braid Avery's hair. Be a man, and learn how to do this, it does something to you when you accomplish this feat... I can't explain it, it just does something. Sean, you are going to be an amazing father, I know it. I'm here if you ever have a question. All the best to you my brother and friend.

P.S.  Happy Birthday!

Manly Task #14 (part 2)

We put the finishing touches on the bunk bed and set it up.  Avery (and Lil) were very excited when they came home from a weekend at Grandmas.  It looks great and is very solid.  It took some finagling to get it set up though.  The posts that hold the inner part of the top bunk were about 1/2 and inch too short so I turned them around and re-drilled the holes so the bed would sit level.  It is nice and level and I have no doubt it is safe.  Bunk bed project.... done!

Manly Task #44

About a month ago Lillian was standing on one of the kitchen chairs and leaned back on it and it tipped over.  A scary moment but she was fine, it just frightened her but the chair must have hit just the right way and one of the main arms of the chairback cracked in half.  This wood is hard, heavy, thick wood so I was pretty shocked that it broke.  It actually cracked along a grain line so the crack at least made sense how it broke but it was still surprising.  My mother-in-law brought me over some gorilla glue and I took a shot at glueing it back together.  There was also a little chunk of wood that broke off when it cracked.  I held onto it and hoped I could work that back onto the chair again also.  So I cleaned the area, glued it, and clamped it and let it sit for 2 days.  After that I removed the clamps and lightly sanded any rough areas and touched up the wood with a wood stain marker.  It's not perfect but it is repaired and seems sturdy.

Time:  2 Days of drying, 15 minutes of gluing/clamping/sanding
Difficulty:  Easy/Medium
Cost:  A bottle of Gorilla Glue (thanks Debbie!)

Here is the link to "Bookie's Manly Tasks to do... Eventually - The List" if you are curious about other to-do adventures I have done or have in plan.

Manly Task #43

Today I finished a project that has actually been a long time coming. I will also say that it has actually been four repairs over a span of two and a half years. We purchased this really great looking kids play kitchen for Avery on her 3rd birthday and unfortunately, it didn't stand the kid test. Our little structural engineer (also known as Cal) gave the kitchen a run for it's money when it first was purchased and due to this, it's first three of four breakdowns happened. The corners of the doors just would not hold up. The wood was cheep and just wasn't meant for boisterous playing. So the microwave door broke off as well as the cupboard door under the sink. Same exact type of breaks right at where the hinge attaches to the kitchen. The microwave door was repaired right away and soon after the cupboard broke and was repaired a week later. The microwave ended up breaking again on the opposite end and it was left off the play-set for about a year and a half. The cupboard door held up pretty good. Well, finally over the last two weeks I found the missing part for the microwave door and repaired it. I took the corner and gorilla glued the piece back onto the main board. Clamped it for 24 hours and then re-drilled the hinge mounts and placed a nut and bolt on the hinge instead of screws. I was very excited to have the full kitchen back again and then literally that night the sink cupboard door completely broke off while Lillian was playing with it. I knew there was no repairing it this time. At first I admitted defeat and after some prodding/peptalk from Michele decided that I was going to build a new door for the kitchen. I went to Home Depot and found a nice piece of MDF that would be perfect. I stripped down the broken door and kept all the hardware. I then cut the MDF to size and painted it (3 coats, 1 primer and 2 of some leftover paint we had from Avery and Lil's bedroom). Today after the final coat dried I drilled all the holes and remounted the new door. The color works out great with the kitchen and I think this door will hold up a bit better. Hopefully the kitchen overall will holdup for much longer.

Time: 2 days for the cupboard door, 20 minutes for the microwave door (2 years if you count since when it actually broke)

Difficulty: Medium (Woodworking involved)

Cost: MDF - $6.99, Paint (free - leftovers from other projects)

Here is the link to "Bookie's Manly Tasks to do... Eventually - The List" if you are curious about other to-do adventures I have done or have in plan.

Manly Task #30

My plan down in the basement was to build a really great entertainment area as part of the main wall.  I built a custom cabinet that sits behind the wall. so the A/V unites are actually sitting inside the wall instead of on a shelving unit taking up room on the floor.  Once it's completed it's going to be really great.  The spot where the shelving unit meets the drywall had a pretty large gap which i figured would happen.  I patched the gap and sanded it when the basement was finished but it never painted the area.  The twins moved in downstairs and it sat for 2 1/2 years.  I finally painted it this past week and it looks great.  I had to create a line between the black shelf and the green wall and wanted it to look like the shelving was perfectly in line with the wall.  I used masking tape and tape measure to make sure it was straight.  It turned out really nice.  I can't wait to get some major electronics in this room.

Time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Nothing (touchup paint is extra from big projects)

Here is the link to "Bookie's Manly Tasks to do... Eventually - The List" if you are curious about other to-do adventures I have done or have in plan.

Manly Task #14

Last weekend M and I did a large overhaul of Avery and Lillian's bedroom. We are moving towards a transition of Lillian into her own room but the first phase was getting her out of her crib. We transferred Lillian to her big girl bed (Avery's old bed) and built the bottom part of the bunk for Avery which is a full sized bed.  The bunk bed was purchased several months ago on Craig's list at a really good deal but I knew it was going to need some screw tightening and refinishing to get it up to daddy standards for my little girl. We rearranged the bedroom and did a huge cleanup of toys and stuff. I really like the new room setup and the girls are really excited. Eventually I will build the top bunk and set it up but we are currently waiting on some parts to be mailed from the manufacturer. Maybe in a week or so (pictures to come as soon as it is built).

Difficulty: Easy/Medium (Bed building/repair, wall paint/hole touch up)
Cost: $100 for the bunk bed and $36 in parts.
Time: 6 to 8 hours.

Here is the link to "Bookie's Manly Tasks to do... Eventually - The List" if you are curious about other to-do adventures I have done or have in plan.