More Cabinet Pictures

I've cut two solid oak pieces for the top and 1/4 oak plywood for the front. I've also started working on the box which will hold all the equipment

First Oak Cabinet Picture

So far I've built the base of our corner oak tv stand. I'm debating whether to add built in speakers into the two squares on the left and right.

Home Today

I'm home today with Braden. He was up much of the night with a high fever and labored breathing. Ibuprofen and Albuterol helps him immensely. Hopefully he'll feel better soon.

If you are a fan of the NFL, watch this story from 60 minutes about the place that produces the highest percentage of NFL players for its population size...
Football Island

Braden Sick

Braden has come down with a fever tonight and is pretty congested. He seems to be breathing fast so that always worries us. He hasn't had any issues with his breathing for over a year even though he has experienced numerous colds. Hopefully he'll feel better in the next day or two, but in the meantime please say a prayer for him.
Kathleen wants me to build a corner oak cabinet for our tv. I built the frame this weekend but am at a standstill, partly because I am tired and my back hurts and partly because I am not sure how to proceed without some more equipment. I'll post some pictures as I go along so the world can see just how bad a woodworker I really am!
Looks like we'll be heading up to Wisconsin in Feb to see Kathleen's parents. Hopefully they'll still be snow on the ground so the kids can sled!

Tax Time!

Yes it's that time of the year. I've begin to gather all my tax documents so I can begin working on my tax return. I've been doing taxes myself for the last 10 years using TaxCut. I highly recommend doing your own taxes. It's easy and cheap at only 35-45 dollars. Much cheaper than an accountant. Unfortunately I don't think we'll be receiving a refund this year. Looks like the health care reform bill may not pass now that the GOP has defeated the Democrats in Massachusetts. The particulary would make a difference for me since the bill unfairly taxes federal employee's insurance plans. Since I work for the government it would hurt me financially if the bill passes. While I'm not totally against government run health care for these who can't afford it, I don't believe the current bill is good enough for the American public. Well the wife beckons so good night!

Bad News

I found out some bad news today - the place that I was planning on having surgery is not in my insurance plan so I will not be able to get surgery (at least the type that I want). Unfortunately the doctor is one of only a handful in the U.S. that has the ability to perform arthroscopic microdiscetomies. My only other alternative is open back surgery but there is no way I am going to do that. I know several people who have had open back and said it was not fun and didn't work correctly... Guess I will have to suck it up until 2011 when I can switch to another insurance company that covers the facility. I'll be taking it easy this year - no sports, no running, no anything. At least right now the pain is a 1 on a scale of 10 and it's tolerable but anything can set it off.
Kathleen is working today and the kids and I have a holiday today, so I took them to play glow in the dark mini-golf and they had a lot of fun. Braden really enjoyed it and even got a hole in one. I miss Kathleen when she is away at work and I am off. I can honestly say I never get tired of being around her. We love our time together and when we are apart, miss each other greatly. I'm proud to say that even after 15 years of marriage, we still have passion for each other like when we we're dating. It's not hard to love someone who can be such a great mother and wife at the same time.

Sick Family

Kathleen spent most of the day complaining of a "twisted colon", attributing it to doing crunches after running on the ellipitcal. It was bad enough that she wasn't going to eat with the rest of the family but felt better after taking a shower so we went out for dinner at Chili's. Right when they delivered the food to us Braden vomited all over the table, chair and me! So Kathleen took him out to the car and let the kids and I finish our meal. I guess that's the real reason Kathleen's stomach hurt, and come to think of it, my stomach hurt Thursday. I thought it was just upset from a crushing headache I had all day, but I guess I had it too. Bottom line is Braden vomited once more in the middle of the night and no one else has. Everyone has recovered and is fine today! So now we are having my family over today to celebrate our birthdays. I, my mom and my sister's husband all have birthdays in January so we just celebrate them all at the same time. I'll be 39 on Tuesday. I'm relieved I still have a year left in my 30's. It's depressing knowing that I'm on the wrong side of my youth so I have made a commitment to be in the best shape of my life by the time I am 40. I actually made this commitment this time last year but the herniated disc has delayed my plan. Still thinking about surgery and probably will do it so I can do the things I enjoy like basketball, softball and weightlifting. Please pray for me that things turn out positive. At the very least I want to be involved in coaching my kids teams and being active into my old age. I'm not the type that will ever be sendentary. If I am healthy, I still plan on playing sports for as long as I can - hopefully into my 60's!
Karly scored 6 pts today in her basketball game. She is a pretty good basketball player and I am looking forward to when she can play for her school next year. See ya!