Happy Veterans Day. Thank you to all that have served.
Tag: American Holidays
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Happy Fourth of July – 2011
Happy Fourth of July!!
The Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays. Some of my favorite things include fireworks, picnics, hangout with family and friends, and enjoying being outside playing games, riding my bike, or reading a book. This year I took the family to Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster, Pennsylvania a few days ago. We had a great time with all the rides, shows, and water park. We left the park to have a picnic lunch before returning to enjoy the park some more.
I am planning on grilling ribs, hotdogs and corn on the cob for dinner. Tonight I will line the sidewalk with sparklers to have a little fun for the kids. I’m sure the kids will have have fun writing thing in the air with sparklers too. We will watch the fireworks from the front yard since there is a park near by, and maybe have some of the fudge we picked up a Dutch Wonderland with iced tea or lemonade.
Merry Christmas everyone! And for those who do not celebrate Christmas, Season’s Greetings and Happy Holidays!
As I write this,I am watching my son play with his Stealth Flyer II Micro wireless helicopter and my daughter playing with the Leapster Explorer. The kids had a great Christmas. They got up about 6:30 AM, which is not too bad. I remember getting up at 5:00 AM and trying to get my parents out of bed to open gifts Santa Claus brought. One disappointment was the Leapster game we bought, no game cartridge was inside. Not to happy with the LeapFrog company right now. I wonder how my return experience at Best Buy will be?
I also have been using using Skype video to talk with my in-laws. For some reason I had the wrong sound card set for Ubuntu which cause the internal mic not to work. No problems, I rebooted into Windows 7 and ran Skype for our call. After the call, I rebooted back into Ubuntu and researched the problem. That’s when I found out I had the wrong profile. I switched to Analog Stereo Duplex enabled me to select the internal mic. I tested using the Droid with my account and Ubuntu with my wife’s account. Audio and texting worked, now I’m ready for my next call.
Tonight we’ll have spiral cut ham, scalloped potatoes, and green beans for dinner. Maybe we’ll drive around the neighborhood to see all the lights one the houses, watch some movies, and play some more games. Either way I am enjoying my days off with the family.
UPDATE:
On December 26th I waited in line at Best Buy to return the LeapFrog game and explain the situation. After listening to the manager tell me he will do me the favor since I bought the game at another Best Buy store, he exchanged it for me. He made it seem like it was a huge inconvenience. Now my daughter can enjoy the Leapster Explorer.
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Happy Thanksgiving 2010
This year we are having some family over to visit and celebrate Thanksgiving. Like everyone, we will have turkey, mashed potatoes, rolls, stuffing, green beans, peas, carrots, corn on the cob for the kids, and all the trimmings. There will be pies, cakes, and ice-cream cones (for the kids).
I purchased from the local Kitchen and Company store Cafe Express Milk Hot Chocolate for the kids and Pumpkin Spice Coffee for my Keurig machine. Both will go great with dessert.
I found a Turkey in Disguise at Family Fun 3d paper craft the kids might enjoy making. Giving them a fun project to will keep them busy and out of the kitchen while dinner is is being made.
During dinner we ask the kids what they are thankful for. Myself, I am thankful for my family, friends and living in the USA. We had a pretty good year. They kids are are in good health, doing well in school and have lots of friends. Their grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins are doing well. We’ve enjoyed camping, riding bikes, and playing at the pool.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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Happy New Year
I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year!
Last year was a little rough for me on the job scene. In December 23rd 2008 I was informed my work assignment would end in January 2009 and I would be “on the bench” until the end of February 2009. I had several interviews which were all a bust until mid-February. A client for my employer at that time was looking for someone for Quality Assurance in the IT field. I took the interview and it was apparent I didn’t have all the qualifications needed, but I stuck the client as someone who is willing to work hard, learn the job, and have a positive attitude. The job was near the Philadelphia International Airport about 30 miles 1 way from my house.
Several months later I received a call from another company who wanted to interview me for an IT support role to support Windows XP, Vista, and Server 2003 / 2008. My interview went very well and I accepted this assignment. The big bonus, the main office I support was 5 miles from my home, the second office was 2 miles closer. The saving in gas alone was like receiving a bonus. Plus the job is exactly what I want to do in IT. In late October I found out I would not be hired by the new company taking over IT support the client I was working for. About 10 days later I was informed that an offer would be made to me soon. I accepted the offer and will start on February 1, 2010.
The past year also had many good time with friends and family. My family went on vacation to Avalon, New Jersey during the July 4th and the following week. Although the sunburn was not pleasant, I still had a great time seeing my parents, my brothers with their families, and enjoying a 18 hole round of golf. I even chipped in a shot on the second hole. I enjoyed riding my bike with my family, signed up my son for Cub Scouts, went on a camping trip in early November, and took an active role in his pack.
I am looking forward to 2010 and all the challenges it will bring. I am looking forward to watching my children grow and discover new things, complete more of my goals at home (got to finish building my basement office), and exercise more. Maybe I’ll set aside time to learn the game of Golf and take some lessons.
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Merry Christmas
I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas. Christmas has always been one of my favorite times of the year. I can remember as a kid looking forward to Christmas, seeing what Santa brought me and my brothers, and spending time with my family (cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents.)
Over the last 15 years, we spend time at home on Christmas Eve watching our favorite Christmas movies:
- National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
- A Christmas Story
- Scrooged
- The Santa Clause (1, 2, and 3)
- It’s a Wonderful Life
This year we are feeding the reindeer “special” reindeer food which the kids sprinkle in the yard. Santa still loves his eggnog (I think it keeps him jolly during the season) , and we might read A Visit from St. Nicholas (The Night Before Christmas) today.
During the Blizzard of 2009, I took a picture of a Holly Bush in my yard. The picture hollybush_2009.zip is located in the Box.net flash plugin on the right.
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Happy Thanksgiving 2009
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Go to Disney Family Fun to download a few PDF coloring pages for the kids and other Thanksgiving ideas. In the Box.net plugin on the sidebar is a PDF from Family Fun called 1104_rg_cornucopia.pdf which you can download for the kids to color.
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Happy Labor Day 2009
I would like to wish all of my hard working fellow Americans; Happy Labor Day!
On Saturday I finished all my yard work, got in a 20 minute bike ride, and took the family to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The movie was very entertaining and the kids ate a ton of popcorn. I am looking forward to seeing the last Harry Potter movie.
Today we celebrate working by taking a day off – paid if your lucky. I’ll be spending the day grilling lunch and dinner. What’s on the menu? Hotdogs, bratwurst, and lamb chops. Chips, fresh salsa, and Samuel Adams Octoberfest will be available too.
Enjoy the last weekend of summer!
Here is a link for the history of Labor Day and a cartoon by Clay Bennett.
Drahusz 