Wednesday, December 31, 2008

HEY

HAPPY NEW YEAR BLOGGY FRIENDS!!!!!

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Merry Christmas......a little late

Well it is after the holidays and we had much fun and excitement.  We still get to celebrate one more time this weekend when we head north to have Christmas with my family!!  There will certainly be photos from the time spent with everyone on my side of the family, but I will post some of my pics from this last week.

Here is miss Ellie opening one of her Barbies that she got for Christmas.....

And my beautiful wife displaying her NKTOB sweatshirt.  To learn more about this sweatshirt click on the word "NKTOB" and it will take you to quite the amusing post.

Here is the family photo we took.  

and of course the most important thing about Christmas is the drinking as seen below......


Of course I am kidding about the drinking, but I had to fit these 2 pics in for my own enjoyment.  It was nice to spend time with family, and we get to do it again this weekend.  

Merry Christmas , Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa for those out there who celebrate in a different way!!

Greg

Saturday, December 20, 2008

2 Posts....

In 2 days!!!!

Last Monday I went to our Photo Club meeting/Christmas Party. It was a fun time and everyone had a great time. We had a pot luck and cookie exchange. Lots of good food and a nice time with friends.

We also had a "white elephant" gift exchange and also door prizes that we each got a ticket for. I took #22 and got the 3rd selection for door prizes. I could have taken the second biggest prize, I could have chosen one of 5 packages that I knew were either memory cards for a camera or a removable flash drive. Did I choose any of these???? Nope, this guy chose this.






I guess this prize makes the wife happy. Me....not so much. I would have much preferred one of the 4Gb CF Extreme memory cards for my camera, or one of the 2Gb flash drives but hey, a prize is a prize.



Then for the white elephant exchange I picked a bag with these 2 items in it.





OMG, right!?!?! This is some sort of shaker thing from Peru.....but then I looked farther into the bag and found this little beauty.










That is right, a table top tripod!!!! And it is strong enough to hold my camera!! See below.




Pretty cool white elephant gift if I do say so myself!! Well worth the drive into town in the freezing cold!!

Friday, December 19, 2008

Some days I LOVE being a dad.........

.....other days I would much prefer just getting a kick square in the testicles. Today would be one of the later type days.

I sure like being challenged on every little DAMN thing I try to do with my daughter.

Insert lots of swearing to self here.

Greg

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

An SNL Digital Short

After this hit from SNL



They came out with this little gem that I just couldn't resist putting up. Enjoy!

Friday, December 5, 2008

Look what I got!

This is what I was presented with yesterday at work.......



That's right, I got a commendation from the Sheriff yesterday for helping save the life an inmate on the day after Thanksgiving!!

How this whole thing come to pass you ask? Well here is the story.

On the 28th of November I was working in our Special Management section of the jail. This section houses women, "special" needs inmates, work release inmates, and our Disciplinary Segregation inmates. All in separate spaces, of course.

It was 6:45 in the morning and I was finishing up passing out morning medications to those who get them. My last person is a guy who is on work release and is a diabetic. He will be referred to as DD from here on out. Since DD has been in our facility he has been documented saying that he would purposely mess around with his insulin to get the county in trouble, and so he could sue us for money. Needless to say we keep a very close eye on him while he is in the jail. DD is known to take insulin right before he comes in from work (when he does not need it) to drive his blood sugars really low (around 25) and then force us to deal with his low blood sugar. It is a game DD plays and his life that puts on the line every time he takes insulin that he does not need.

Anyways, I had DD check his blood sugar and it was at a 43. That is low and normally I would have given him a glucose tab or some juice to bring him up. It was only 10 minutes before breakfast though so I did not give him one since I knew the food would bring him up. After DD tested his blood he told me he was going to draw 26 units of the long lasting insulin and 8 units of the fast acting insulin. When he drew the long lasting insulin, it looked to me like he had drawn to much but I wasn't sure so I let him draw his fast acting right away as well. When DD drew the fast acting, which was suppose to be 8 units, I noticed that he actually drew somewhere between 13-18 units instead of the 8 he told me he was going to. I immediately questioned his draw as he stuck the fast acting into his side. I told DD to pull the needle back out so I could see how much insulin he had drawn. He refused, and with a smug little smile, injected himself without showing me. I was pissed!! I then grabbed the other needle he had drawn with the long lasting insulin and looked at it to see how much he had pulled. The long lasting was pulled to 32 units. That is 6 units more than he said he was going to pull! I again questioned him and he told me "don't fucking question my insulin use." Can you believe that? If I don't question and verify how much insulin he is taking, I am not doing my job. After a bit of arguing discussion, DD finally put the 26 units he was suppose to have drawn into a new needle. He then went back into the unit and then breakfast was served a few minutes later.

The next time DD needed to check his blood sugar was at lunch time. When he came out he checked his blood, told me he was going to pull 8 units of fast acting stuff again, and then started to draw his insulin. When he showed me the needle, he had put in 13 units! I called him on it again, and again he got pissy, but in the end he adjusted the insulin level in the needle and took only 8 units. When I got back to the office I immediately wrote a report of what had happened during the morning, called my Sergeant to let him know what had happened, and called our nursing unit and left a message for them about what had happened. I also wrote on our pass on (for the next deputies coming on)to watch him close and really monitor his insulin draws.

Around 3pm that afternoon one of the deputies that was now working in the special unit was walking around on a well being check and stopped at DD's door and noticed that he was on his back sleeping and seemed to be breathing normal. Or so the deputy thought. He finished the rest of his check in the work release unit, and then had a gut feeling that he should check on DD one more time. And it was a good thing he did. When he opened the cell door to talk to DD, the deputy heard a gurgling noise and saw that DD was foaming at the mouth. The deputy immediately called a medical emergency. The sergeant had me call EMS and they responded within 2 minutes. It was a flurry of activity for the next hour as EMS tended to DD. When the deputy opened the door, DD was totally unresponsive and EMS stated that if it were not for the fast action and good eye by both myself (for noticing that he was messing with his insulin) and the other deputy, DD surely would have died within the half hour. As it was, EMS could not find a vein for an IV for almost 20 minutes. DD's veins had started to collapse and he was lucky that EMS was able to find one that could be used.
In the end, DD made it through and is ok. Still a raging dick, but at least he is still alive to be one. Our Sergeant wrote a very nice email to the jail administrators and to the Sheriff and Chief Deputy Sheriff to let them know about our crews actions that Friday.

Then yesterday, the main deputies that were involved received the commendation and we were told that at the yearly awards banquet we would be awarded with a life saving badge to wear as part of our uniforms when we are on duty! Pretty cool I think.
I certainly don't do my job for any sort of glory, and there are some negative nancies at work who didn't think that the incident was that big of a deal. But it was a very nice thing to be recognized for what my fellow deputies and I did. I never in a million years had expected getting an honor like this in the facility that I work in.

And that is the story of my Thursday, December 4th, 2008!!!

Greg

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

CRIBS: Christmas Edition

Here it is, my house with christmas lights. This is for the Captain and Father of Five. I am still trying to find a picture of our house after we did the work out front in the flower gardens, but I have not run across one yet. Which I can't believe.



So without further a do I present Cribs: Christmas Edition.



And that is it. This is all we have done this year. Hopefully next year we will get lights all they way up the peak of the roof and down the sides. But for this year this is all we did.

Greg

Whats been going on?

Well, where should I start. After my dad was here, the election came around. The wife and I were prepared to stay up till the wee hours of the morning to find out who was going to win. How suprised were we when at 10:30pm they announced that Obama had won. After the election not much happened around our house until the weekend before Thanksgiving.

The weekend before turkey day we went up to my aunts house near Hudson, WI. We met up with my mom, grandma, sister, and aunt. It was a fun day with good food....


And good company.....

And of course my sis had to much to drink and ended up like this....


Ok, you caught me, that is not actually my sis. It is one of Ellie's dolls. I thought it was a funny picture though, and yes I am still 12 and think that pictures like this are funny.

A few short days later we headed to Kris' parents house for Thanksgiving. We arrived around 11, sat and chatted for a while, and ate a good lunch. After this week of spending time with family on this holiday, I have realized how much I really have to be thankful for. It was a great week and I can't wait for christmas!!

On Friday after turkey day, I had to work. But after work I went downtown and met up with the fam for the Holiday Stroll. It is suppose to be like an old fashion town festival where we all get together and watch the town light up with christmas lights. It started about 6-7 years ago in RW and is a huge hit no matter what the weather is. It is fun to see all the people who come out for this night at the end of November to meet with friends and neighbors to celebrate the start of the holiday season! We had some yummy food at Lily's and then "strolled" around town for a couple of hours.

I had to work the weekend as well, so not much has been going on. Kris and I have a date night again this Friday and I am looking forward to it. We were suppose to meet up with Teach and her hubby, but plans change. Maybe next weekend?!?!

Greg



Monday, December 1, 2008

YES, I am here......

....and yet I have not found myself in the blogging mood. It just sort of stopped. Maybe it has something to do with the awful time I was having at my job, maybe I was just bored with blogging, or maybe I was just lazy. Who knows.

At any rate I am back!!!!!

I have been feeling quite ill for the last few weeks, and I just can't seem to shake it until sometime after noon each day. I am dizzy, and forgetful, and worn out all the time. So I finally went to the doc and he looked me over.......










......and he found out that I am PREGNANT!!!!!!!!








Wait........no.......er.......I mean......

We are now going to be in People Magazine and make millions of dollars for being the first man to be pregnant. Oh wait, that has been done already by some creepy guy that is part woman and part man. Well there goes our millions.

Things have been good, and I plan on posting more later. I just wanted to let everyone know that I am still around. And no Father of Five, I do not have a fist infection!!!

Greg

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Frontenac State Park

A new photo post HERE about my adventure to the state park just down the road from us. Here is a teaser of what I saw.


Go check out my
PHOTO BLOG and see some more of what I captured today at the park.

Greg

NO SURGERY!!!!

Went to the doc today to see if I was going to have surgery. They said no. 2 more weeks of light duty at work and then I can resume my normal activities.

HOORAY for no surgery!

Greg

Monday, October 27, 2008

A Fun Weekend

This past weekend my dad and grandparents came to visit. They made the trip on Friday from Stevens Point, WI and got here about 12:30.

I was not sure how this visit was going to go because on Thursday I woke up around 11am and was up looking around on the computer. Suddenly, I got very sick in the stomach. I thought I was going to puke and ran into the bathroom. Nothing happened right away, but I did end up worshiping the porcelain throne 3 times that day. Not a good thing was happening, and I was worried about calling into work. I then got a call from my LT saying that the note I brought in from the doc to put me on light duty actually was going to not allow me to work at all. I asked why, and was told that the wording that was used made the note read a different way, and that in turn put the county in a liability situation. I said I would try to get a new note and bring it it with me. Turns out my doc was out for the day and I was not able to get one until Friday. PERFECT!! Now I did not need to tell them I was sick and could instead use my docs note for the reason I Would not be in!! I then continued to be sick the rest of the night, and stayed in bed.

On Friday I felt a hundred times better, but was unsure how the tummy would hold up through the day. I met dad, grandma, and grandpa at 1:30 and we went on a little site seeing tour through RW and then out to the casino for grandpa. Around 3 we got them checked in to the hotel, and dad dropped me off. I then picked up Ellie and Kris and we met up again for fish fry dinner at the Bierstube. It was delicious as always and we had a nice time. After dinner we went back to the hotel and found that they had gifts for Ellie. She had a great time opening them, and played with her new baby that she received. We didn't stay long because everybody was tired and we were getting together the next morning, so we made our way out to the truck and headed home.

On Saturday we met up at Pepin Heights Apple Orchard. Grandma and Ellie had lots of fun looking around the store. Grandpa bought his first Honeycrisp apple. He gave grandma a bite, and she immediately went and got a whole bag full!! They had never had any of those apples before and were instantly addicted! It was a bit chilly and cloudy so we didn't stay long, but I was able to get a few pics of our time there.











After the orchard, we headed back to RW to do some shopping. We took Grandma to Kris' old place of employment, and grandma LOVED it!! It was right down her alley. Then we went to The Pottery for some more shopping. It was fun and grandma found lots of stuff in the one store she went through. Grandma got tired quick and went to sit and rest while the rest of us shopped on. I found a cool shirt, and I think Kris could have spent a bunch of money on Fiesta Ware.

We then headed out for some lunch. After lunch, dad and I took grandma and grandpa back to the hotel for a nap, and Kris and Ellie went home so Ellie could nap. What did dad and I do? Well we looked at guns and then went and had a couple of beers at Andy's. After a while we went and picked up some pizzas from Pappa Murphy's, loaded grandma and grandpa into the car, and headed back to our house. Once there we ate, drank, and had a good time watching Ellie play and enjoyed some nice conversation. By the end of the night we were all tired and ready for a good nights sleep.




Four generations from my dad's side of the family. What a good lookin bunch.......well Ellie anyways!!


On Sunday we met for breakfast and had another nice meal with good company. Kris' parents joined us and we all had a good time. At the end of breakfast it was time for dad, grandma, and grandpa to hit the road for the 4 hour drive back home. Ellie gave hugs and kisses, we said our goodbyes, and then we made our way home.

It was a good weekend and we had lots of fun. I hope to go visit them again soon, and maybe Ellie can meet her cousin while we are there!

Greg

Sunday, October 19, 2008

More Proof of My Lack of Smartness.

Looks like a normal hand, right? Well keeping going and you will see what it turns into.



What is that?!?!?! A strap?


Now 2 straps?


Hey look at that........its a brace to immobilize my middle finger because I have a fracture in the knuckle closest to my palm.

Thats right folks, I have one NEW break from my little wall escapade earlier this week. They also found 2 other breaks that were old. There was a big discussion about doing surgery right away last Wednesday, but then they decided to give me this. I have an appointment on the 29th of this month with the orthopedic surgeon to decide if they are going through with the surgery. From what I have read, the most common fixes for the type of fracture I have is surgery.

I AM AN IDIOT!!!!!

Greg

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Is Greg an IDIOT?!?!?!

IF you answered yes, then you would be right.

Last night I let my job and a couple of the shitty people that work there get to me. I lost my cool and did something completely irrational. I punched a concrete wall. I also broke my hand because of said punch to concrete wall. I am an IDIOT. I am fairly embarrassed, so please be gentle when you tell me what a MORON I am.

Greg

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Weekend Fun in the Northwoods

Our trip to Hayward is over, and it was once again hard to leave. It was so much fun, and I remember why I love that area so much. The winter sucks sometimes, spring is nice, summer is wonderful and smells of pine and fresh air, and then there is fall. OH fall, you are my friend. I love fall. I love everything about fall. The colors, the crisp cool temps, and of course the nostril filling smells that drive the sensors in your brain crazy with delight. Can you tell that I wait all year for fall to come?


So being that fall is my favorite time, and I am down right tired of taking pictures in the river valley area that we live in, I was pumped to be in the northwoods for some fall photography. This is some of our weekend.












Stay tuned for more to come. I think that I got some great photos and I think that there might even be some that I would put in a frame.

There is also a new post on my Photo Blog. There will be more frequent posts on this blog in the days and weeks to come. So please go check it out and tell me what you think!

Greg

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

A wedding

2 weekends ago my best friend got married. We have been friends for 10 years and have been close since the day we met. He is my brother. We come from different moms and are in no way related, but he is the brother I never had. I was honored to be in his wedding and it is great to see him so happy.

Congrats Hunter and Gina, may marriage bring you years of happiness and loads of memories!!









We are off to Hayward this weekend for fun in the north woods! More to post when we get back.


Greg

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

NEW OLYMPIC SPORT!!!!! Slapface

I don't normally watch The OFFICE, but if this is the sort of humor they have, I might just start!!





I find this hilarious!!

Hello......

I hate money. Ok, that is a lie. I like money. I like money to pay our bills. I like money to buy beer every once in a while. I like money to be able to stop at Taco Bell if I wish. I like money so I can bowl if I want to. I like money.


What I do not like is not having any. I am not asking for extreme amounts of money, just enough to be comfortable. Like a million would do it. Even after taxes, it would pay off all of our debt, start a college fund for the big E, and just make our lives a bit easier. Shit, I guess even half a million after taxes would be good. Ok, I want just enough to pay off all our debt, give E a college fund, and then Kris could work part time, and my full time job would be all we would need.


So if any of you know where I could get the said 500,000 I would appreciate an email. Thanks!!


On a different note, I was driving home from one of the standard small cities we have where we live, I saw this....



I thought it was neat how this old farm building was perfectly framed by the trees as you are driving down the road. Now when I walked about 4 steps in front of the car, this building was truly centered between these trees, but I liked this look better when I got home and put the photos on the ol laptop.

As much as I am not a farm person, they do provide some pretty cool photo opportunities!!

Greg

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

An Update

Well I am back sooner than I thought I would be. Last weekend I went to a bachelor party. We had much fun shooting the shit out of each other with paint balls for about 3 and a 1/2 hours over in Lakeville. Then we went out to Old Chicago in Minnetonka for some food and drinks. After a while we went to Excelsior for more drinks. It was a great time and we had much fun all day. Here is a pic from paintball.




And yet more proof of the ass whooping we all took at paintball.





I did not get the worst of it by far, but this was one of the better ones I received.



Then on Sunday we went to a baby shower and this is what we saw.





Had a great time and it was nice to see Amanda, Dave and baby Henry!

That is about all I know for now.

Greg

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

it not about the badge........

.....apparently its not about posting either. Just have not been in the mood lately. I am sure I have plenty of interesting things to share, but I just don't feel like sitting down and writing a post.

What the hell is up with that huh? I am going to try and start posting again soon, but for now I am just going to read and comment on my favorite blogs.

Greg

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Saturday Scavenger Hunt......a Return

It has been a couple of weeks since I have done the hunt, and since I am home this weekend I figured that I would get back into it and do a post. So here we go. This weeks word was "blue" and this is what I have come up with.


Here we have a old "blue" boat.......



And here is the blue skies and water in Bayfield, WI.......


And our blue cooler that got attacked by a bear while we were on vacation. Note the bite mark on said cooler, it was one of about 5 or 6 punctures in the cooler....


And last but not least, some blue tasties!!!!


There you have it. This is what I found for "blue" this week.

Have a good weekend

Greg