A Must

You have one assignment this Christmas season to watch the greatest Christmas movie of all time "Christmas Vacation." Go forth and let the laughing begin.

You kiddin me....

So a couple of mornings ago I was heading out to the tree stand. It was a great morning about mid 40's and a little wind out of the southeast. Thought it COULD be a great morning to harvest one of God's beautiful creatures with a sharp stick. As the sun came up I had been in the stand about an hour or so when I heard some steps in the leaves below. Slowly stood up and grabbed my bow then turned and look below and a deer was behind some brush and little trees. When I caught a glimpse of part of his head and saw some horns and looked pretty good. First buck of the season and rut should be coming pretty soon so optimism was high, been waiting for this moment for over a month now. He was a little downwind of me and about that time caught a hint of my scent. He slowly backed out, made a half circle, and walked out where I could see him about 30 yds or so. I was looking at him through some thin branches when he stopped in a opening turned broadside to me and I saw a nice rack, except he only had half a rack the right side was about 5 pts well out side the ears and looked good. The left side was gone, zilch, zero, nada, poof, M.I.A. So I let him go on his merry and lucky way, and that's all I have to say about that.

Round 2

It's that time of the year again, the second nascar date of the season. Which usually means a couple things time to eat, eat, and then eat a little more. I usually eat enough grease this weekend to kill any normal human, but I've built up my system over time to handle just about anything I can throw at it. I'm smoking three racks of ribs and a pork roast tomorrow to take along with bacon to smoke on scene. I'll probably eat my normal whole pan full of rice crispy treats too and the list keeps on going and going, I think you get the point. The other occasional problem of the weekend is the weather. If the wind is blowing you'll be washing dirt off of every inch of your body for two days. Or on the other hand could be storming (couple years ago a tornado within a couple miles of the track), and cold. This weekend looks pretty good with low 70's and no chance of rain. Anywho should be a good time and looking forward to it.

ME!

My answers to

1. Where is your cell phone? couch
2. Your hair? gone
3. Your mother? nana
4. Your father? fixer
5. Your favorite food? meat
6. Your dream last night? sleep
7. Your favorite drink? tea (sweet)
8. Your dream/goal? retirement
9. What room are you in? livingroom
10. Your hobby? hunting
11. Your fear? failure
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? employed
13. Where were you last night? working
14. Something that you aren’t? gabby
15. Muffins? blueberry
16. Wish list item? big buck
17. Where did you grow up? Gunner
18. Last thing you did? eat
19. What are you wearing? poison ivy
20. Your TV? on
21. Your pets? gone
22. Friends? sure
23. Your life? on going
24. Your mood? positive
25. Missing someone? g-parents
26. Vehicle? chevy
27. Something you’re not wearing? glasses
28. Your favorite store? cabela's
29. Your favorite color? blue
30. When was the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? funeral
32. Your best friend? redhead
33. One place that I go to over and over? refridgerator
34. One person who emails me regularly? galls.com
35. Favorite place to eat? any steakhouse

Little behind...

Lets see whats been going on the last couple weeks i'm a little behind, had my first fire on shift last Friday night, that was pretty cool it was a house under construction so no one was there thankfully. Texas played like crap but beat zero U. I've had poison ivy all week from deer hunting. We now have a pet turtle that Keelie and Jonah found in the backyard, he's about the size of a silver dollar. Glory can say poopoo now and is also going regularly.

Day Six....

This is day number 6 of bow season, and I have not sat in a tree stand yet the weather is making the conditions a little difficult. Warm and rainy are not a hunters best friend, but I did see the weekend had some 50's and 60's supposedly coming in . I'm gaining optimism, and I'm hoping good things will come to those who have patience.

Another First

A few weeks ago I talked about I recently started using a smoker to make ribs, bacon, ect. So this past weekend I did something else I've never done before made a homemade pot of chili. You ok MOM? Just breathe it will be alright, I don't know what's come over me to start all these new ventures I'm actually cooking a little now, crazy. Keelie was gone to Canton this weekend and I volunteered her to make a pot of chili for a mission trip fundraiser so when she was gone I needed to make it. It wasn't my recipe (Dave's), but I followed it to a T and after I had everything thing in it including the minced meat(which I had to looked up on the internet because I had no idea what minced was) and about a 5 hour soak. It was done and I have to say it was pretty good if I can say so myself. So I can safely say the odds of me making some more chili sometime in the future are looking good.

It's About Time!

Time to put the shotguns up from dove hunting even though it's been practically put up anyway(hunting this year was absolutely, ridiculously, without a doubt the worst year I can remember.) Time to do some real hunting starting tomorrow with the opening of deer season with a bow. This is where the working 1 day on and 2 days off comes in real handy. I'm going to become one with a tree ALOT! Good luck to all the hunters out there and may your arrows fly straight and be double lungers.

Ferg's Friday Five

5 things I love about Glory in honor of her 1st birthday today.

1. She loves to sit in things and laugh in anything from a plastic wagon to a plain ole wicker basket

2. She has learned to bring you things when she picks them up off the floor instead of eating them if you ask her to, and then you can tell she is so proud of herself.

3. My little daredevil, she has learned when she is on something soft like the bed or couch she can sit or stand up and fall back on her back or fall forward to her stomach and it doesn't hurt, also could be scary if she missed.

4. I don't have to worry about her being to girly she hates bows along with anything else in her hair.

5. She is a really good sleeper, she sleeps around 12 hours every night and has been since she was about 4 months old.

Just Another Day

Had a busy night on shift last night ran pretty much continuously from 4 yesterday afternoon till about 1 this morning. Came home and had a good morning with Keelie and kids we played and also cleaned on the house a little bit, laundry was way past due. Now, Bowen and I are about to head to the deer lease to fill feeders and check on things, less than 2 weeks before bow season opens and it can't come soon enough. Oh by the way enjoyed waking up to a cool 57 degrees this morning according to my car on the way home. Good times!

Useless but True

Here is some useless information about me or things I thought were interesting.

1. I was flying Cessna airplanes before I was able to drive, also one of my biggest regrets not finishing and getting my license. I moved on to high school and then year round sports began and something had to give.

2. Do you know why Jonah's birthday is September 2nd? (some of you already know) For those who don't or can't guess, it's because opening day of dove season is September 1st and I couldn't miss opening day so I hunted that day and we checked in the hospital that night at 10 pm for the scheduled c-section.

3. A few years ago I went a whole YEAR without drinking a carbonated drink (Dr pepper, coke ect) and in the first 2 months lost 25 lbs without changing my eating habits. Honestly, after the first couple months of detox the only times it was really hard was going to McDonald's and drinking water with a quarter pounder and fries, and other similar situations.

4. September 11, 2001 I was working in Aubrey, TX installing a septic system when it came over the radio that morning that the towers had been hit.

5. My freshmen year of college I gained the freshmen 15 plus another 25 lbs for good measure in the first semester. I graduated high school at 160 and by that Christmas I was around 200-205. Today's weight is 180 lbs.

Make it a Good Day

Glory is in bed asleep and Jonah is on his way. I'm sitting in front of the tv watching ZeroU and BYU wishing I was watching Texas play, but I'm not paying $45 to see them stomp a mud hole and walk it dry on Louisiana Monroe. Keelie is gone with a friend to Oklahoma to her dad's cabin for the long holiday weekend. Glad we didn't have any calls during the night last night on shift so I was able to get a little sleep which was great for me and the kids. So this weekend it's just Jonah, Glory, and daddy so I took them to Sherman earlier today to watch Austin College play(my father-in-law coaches there) and they won 34-7. Then they played with their cousins this afternoon running around the house going crazy like a bunch of monkeys, then we took them down to the pond to catch some fish. And I tell you that to say that it was a great day, got to spend some quality time with the kids and they wore themselves out in the process (a huge bonus) so putting them to bed tonight was a piece of cake. No fight or crying at all. Pure awesomeness!

Extra Meaty

This morning when I got home from work, I did something I have been wanting to do for a while. Guesses anyone? It requires a smoker and alot of meat...you got it. I borrowed Bowen's smoker picked up 4 racks of ribs, a brisket, and 3 pounds of wright's thick cut peppered bacon (a must) and then it was on like donkey kong. After some last minute coaching and instructions from the man who used to have the word bacon in his email address I fired her up around 11:00 this morning and finished tonight about 8:15. After a few samplings of the ribs (half a rack) and some smoked bacon I must say and had it confirmed from the man himself...it was a huge success for a first go round. So sometime in the near future I will be getting one of these smokers that has been introduced into my life and all I can say is the pigs and cows better watch out. Now I have all the time in the world and I like to eat meat, sounds like a deadly combo to me. Oh did I mention it is also football season and my meat intake usually doubles this time of year. Let the games and the grub begin.

Psalms 100 (A psalm for giving thanks)

Appreciate what you have. After some of the calls I just sit and shake my head and thank my lord and savior for what he has blessed me with. After a month on shift I have come across some strange and sad reminders of just how blessed I am to have what I have surrounding me. Wonderful and supportive family all fairly close, all in Texas, besides one (stay strong my brother you still bleed Texan). Great job that I love going to because every third day is about helping different people, under different circumstances, and from different walks of life. It's almost one o clock on a Friday afternoon and I'm laying on my comfortable bed typing this in an air conditioned house, just after getting back from taking Jonah and Glory to eat at Burger King in Van Alstyne, while Keelie was getting some much needed rest. Tonight I'll be eating my homemade chicken fried steak then wash it down with some cookies and cream ice cream that I just bought, while watching the Cowboys and Rangers play. I think you get my point we take so much for granted I know I do. It's not uncommon to get calls for people just wanting to go somewhere to sleep because they don't want to go home or no home to go to, so they call us with a made up illness hoping they can stay at the hospital for the night and figure out tomorrow tomorrow. Stop some time and look around and give thanks for what you see and what you have been blessed with, not everyone is as fortunate for reason or another.

Ferg's Friday Five

Top 5 reasons why I'm glad it's August.



1. Dove season is just around the corner.



2. Deer season is just around another corner.



3. We are that much closer to cooler weather.



4. IT'S FOOTBALL SEASON!!!!!!



5. Couldn't think of anything else so lets just repeat #'s 1-4 they are VERY important.

There's what in that, and mini summary

Well I've work 7 shifts now and I've learned a couple things I would make somebody a pretty good housewife, I can clean and wash with the best of them, I get PLENTY of practice. Next, try making yourself look busy for 24 straight hours it's not as easy as it would seem, it may sound horrible and I don't wish anybody any pain or sickness, but if someone has a problem I sure hope it is in my district. A shift with 4 calls and a shift with 12 calls is night and day when it comes to passing the time by, a HUGE difference. There are some more I'll share later but the last one for today is the guys on my shift sure like their onions and in everything. If you know me very well you know there is one thing I do NOT like to eat especially raw, onions. I would have to say I've been fairly lucky most meals they have been cooked and as long as they are cooked down and in some casserole or big ole pot of something they don't really bother me to bad. We have had a couple meals that they were raw and one of about 3 ingredients, and as you can guess I tried to not draw any attention to myself that I was not eating and when everyone was done and gone I would stroll through the kitchen every now and then grabbing a handful of chips or something else laying around. Hopefully those nights we would get a couple late calls so I could grab some snacks at the hospital in the hospitality lounge for workers. Every shift when the guys go to the store there's one thing I can guarantee you they will buy if we already do not have any and that is a sack of about 4-6 onions.

Miss me?

I'm back, you couldn't get rid of me that easy. I took a two month hiatus and I wanted to catch you up on what went on. Last time I spoke with you I was leaving my job and starting a three week vacation before starting with Plano FD. During the break I was able to spend some quality time with the family, play lots of golf, and get some much needed rest. Also Keelie and I went up to NYC for a few days to eat pizza and walk on the island that has millions of people on it, but is smaller in land area than DFW airport. I also slung some works and help put on a firework show in Gunter on the weekend of the 4th for D&M (Davis and Miller) fireworks of Gunter, TX. Next year make D&M your one stop shop for all your pyro needs. Then I started my four week orientation for Plano where I went Monday thru Friday from 8-5 where we took some test, practice drills and skills, had a live burn day in the Texas heat putting out fires in a burn tower, and was just filled with as much info as they could possibly squeeze in four weeks. I graduated from the orientation on July 17th and started my first shift on the 21st where I continue to only work every 3rd day or 10 days a month. Did I say only 10 DAYS A MONTH, "it's nice real nice." I just came off shift this morning and it was a long night so I'm sure something in this recap doesn't make sense or wasn't used properly. Anyways it's good to be back amongst you, loving the extra time off, and loving being a firefighter for the City of Plano.

Ferg's Friday Five

Top 5 foods I would like to learn to eat.
1. Fish not battered and fried
2. Lobster
3. Salad without drowning it in ranch
4. Deviled eggs (seem to be the only one in the family who doesn't eat them)
5. Onions (least likely to happen)

Ferg's Friday Five

Top 5 Places I would like to go in the US. (No certain order)
1. Hawaii
2. Chicago
3. Miami and the Keys
4. Disney World
5. Yellowstone N.P.

HELLO????

As I was sitting on the couch this afternoon it hit me. I had just walked in from work and changed clothes, then went and sat down beside Jonah on the couch. "Hey buddy did you have fun today?" No answer and he starred at the TV. "JONAH, did you have fun today" still locked on Wow Wow Wubbzy. So what do I do pick up the control and pause the show "Jonah did you have a good day today" and with a slight turn of the head still looking at the TV "yea." You kidding me that's all I get a "yea". Then I realize aahh crap, he takes after his daddy, gets locked on something and then zones out. While I still claim I can watch something still answer when asked a question or listen while they are talking, I have tried to work on this problem and looks like we will be enrolling a new student very quickly.

First Blog

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Was sitting here with Glory in my lap while she was reaching for the keyboard so I set it up and let her go and above is Glory's first blog. I think mommy should be very proud of her.

Ferg's Friday Five

Top 5 favorite candy (non chocolate)



1. Nerds



2. Starburst



3. Wild Berry Skittles (purple pack)



4. Gummy Savers



5. Cherry Sours

Where's Fergie

Next Friday the 22nd is my last day with my current employer and I won't start with Plano FD until June 22nd so good luck finding me over the next month. Just in case it's an emergency and you need me a couple hints, look either at a golf course, middle of a river with a fly rod, or Vegas. Ok I'm dreaming now you'll probably find me at home with Keelie and the kids (not a bad thing) or on a lawnmower unfortunately with the way the grass is growing. But anyways a whole month off without work and not forced to get up at 5:45 am is a little thing I like to call AWESOMENESS. It's been a long long time since I've had that long with nothing I have to do, guessing in the neighborhood of 10 years or so. Only things planned is a weekend at TMS with the family and a guys trip to Oklahoma that's going to be wait for it...wait for it...LEGENDARY (name the show and get a cookie). I will keep you updated through out the next month with "Where's Fergie".

Ferg's Friday Five

Top 5 Meals For a Week.



1.Juicy chunk of cow cooked medium (steak)

2.Hamburger helper (Beef Stroganoff)

3.Big ole bacon cheeseburger with homemade fries

4.Tacos

5.Chicken fried steak and gravy

Luck?

I'm stepping out of character on this post, it's a bit more on the serious side than my usual important stories I pass on so stick with me.


Some might call it luck, some might call it fortunate, but I call it..... I received the news this week I've been waiting to hear for over a year starting last April, that I would be a firefighter for the City of Plano. When I set out on this little life changing adventure I had an idea and a goal of how I would like it to turn out. When asked where I would like to work the two places came to mind Plano or McKinney. I knew people at both places that loved it and they are two of the most sought after jobs in the state. I completed my Firefighting and EMT training last year starting in April and taking my final test in December. While working at my current job 40 hours a week I was going to school at night from 5pm-10pm Monday through Thursday and every Saturday from 7am-3-pm. I wouldn't see my family these days at all (kudos to Keelie for holding down the fort and being the mother and father for 8 months).


Now I'm certified and it's January a time when most departments aren't testing, and I have missed most of the cities in the metroplex because most test in the fall or spring. Everyone we talked to said we need to test every city we can to increase our chances, with the economy the way it is the departments are cutting back, and jobs are not plentiful like they were a couple years ago. I had found out Plano and McKinney were suppose to be testing in late winter early spring and Plano had come up first. So I signed up and the first of many steps in the process was the written exam around the 8th of February. Then on my birthday (Feb 3rd) I went to the hospital at 10pm and ended up having a emergency appendectomy. Awesome timing right? I took the written test the next weekend and out of roughly 100 candidates I was #8 on the list and they were hiring 6 spots. So the top 25 went on to the next step, the physical agility part, which in normal circumstances I would have not worried as much about, but I was about 3-4 weeks out of a surgery and had been 1 week earlier released to go back to normal day functions. So I went and passed it but collapsed at the finish line after I had finished. Half way through I was hurting so bad I could have easy have quit, I basically stumbled down the last flight of stairs holding the rails and fell across the finish line saying the whole way don't help or touch me because I didn't want to jeopardise my chances or results. Ended up being taking to the hospital by ambulance for dehydration and precautionary reasons (thanks appendectomy my chance was all most gone). Ended up passing and going on to the next step of interviews with a 8 man panel and the chief, a polygraph, psychological test, and a full physical/stress test.


It was a long stressful process. There were guys I talked to at the written exam that were in my fire academy that had already tested 9-10 cities and no job. I get hired the only test I take, the city I set my sights on since the beginning, and after all that I went through you can call it luck, you can call it fortunate, but I call it a GOD THING!!! The surgery, the cutting of positions hiring from the initial 6 at the beginning of February down to 3 of us now, to having to pass 5 candidates along the way to get in the top 3, you can only say it's bigger than anything anybody did, but it wasn't bigger than The MAN himself (he wrote the book on big).


P.S. I want to thank everybody along the way for your support, faith, and prayers. I am truly blessed to have so many caring people in my corner.

Weekend in Broken Bow: Good Bad and Ugly

First, let's start off on a good note it was the weekend and I was heading up to Oklahoma to eat good food and to do some fly-fishing for trout. Friday afternoon I drove up and met Dave, Mary, and Jonah at a local restaurant in Hochatown, OK called Abendigo's (great food a little $) I highly recommend if you are ever in the neighborhood. I knew what my quest was for the night it was the chicken fried steak and fries, Dave had told me it was great. When the plate was set in front of me I knew I was going to have to step up my game to win this fight, it was hanging off the plate, smothered in cream gravy, and covered in fries. Put your tongue back in your mouth and quit drooling. So I pick up the knife and fork and I was off, mixing a few fries in between bites of the steak (real CFS not off the Sysco truck). After a few burps and seconds to gather myself every now and then I drove in the dagger and finished everything on my plate including 3 rolls with butter, while sipping on 4 glasses of sweet tea. I had won the battle, but lost the war I was miserable all night long and the next morning but it was worth it.

The Bad goes like this: what do you get when you mix rain and storms all weekend with a crowded river? You guessed it bad fishing. I'll take a bad day of fishing any day over no fishing at all. Even though we didn't have the fishing we would have liked, we still still caught a few and enjoyed fishing in the rain.

The ugly was a no brainer. I was thinking going into the weekend I'm taking Jonah with me and Keelie was staying home with Glory, awesome trade off right? I'll get the sleep and Keelie will get the night feedings sounds great. WRONG!!!! Dave and Mary had gone to bed and Jonah had already been in bed for a hour or so, when I decided to turn in about 11pm. That's when the snowball was heading down hill full steam ahead. I scooted Jonah over in bed and got in then woke up about 30 minutes later to a foot in the face, so I straighten him up and about 30 minutes later woke up to a kick in the back.......that's how the night went all night I had been woken up about 10-12 times during the time frame of 11pm to 7 am the next morning. I had been kicked in the head, back, stomach, and awfully close to other places. Night #2 wasn't much better and he woke up about 0630 that morning. I don't know what the deal was this weekend but let's just say my plan had not only backfired but blew up into unidentifiable pieces. Then to rub salt in the wound, I had talked to Keelie and she said Glory had gone to sleep Saturday night at 8pm and didn't wake up till about 6:30 Sunday morning.

What did we learn from this experience not a freaking thing, just needed to vent a little and I'm feeling better now. Who's ready to go back to Oklahoma? Even after all this my bags are packed waiting for another free weekend.

Ferg's Friday Five

Top 5 Favorite Current TV Shows (no particular order).



1. House M.D.

2. Criminal Minds

3. CBS Monday Night Lineup

4. Deadliest Catch

5. Law & Order S.V.U.

1..2..3..4..5..6+

I was driving home this afternoon when I called mom not knowing what glorious occurrence was going on at the moment, and happen to ask her if it had rained any today. She said oh yea it was flooding. To most people that would not be good news, but to me that was music to my ears. You see fishing has been pretty crappy this year because the ponds are low. Nothing that 6 inches of rain won't fix, which is what I had so far today when I last checked it about 7:30pm this afternoon. Both my ponds behind the house were in very sad shape and now are overflowing into the pasture and over Mackey Rd. Kind of like my heart is overflowing with joy right now because I can get a two man boat into Dave's pond again...wait did I just say that. Anywho I'm sure you can feel my excitement right now, so let me just say "it's time to put the women and children to bed and go looking for dinner"(movie quote name the movie and you get a prize). FISH ON!

Good Start to the Weekend.

Was a little worried about the weekend, Keelie was going to be gone, I would have the kids and the sleep tank is running a little low. It started off on a high note with couple good burgers and cupcakes (compliment of chef mom) last night for Dad's birthday. Then came home last night and fed Glory about 9:30(an hour and half earlier than I would have liked), but she was hungry and didn't really have a choice. I wrestled with staying up and giving her another small bottle about 11:30 or midnight, or I could go to sleep and wake up in the middle of the night to feed her. I was wore out and dozing off so I chose the to go to sleep about 10:30, and to my amazement and thankfulness she didn't wake up til about 6:45 this morning. Couldn't have worked out any better, I think someone up stairs knew I needed a solid 8 hour refueling. We just had biscuits, peanut butter, and syrup for breakfast and now just hanging out about to feed Glory when she wakes up. And to make it even better I have about 4 lbs of meat going on a 48 hour soaking adventure in a beef jerky marinate, then tomorrow afternoon the drying begins. So far so good.

Ferg's Friday Five

Favorite things about NYC in no particular order.
1.Central Park
2.John's Pizza, Grimaldi's Pizza, Lombardi's Pizza you get the point
3. View from the top of the Empire State Building or Top of the Rock
4.Walking the Brooklyn Bridge at Sunset
5.The bright lights of the city at night

In Memory of...

I still remember the day we brought him home Keelie held him so tight keeping him warm, safe, and secure. They locked eyes the whole way home and you could feel special bond forming. His name was Frankie Oscar Ferguson and he was our first pet we shared as a married couple, a miniature short haired dachshund. He held a special place in a our heart, when we found him in the classifieds after many days searching we knew he was the one because we found out he was actually born on December 15 the day we were married, so it was a no brainer when we drove to Justin, TX and picked him up. Frankie was good dog my best friend right through it all if i die...wait a minute he's the one that almost died a couple times. When he ate a metal rod, tore the wires out of an electric blanket, or the time he dug a tunnel under the carpet in the game room between the carpet and pad, and several more occasions come to mind. Frankie slept in a baby play pen until he chewed a hole through it then he moved to our bed where he slept until the day he moved on to a better place(actually to a friends house that had another dachshund he could play with best decision for the both of us.) I can go on all day about the destruction and $$$$ we spent on him but in the end he'll always have a special place in the Ferguson household history books and hearts. We love you and miss you Frankie(not really the last one.) All joking aside he was a good dog with just a little case of ADD.

Ferg's Friday Five

Favorite flavors of ice cream in no particular order.

1.Chocolate
2.Great Value (WM brand) Cherry Vanilla
3.Cookies and Cream
4.Blue Bell's Strawberries and Homemade Vanilla
5.Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Shake a Little Dust and Rust Off

Today was a good day, I was able to dust off the sticks (it's been over a year since the last time I swung them because of school and everything else going on) to go to Lindale, TX and play in a scramble for work and get paid to do it. Always a good day when you can do that. Little worried about shaking off some rust but over all I would have to call it a pretty successful day. Had a couple 300 yd drives, great shots with 8-PW, and snuck in about a 20 footer for birdie. I had some horrible shots also, but I'm not going to complain because it was an absolute beautiful day in the woods of East Texas and it beat the alternative of sitting in front of a computer screen in slacks and dress shoes. I will be visiting another course hopefully in the next couple of weeks after the promising start to the new season.

I Need a Fishing Fix

It's been too long since I was standing in the middle of a river with my waders on, the rushing water up to my thighs, and casting that olive color woolly bugger on my fly rod waiting for that little nudge. It's been since last fall that I've been and that is ridiculous. I feel the trout and I have been apart way too long and we need a reunion and quick for both our sakes. All I need is a little time and a free weekend and I'm loading up the car with the family and taking a direct path to Broken Bow. There is only one problem with this idea the whole free weekend part, but I feel one hopefully coming up in the next month.

Poked, Prodded, Drained, and Violated

This past Tuesday morning I went in for what I thought was a basic and routine physical, but what I got was that and so much more.  It started off with the normal question and answer routine, some basic stretching, and slide into lets go draw some blood which wouldn't have been a big deal until they forgot to take a vile the first go round and then stabbed me again and missed, so went to the other arm and finally struck gold.  Next headed off to the physical therapy where I had to climb a ladder lift certain weights to specific heights...no biggie.  A hearing and vision test followed.  Then came take the cup and fill it to the black line with pee, I aced this with flying colors.  Next is when it all hit the fan as I thought I was done and getting ready to go I heard those dreaded words..."drop your pants and bend over the table I have to give you a prostate exam."  I'm not allowed to type what I was thinking in my head (trying to keep this thing PG-13) but you can imagine. This was not suppose to happen for another 12 years or so, and I hope it doesn't again any time soon.