Making life a little easier...

It's almost time for my little one to arrive...his due date is September 30, but I'm pretty sure we'll have him a little sooner based on his current size (almost 8lbs). With that in mind, I decided to put together a little list of things that will help him, (and ultimately you all) get through life a little easier. Some words of wisdom if you will...enjoy!!

**Mow against the grain. I promise…it’ll look better that way.

**When going for a cold drink, keep this in mind…canned drinks on average are 3 degrees colder than bottled drinks.

**Don’t step in the shower with your socks on…it’s just ruin your day.

**If you are watching a drive in movie in a truck, bring along a chair…the ruts in your truck bed will leave you sore for a week.

**If you are watching a drive in movie in a car, clean your windshield first. That onscreen kiss will look a lot better without a dead fly smeared all over the actors faces.

**Diet Dr. Pepper does not taste anything like regular Dr. Pepper, so leave it on the shelf. You’ll be much happier with yourself if you do.

**Always keep your receipts. The one time you will throw away a receipt will be the one time you need to return something.

**Research big ticket items before you buy them. You can learn a lot from product reviews by customers and professionals, and in the end, it’ll be worth it as you will have an item you are happy with.

**If it’s just you eating supper alone, you probably don’t need the large pizza “just in case”. You could do with the medium and still have some left over for tomorrow.

**No matter where you are at, always try to find a good isle seat. It’ll save you lots of trouble and you will not make nearly as many people mad if you have to get up and “excuse yourself” in the middle of the game, show or sermon.

**If you are going to talk on the phone in public, just use the phone, not the earpiece. It makes you look like a doof who talks to invisible people and belongs in an asylum. With restraints. Just trying to help you out here.

**If you are quite sure that a person doesn’t know what they are talking about, don’t argue with them or try to correct them. It’ll only make it worse. Just say “uh huh” and move on.

**Knock before opening a closed door. Especially if it’s a bathroom door.

**Always make sure you have enough gas to get you where you are going. If you don’t have enough, don’t go. The side of the road is not a fun place to be. Especially after dark.

**Don’t drink Mountain Dew right before you go to bed.

**If you go to rent a movie, don’t rent one you’ve never heard of. There are reasons you’ve never heard of those movies.

**The shortest lane at the grocery store will not always be the one to get you out the quickest.

**Never be the first person to volunteer in a group. You’ll only wind up with embarrassment.

**When deciding on a movie to watch, you can never, ever go wrong with a Die Hard movie.

**Never put your socks on in the dark. It doesn’t matter if they are both white. They will still end up not matching and being two different colors when you get to work.

**As old as the saying is, it is still true…nothing in life is free. Ever.

**If it’s too good to be true, it probably is. Move forward with extreme caution. You are more than likely about to get ripped off.

**An empty mailbox is a good mailbox.

**If you have a favorite shirt, don’t dry it in the dryer. Let it hang dry, otherwise your favorite shirt will shrink and have trouble fitting a midget. If you are looking for baby clothes however…

**Don't buy anything being sold over the phone.

**If you want to take a girl to a picnic on a date, make sure you don't take along food that needs cooked. (First hand experience there)

**Don't worry about the umbrella...it's much more fun to play in the rain, no matter how old you are.

**Don't go through the express lane if you have more than 15 items. If you do, everyone at the store will hate you. Even if they don't see you do it, they will know. Somehow. And hate you all the same.

**Let faster golfers play through. (If your like me, you'll have to)

**Don't go to the store on the 1st or the 15th of the month. Ever.

**Furthermore, don't go to the store until at least a month after Christmas. Those people are brutal.

**Speaking of Christmas, if you are looking for a Christmas movie to watch, you can never go wrong with Clark Griswold or Ralphie Parker.

**I'm leaving this space blank for anything else I might think of.

There you have it!! I've spent all day coming up with these "Philipisms" so jot them down, and remember them...maybe they'll make a difference, and maybe they'll just make you laugh, but either way, enjoy life.

I can't wait to meet you son.

Armstrongies

Okay, they come out at about this time every year and the wannabe's annoy the hec out of me. I call them the Lance Armstrongies. I'm sure you’ve seen them...they are bicycle riders. Now sure, bicycle riders are out year-round, but this is a different crop of riders if you will. Every year, you see a specific group of guys (and some gals) who don tight yellow or blue spandex jersey tops and tight spandex bike shorts and ride their bikes all around Gods creation, doing their best to look cool. It's just annoying. This "movement" if you will, only lasts about a month while the Tour De France is being ran and maybe a week or two after, but when they are out riding, I just want throw things at them. There is no point in it.
Now I know that some people actually participate in bicycle marathons and races locally, and that is one thing, but to see Joe six pack (Thanks Sarah) with his bald head and beer gut, wearing a spandex outfit, on a rail thin bike, is a bit much.
Furthermore, I would expect more from adults. I can understand children doing this...after all, what child doesn't want to immitate their childhood hero? It's what kids do. Hec, when I was young, I wanted to put on a football jersey, and go outside and act like I was Joe Montana. The problem here is, that we are talking about adults. You know what...if the Tour De France awakes some sort of "inner cyclist" in you, then fine...pull your old schwinn out of storage, air up the tires, and go on your merry way. But please...PLEASE do not feel the need to become a Lance Armstrongie and don a yellow or blue spandex top and tight spandex shorts. Leave the role playing to kids...I think it's great that you are a big fan, but please act your age...otherwise, you look like a dodo and trust me...nobody is buying your act.

Blog-o-rama

Hello my friends!! It's been quite a while (46 days and counting I believe...thanks for noticing Carrie). Either way, I thought I'd give you all something to read...I know, I really need to get on here and write more. It seems like when I was busy all the time, I had a lot to write about, but now that I'm not as busy and I have more time to write, nothing comes to mind. Strange...
So I'm just going to have a "random thoughts" post here...a blog-o-rama of sorts and just leave my thoughts on some random things...all for your enjoyment of course.

*Michael Jackson...hate that the guy died, and hate that he is probably burning in hell right now, but what I hate the most is the fact that we are not going to be able to turn on the tv, radio or computer for weeks without hearing about it. Much like what happened when Anna Nicole Smith died. You see, when people such as Michael Jackson pass away, the media begin to treat them like they are gods. It's really quite sickening. They seem to get more press than people who actually matter and who actually have a positive impact on the world. I think of people like the Pope, Mother Theresa, certain past US presidents...all people who have left this world a better place that when they got here. It's a shame that the people who give so little to society, get so much attention when they pass, compared the the people who give so much back. It's just a sad state of affairs, and unfortunately it's what our country has turned into.

*Lucky...So I finished mowing the yard Wednesday night and when I looked down, I realized I had mowed over a tiny baby bunny. He was about half the size of the palm of my hand. The most adorable thing I'd ever seen. I couldn't find a rabbit hole, or it's mother, so I took it in, and I am currently trying my best to raise the little guy to be a good, responsible adult rabbit...lol! Since Wednesday night, I have been bottle feeding the little guy and hoping he makes it. He seems ok at this point so far, but I've only had him for 3 days. From what I hear, most of the time, these little ones rarely make it away from their mother longer than a week, but I'm hoping to beat the odds with the little guy. He's a pretty cool bunny...likes to sniff and explore...still hasn't gotten the whole "hopping" thing down yet, but he's working on it. Wish him luck and good health!!

*Baby Parker...Olivia and baby are doing well!! Just getting ready to hit tri-mester #3! We have a Dr. appt. on July 1st and then just 3 short months till the little guy arrives. If you haven't heard it yet, we have decided on a name for the little guy. We've decided on Kyden Isaiah...we both fell in love with the name and we hope you all do as well. For some reason, though, everyone seems to think it's pronounced "Kayden", but it's not. It's Kyden...as in Ki-den. We are super thrilled about him and can't wait to meet him. Olivia has a web site set up where she updates her and the babies status and there is also a cool guest book you can sign...you should check it out!! The URL is: http://www.babysites.com/sites/littleguyparker/?seq=1

*Jon and Kate...if any of you continue to watch and/or support that show, shame on you. A sad example of the exploitation of children. The only people I feel for is the kids and it's sad to know that they will grow grow up no doubt being scared for life...it's more than enough that they have to have parents who don't love one another, but these kids are also having to live out this nightmare on telivision in front of millions. It's sad that these parents are making fame and fortune more of a priority than their own children.

Well, that about does it for now...out of time...I know I keep putton off my blog, but hopefully I can update it more often. I'm gonna make it a goal to update once a week...keep checking back and I look forward to your comments!! God bless!!

It's a boy!!!

Just a short note to everyone to let you know that baby Parker will be a BOY!! I'm so excited, and so is Liv. The only thing we can't agree on is a name. It seems like we've put every name we could think of on through the grinder, and we just can't settle on one. It seems that she likes the names I don't like, and I like the names that she doesn't. We were able to easily agree on a girl name, but alas, it was a boy, if for no other reason, then to make us have to pick out a name for him.
We are excited though, name or not. I'm thrilled that I'll have a little guy around. Everywhere I go I see fathers with their little boys and it makes me so excited to get the chance to raise a boy myself! I don't want him to grow up fast, but at the same time, I look forward to teaching him things and showing him things. Simple things, like camping, and fishing...I just hope I am a good dad and I'm sure with the Lord's help, I will be. I think about what a great dad my father was, and I wonder sometimes if I'll be able to be that kind of dad to my son. Sometimes, I feel inadequate, as there are so many things I don't know that I feel like my dad knew at my age. I guess though, with time, I will learn those things, and be able to pass the knowledge along to my son much like my dad has passed knowledge on to me. I look forward to the challenge!
I'm sure Olivia will make a wonderfull mommy. She is one of the funnest people to be around, and I can only imagine how much fun it will be to her to have a little one to play with and take care of.
We are both looking forward to the wonderful day that the little guy arrives! Due date is September 30th, so it's coming fast... It seems like there is so much to do between now and then...shopping for baby furnature, painting, all sorts of things. It'll all be worth it though when my little man arrives!
In the meantime, we need name suggestions!! We like a couple of names, but aren't settles on them yet. I think one name we like specifically is Alexander. It will work as a first or middle name, but we need something to go with it!! Let us know what you think and what suggestions you might have!! You never know...you may just help in naming our little guy!
Thats about all for now. Just keep us in your prayers...Olivia especially since she is the one doing all the "leg work" (or should I say "belly work") on this. We'll keep everyone posted! Thanks for your thoughts and God bless!

A Miracle

As we sat there in the waiting room, a million thoughts filled my head, none of which had to do with the Sports Illustrated magazine I held in my hand. I was pretty much just going through the motions of turning the pages, not bothering to read what was on them. I’m not even sure I was paying attention to the pictures. It was a fairly quiet morning. The others in the waiting room were sitting there quietly waiting their turn, just as we were.
Our morning in the waiting room had been something that we had been waiting on since early in February. The days had passed so slow from then till now, but the time had finally come and here we were, waiting to hear what I already knew.

That I was going to be a daddy!!

Sure enough, our turn came, and I followed my wife to the back, where they dropped me off in a waiting room and scurried her off to somewhere unknown to me. After what seemed like an eternity, they reappeared and told me to follow them. They lead us even further back into the office where they had us wait in yet another waiting room. This made the 3rd waiting room for me, but at least I got to hang out in there with my wife. It was just the 2 of us and one older lady who wasn’t much for conversation, so the two of us just sat there and talked. Then, they finally called us back to another room where they went over some general stuff with us about the “do’s and don’ts” of being pregnant. Then they finally whisked us off to the last room.

You know, nothing can quite compare to seeing your own little baby for the first time in the womb. It really is a miracle to behold. I will never forget the seeing the little guy (I’ve reserved myself to think it’s a boy) kick his arms and legs for the first time. It was a moment I will always remember. The miracle of life in its early stages truly is the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. The way I felt at that moment was un-describable. I felt like a new person, like I had a whole new lease on life…it was really quite amazing. To be able to see God’s handiwork first hand. Then, just when you think it can’t get any better, you hear the heartbeat-for those of you who have experienced this, you know what I’m talking about, and for those of you who haven’t, words can’t describe how amazing the moment is. The first time you hear your baby’s heartbeat, and see your baby move in the womb. It’s amazing how people can see things like that and still not believe in God. There is truly nothing in the world quite like it…the beginning of a new life!

Baby Parker is due around the end of September, and I can’t wait!! I can’t wait to hold the little guy in my arms and rock him to sleep…I never thought I’d be so excited about having a baby, but I am thrilled. I hope each and every one of you will pray for Olivia and I as well as the little one as we go through the next 7 months or so. No matter if it’s a boy or a girl, we hope that it is a healthy baby, and we pray that we will be the parents that God would have us be. We are so excited to be starting on this new journey, and this new chapter of our lives. We are so thrilled that God has given us such a wonderful gift. I know it will change our lives, but I am looking forward to joy’s and challenges ahead. And for the record, there is nobody in this world that I would rather have by my side through these years ahead than my amazing, most wonderful wife Olivia. Thank you Jesus.