2026-11-14
Andy got 2nd place in his division too!!! 🥈🎉❣️
We both got great loot bags! You can see the results and how they organized the standings based on a combo of times and number of tricks landed. Fun day for both of us and even better to do it together.
It turns out, I won 2nd place! 🥈🎉
I guess most folks couldn’t land all 23 tricks on stage at speed and the scoring highly favored those that could. I got this great bag of loot including a trophy Kendama and two others. The orange Bahama Kendama egg is kind of interesting too.
Figure out how to play with my pizza
The crispy brown underside looks pretty good with the lighting behind it. Makes me want a pizza :)
2026-11-13
Andy landing the handle stall in his advanced division run
He didn’t even know that trick was in his list until we walked in the door that morning…
I guess someone stepped on my coffee cup…
I left my seat for a bit. When I came back, my coffee cup would no longer hold coffee like it once did. Oh well, it was probably time for a new one anyhow…
My big fun money expenditure for the weekend
I got a new kind of skill toy that looks really yummy too haha. A pizza spinner! Something new to learn and play with. $20, barely more than the cost of a temporay pizza haha.
It’s nice that Andy can have pride in where he works
We’re proud of him too, and carry the same pride for the neighborhood business as well. It’s fun to run into them around town.
2026-11-12
Jawa trading post open for business!
This was a fun, Star Wars themed booth at the toy show. He would offer some kind of trade in exchange for your donation. Now words, just offers and silent negotiations. It was pretty fun to watch and was a cool booth. The kids seemed to love it!
THIS old guy competing with a kendama…
The trick list was such that I fell into the beginner speed ladder division. I practiced up and gave it a go. My showing was much better this time around (compared to the last one). I was stoked! I managed to land all 12 tricks and did so fast enough that I had a chance. The nerves were CRAY, but I somehow managed to push through. Everybody cheered and Andy ran up and through a giant bear hug on me! He said, “That’s the best performance he’s ever seen me do!” Whatever the result, THAT was the best reward. He’s a great hype man❣️
The obligatory warm-up shot
Here, Andy’s warming up for the kendama contest while the Toy of The Year nomination finalists were being presented. Crazy thing is he’d practiced last year’s trick list by mistake… So he adjusted, and learned the correct one on the fly. We will see how he does… 🤞🏻
2026-11-11
It was fun to see what was new in toys and games
The contest was running at and during this show. We were there with thousands of kids and their parents.
Illinois state kendama contest
We headed to Chicago this past weekend. This might be the smallest contest in the biggest venue we’ll ever do haha. It was at the Rosemont convention center which is where we used to do a lot of trade shows when I was at Invotec. At least I knew my way around. Andy was impressed by the size of the place until I told him it was the small one in Chicago hahaha.
One minute in Chicago…
…and Andy is already in pipe heaven. Even more interesting was the next one down where the long sweep elbow was covered in duct tape???
Tropical dials? AND I think I got it running…?!
Have you ever heard of “tropical dials”? The sun ages the paint. This one used to be dark blue, faded to black and now this deep purple when in direct sunlight. Pretty awesome. From 1979. My childhood watch.
Bonus, after working on the case, movement, hands, lubrication, and stem, I think I have it running and telling the right time and date. Starting a second 24 hour test now… 😃
2026-11-10
I like Stinger, the Blue Jackets mascot.
Julie says she likes Puck Chop better (one of the Cyclone’s mascots)/
Andy managed to catch this cool pic at just the right time.
Here is both the still and the Live Photo
But first we had to take the kids to hockey!
We managed to get all four to their first majors hockey game by snagging some BOGO seats. Tuesday was John and Savannah, Thursday was Andy and Sophie. They won 7-2 on Tuesday and went to a shoot out Thursday and won 1-2. Two great games made even better with family. We even all got t-shirts on Thursday.
Andy and I have been practicing up…
…We headed to this competition over the past weekend. I liked their graphic too.
More thoughts on quiet time…
I’ve read through the bible several times us in various translations and methods over the years. I like to highlight things that resonate or hit me different each time through. Most recently, I’ve been doing it using this book from Nancy Guthrie. I read the passages, her notes, then journal what stands out to me. I usually hit a highlight from the day before too. Here was one example from late last year that I liked.
A couple friends have been asking me about ideas for their own studies lately. Reach out if you have questions about how it’s worked for me or whatever.
2026-11-09
Processing the fall leaves…
Left to right: the process of “mowing” the leaves, the results, and then the next day…
You have to do it a few times to keep up with it hahaha.
PSA to blow your mower off when you’re done
Here’s how mine looked when I finished mowing leaves, and also after I hit it with my leaf blower. Big improvement. Also, the grass and leaves hold moisture against the steel and cause rust and other issues. Even the pulley bearings get jammed up with stuff!
What is attacking our trees…
This will be the third young locust that something has destroyed… The first two got pushed over and uprooted when there were pretty young… But this one is pretty firmly established and has been clawed all to pieces almost all the way around the base! Bobcat? Badger? Something else? Just a regular neighborhood cat? Who knows?!
I forgot about my Bible word studies over the years
A friend was asking for my advice and experience on deeper Bible studies or devotions. I talked over how’d I had picked some books and worked through them using this deep dive word study process. It reminded me of my colors, icons, questions, and methods I had used. Hit me up if you want to talk further about how it worked for me?
Waiting for the next adventure
The dogs can sense when I’m about to get up off the couch they start gathering around, waiting. Then they sometimes get bored and fall back asleep. Haha. they were right, we went on a walk shortly after this. :)
2026-11-08
College hockey is fun too!
Especially when you get to see the Buckeye’s ruin Michigan’s perfect season 😈
2026-11-07
Blue and gold does make a pretty color combo
We got to see Michigan play Ohio State in men’s hockey. My mother had the audacity to text me, “Go Blue”… 👿
We got distracted on the way into the Buckeye’s hockey game 🤪
The buckeye lady was calling our name….!
We had lunch at our old BK, I mean McDonald’s…
Wow, this new store layout is about as cold, sterile and impersonal as you can get. You don’t even see a person except for the moment they call your number…
You might lose Andy and me here for a while….
…In case you never hear from us again, we were last seen at this booth in the antique mall…
Andy and I decided to check out some of the tools by stopping here on the way home. Funny part was, I had a hard time getting him to this booth since he wanted to stop at most of the booths along the way to browse other cool things. Fun, I think we have some future activities we can plan to hit other places :)
2026-11-06
Only Andy…
…just standing there having a casual conversation holing a FOUR FOOT pipe wrench he’d just bought. Hahaha. Look at the size of those jaws compared to his HEAD!
Facebook marketplace adventures with Andy…
This was the address given in Zanesville. We pulled up and thought it might be abandoned… Cool house, but man it needs some love.
Flat tire!
Chloe does great on our various adventures (walk, hike, care rides, etc.). I’ve wondered what her tolerance is since her design isn’t quite optimal for such things, haha.
She finally gave up the other day. She’d walked three miles with Laura and two days later I embarked on another around our block. At about two miles in this is what she did! I carried her for over a half a mile before I finally gave up and had her mommy come rescue her. I was rucking by accident… With a 45-pound bag…
Even better, I had an audience, Andy happened to drive by at the exact moment I was waiting for Julie (Julie was on the way) and he saw me (then saw Julie) and wondered what in the world I had done to need rescuing. 🤪
Seen on a beautiful walk at our “neighbors”
The paths at John and Savannah’s place are looking pretty nice these days❤️
2026-11-05
I picked up some new flavors for us to try…
The deep fried ones were pretty good. Just tasted like sweeter Oreos, which is about right. The Chicken and Waffle were a little odd. Mostly got a taste of syrup, and a hint of a smell of fried chicken. I got enough for one for each of the four of us. Andy got a whiff of the chicken ones and wouldn’t even try it, hahahaha.
Nice start to a day with Andy
He and I were on a Facebook Marketplace quest and we started the say at Waffa (our old Waffle House). We even got to see our waitress Jeannine❣️
This pic is our view of the sunset over the new McD’s.
2026-11-04
STILL splitting wood at Jabez last week.
They heat the whole rec center with wood. We have three woodsheds that need to be filled before the weather turns. We’re about halfway through the last one now.
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