Life is better topless

As many of you know, I have kind of a small fetish for Jeeps. I can't help it. I think they are the best constructed, longest lasting vehicles on the planet. Well okay, maybe not longest lasting (I've seen some rust buckets) but for the type of driving I do around here (mud, snow, and pavement) a Jeep is the only way to go.

For the last 3 years I have had a 1994 Jeep Cherokee Sport. It's proven to be the most reliable car I've ever owned. Maybe that can be contributed to the fact that I actually took care of it (maintenance does make a difference) but I think it's a combination of care and a good product. For the last 27 years (how long ago did Uncle John have the CJ?) I've wanted a Jeep CJ or Wrangler, and for the last 10 years I have found a few worth buying. If the deal was right, the credit was wrong, and if the credit was right, the deal was wrong. In the last couple of years I have been actively looking and researching and trying to find just what I wanted. And for the first time, I forced myself into staying picky. And I found exactly what I wanted, at exactly the price I was looking at. It's a 1998 Jeep TJ Sport. It has a 6cylinder engine (4.0L) and an automatic transmission. But you people don't care about that... you want to see it. Well folks, here it is. Matt's new Jeep. I know it's not Forrest Service Green like the Cherokee, but try to like it anyway... :-)

Yes, it has a top. It has two actually. It came with a full soft top and a bikini top. It also has full doors with glass windows rather than the half doors with plastic windows. It also came with a set of diamond plate aluminum half doors for the "custom" look. I have also ordered my first upgrade. If you look closely in the pictures, you'll see no side mirrors. They are attached to the doors. I have ordered relocation brackets that will move them to the windshield frame. Gotta have those side mirrors. :-)

Anyway, I just wanted to share with everyone. It's a blast to drive and I think everyone should own one. :-) If you want, the lot I purchased from has three more. I get $100 referral if you buy one... :-) Just putting that out there. :-)

Vacation or vacation?

The past few years we have taken vacation as a family. Two years ago, it was Arizona and Las Vegas. Last year it was the Oregon Coast. A few years back it was Wallowa Lake. All of these places were fantastic. Especially Wallowa Lake. It was our honeymoon... :-)
Correct me if I'm wrong here but when you go on vacation it's almost like you need another vacation to recover from it before going back to work. You are so busy at work for the whole year, and then you are busy on vacation, and all you really want to do is relax.
All of that said, I chose this year to be relaxing. I think its the "Year of the Lazy Boy". I decided early this year (January 2nd to be exact) that I was going to schedule my vacation days in advance, but I was not going to go anywhere. I would like to report that I just finished my first of two weeks vacation and all is well. I didn't go anywhere and upon returning to work I actually feel rested. I feel like I had time off. Time away from stress and deadlines and all that cra... uh, stuff. I feel like I can complete the day without wanting to reach through the phone, grab a customer by the throat and squeeze until orange juice flows from their once lively veins. Okay, that may be an exageration, but anyone that has worked in a call center will understand completely.
So that brings up the question: Vacation, or VACATION? Do you go somewhere and enjoy family time, or do you just stay home and do nothing? Which is better? Although I don't really feel like I had any time off when we have gone on family vacations (driving from Milton-Freewater OR, to southern AZ, back through Vegas in 7 days with two teenage boys in the back seat of a VW Passat still gives me nightmares) the family time is still necessary. I love the fact that we are able to go on vacations and enjoy our time together. Well, other than the time spent in the car I suppose... :-) And then on the flip side of that coin, sometimes you just need some time to yourself. Time to stand in the yard and think "I don't have to do anything today". Light a fire in the back yard (we have a fire pit) and sit there staring up at the stars at night. Go to bed when you want, wake up when you want... it was like summer vacation as a kid. It was great.
I guess what I'm saying is I really don't have an answer to the question. Family time is wonderful and traveling to places I wouldn't go myself was priceless. Staying home and enjoying some "me" time was just as enjoyable though. All in all, I feel more rested than I have ever before but I'm not really sure that should be the deciding factor, although the customers I normally would have wanted to cause harm to may disagree... :-)
I hope you have enjoyed my rambling. Let me know what you think...

Ah the life!

Hello again. I know, I know, it's been a long time since my last post. I'm not very good at keeping up on these things. You would think working for a national internet provider that I would be better at it. Oh well. I guess you could say I don't really have much to talk about on the day to day.
It finally warmed up around here though. My Dad was in town this last weekend. We all went out to Dayton and watched my nephews launch their rockets that Dad and I helped them build last fall. We also found out that we can launch them on our own as long as we don't go any higher than a C class engine. That makes this a much more enjoyable hobby for us. We don't have to wait for the organized launches. David was able to take a really great picture as Micah's rocket launched. I'll have to get it from him and post it later.
My two boys were in awe of the rockets, so Dena and I bought them each a rocket to build. Bryan and I will do his this coming weekend and Kaleb and I will do his the weekend visit after that as he's going camping with his aunt and uncle this weekend. At any rate, I think I'm looking more forward to the building then they are. Time spent together is time well spent.
Oh, an update: Haven't smoked in 52 days. At least not first hand. I was surrounded by smokers this weekend so it was hard not to breathe it in at some point, but I haven't smoked on purpose in 52 days. :-) I'll be heading up to Seattle next week on my vacation and considering everyone up there smokes in their houses it's going to be challenging to say the least. I can do it though. I'm strong. :-)
Well everyone, I hope your spring is going well. Ours has been wet and cold so far but is getting better. I'll be posting more as more happens. Love to all.

Thank you

Thank you everyone for your support. I truly appreicate it. And you'll all be proud to know that I have now made it 26 days and counting.
I gotta go for now though. Just wanted to say thank you.

19 Days and counting

Okay, so 19 days ago, I came down with the flu. It's been a long time since I have been that sick. However, looking back, I wouldn't change a thing. You see, I have quit smoking.

Yep, that's right. I am currently a non smoker. I say "currently" because who knows if it will last or not. What I will say though is that it has been really, REALLY easy for me because the first 6 days of quitting I didn't want one because I was so sick. So really, all I'm having to do is break the habbit rather than fight the addiction. The withdrawls were over before I could even think about wanting a cigarette.

Here's the crappy thing though. I have 9 unopened packs of Marlboro's in my freezer now. I had just bought the carton before I got sick. What a waste of $39.00. Yes, only $39.00. I live in Oregon where they were $38.75 until just recently when the taxes increased them $12 a carton. :-) Why do you think I kept smoking, it was still cheap here... well, relatively speaking.

So wish me luck everyone. I think I may have actually kicked the habbit this time. Only time will tell but I'm doing well and breathing easier every day.

Time for a happy dance

How did you spend your last days of winter? Me, I had the flu. Yep, strapped to my chair for a week. It was not fun, but there is a silver lining. You never know how good you really feel most of the time, until you really are sick. Oh, and another silver lining: I haven't had a cigarette in 11 days. I was planning on quitting in May, but since I wasn't smoking anyway being sick, I figured I'd do it now. And it's been amazingly easy. I've had a few cravings but really not many. I don't really miss it at all.
So now it's spring and it's beautiful outside. The happy dance is for the fresh cut grass, and the smell of BBQ in the air. Sleeping with the windows open, and driving with them down. You don't need the heater, or the air conditioner. Life is absolutely perfect.
I hope that everyone is having as good a time as I am this spring.

Groundhog? How does he know.

I can't tell you how ready I am for Winter to be over with. I'm really starting to not like the color white. I went to bed last night and had green grass, but I woke up this morning and it was all white again. Yesterday I was out in the shop with the door open working on the Jeep. It was windy out but it was sunny. Then I looked out and it was friggin snowing again. "Are you kidding me?" I'm tired of the way my yard looks, the fact that I can't keep my car clean, the clouds and wind... everything. I used to like winter, what happened to me? I think it was living in Seattle.. :-) (Just kidding Dad...)
With nice weather comes bon fires in the yard, kids playing outside, BBQ's, camping trips, friend and family visiting from the other side of the state (and other parts of the country for that matter). As if that weren't enough to make me love the summer time, vacation is just an added bonus. This year I'm not yet planning on going anywhere for my vacation, although I may head over to Seattle for a couple of days. I'm going to spend a majority of the time in my yard. I have about 8 bushes that are going to become firewood. :-)
As I type this I glanced out the window to find that it's snowing. Only it's not real snow. It's the kind of snow that looks like the insides of a bean bag chair. It's what I call "crap snow". It's not even pretty to look at. It's disturbing. Like living in a snow globe where some drunk idiot keeps shaking the damn ball. :-) It's time to warm up here. The Groundhog said 6 more weeks of winter. It has been 5 weeks as of today. So next Tuesday if it's still snowing, I'm going to track that little rat down and have him over for dinner. That will be the first bar-b-que of the season. :-) Grilled Groundhog.
Well, thanks for playing along. More to come with warm weather. :-)