Barrier

Barrier, originally uploaded by AmateurX.

Yeah, I think I want a Chi-Rho

I've been wanting a new tattoo for ages. I have a place picke out (on the inside of my forearm) I just haven't decided what to get. I think I want one of these.

I really want to show you the pic, but I don't want to hot-link.  Please check out this link above for all the cool pics.


Technorati Tags: tattoo, Chi-Rho, body-art

Flewallen Family Reunion

Flewallen family reunion from Mark Nielsen on Vimeo.

Here's a video of Laura's family reunion over the 4th of July. Hillbillies, fireworks, guns, and fire, what more can you ask for? Click thru for the hi-def version!

Halt the endless wanting!

Today I read this fantastic blog-post on GetRichSlowly called You Can't Always Get What You Want.  He made the distinction between wanting by itself, and satisfying those wants.  This is my exact problem.  I want to satisfy every want I have, regardless of financial consequences.  It's good to want, but not necessarily to satisfy every want you have.  This might be one of my New Year's resolutions.  "...to differentiate the wants I can/should satisfy, and those I can't/shouldn't.  Every person in the U.S. needs to read this article. 

Technorati Tags: money, blog,

SV at Bean & Leaf

SV at Bean & Leaf from Mark Nielsen on Vimeo.

Parenting is more than just the "do's" and the "don't's"

Last Wednesday (10/29/08) I took the girls out to dinner at National Coney Island. We were out and had the opportunity to grab some food outside the house for a change. The kids were pretty excited. They both chatted the whole time, while eating, & coloring on their place-mats. Little Tessa was going on & on about how she wanted her birthday there... (I need to note that this conversation was funny in and of itself, but is not the main focus of this post.) She eventually decided that she wanted to go to Red Robin because they sing, cheer, & bring dessert. Buried in this discussion though, I could see she just wanted to go out to dinner. ...and not just the whole family, but with me specifically. It broke my heart.

It wasn't long ago that I posted about how I was going to take each of the kids out to breakfast, individually, so we can have some quality one-on-one time. Fears of heart attack, and obesity have stifled my plans. I have come to realize, it's not the meal. It's the time. I'm thinking we could go grocery shopping, for that matter, and have a good time.

The more I think about it though, the more I realize it's state of mind. I need to be aware that wherever I am, whatever I'm doing, I could be spending time with the kids. Logistically this could get a little crazy, but I think if it's in my heart, the logistics will follow.