It is hard to believe it has been 2 months since I actually posted anything. I look back to last year and I was able to sit down and write something every week, even if it wasn’t important. The interesting thing is I have so much more to write about these days but not enough time to sit down and do it. Life is complicated and people go through so many changes over time. Last year I needed an outlet for what was in my head to keep my happy but recently someone reminded me that I am the one that can make me happy. We evolve and adapt and I have to say I couldn’t be happier with where my path has lead me, even if it has been filled with twists, turns and a couple of fallen trees. I have great family and two amazing girls in my life (woman and girl may be a better description). Friends can be busy, but they are always there when you need them. I work for a company that appreciates me and I can actually trust. There is even always money in the bank accounts! If I had only one wish, it would be for more time to enjoy everything there is to enjoy in this world. Everyone has stress and problems but I guess I am learning it is easier not to get caught up disappointment when there is so many more things to look forward to. That being said, lets see if I can do a quick run down of recent events.

The funniest thing that comes to mind, learning (after 13 years in Lincoln) that the city parks close at 11:00 PM (but it is too much work to close the gate when the park is closed). That earned me a couple fines for $70 per person. I complained and it was dropped to court costs only ($45 per person) but after reading the police report I learned that some police officers will say whatever they want to justify a ticket. It is nice to know they don’t have better things to lie about than two people sitting at the park talking. Cece and I headed up to South Dakota for a camping weekend with her parents at Lake Francis Case. This was over her birthday weekend in mid-July. Being out on a boat all weekend really brought back memories of growing up and honestly I came home thinking “hmmmm, I really should buy a boat!”.

Sandy Orwig and Austin Hanson at the Lake - 07.25.2009

We left in the boat on Saturday morning with all the gear for two days and came back Sunday. Cece and I put up a tent on the beach and her parents slept in the cabin of the boat. You’d think two days with no land and we’d be ruffing it but really, we had plenty of awesome food and cold beverages for the whole weekend that it didn’t even seem like camping (aside from the giant campfire that still had some glowing embers when we woke up). The Fourth of July was pretty uneventful but Jesse had his big Fourth bash and like usual the food was good, the fireworks were awesome and the company was great. My parents threw a family BBQ a few weekends ago. My cousin Ryan (and his family) was back from South Carolina. There is a lot that could be said about the unnecessary “drama” that led up to this event; I am just really glad I got to spend time with Ryan, Sally and their kids. Sometimes extended family grows distance and you never know how cool it is to have family that lives in a different part of the country when you only get to see them every few years. I am just thankful someone in the family is willing to setup get-togethers to keep the family close. Tomorrow Cece and I are leaving for Minnesota for the weekend. I have a cousin (Darrick) up there, so some of the family is making the trip to see what Minnesota life is like before it gets blistering cold. It may sound odd, but I haven’t seen any live music since my last post I don’t think, although there is officially 6 concerts I would have liked to go to during the 4 days I will be in Minnesota; Go figure!

I had the chance to catch up with an old friend I grew up with, Jason Sellers, not to long ago. It was a good time hearing all the stories of people I grew up with. Hopefully we can do it again some time. I decided to set the aquarium back up because I thought Sandy would enjoy it. It cost a lot more than I expected considering I used to have it set up, but as I sit here there is all sorts of aquatic action going on right beside me. Sandy really likes the Princess Cinderella fish (the Beta) and the dancing crab. Sadly, this is the 2nd Princess Cinderella fish because the first one was pretty much destroyed by a disgruntled barb that decided to take no prisoners one day while I was at work; there is still an entire Bala Shark missing! The fish was netted and trapped at the top and I have no clue how he even got out. The story of the dancing crab is much more depressing… he is apparently somewhere in the basement because he got out while I was at work all because I didn’t take the time to cut new plexi-glass for the new hood. If you happen to see a 2″ claw laying in a corner some day, don’t be alarmed. Sandy loves the aquarium though so it was all worth it. Time to finish packing for a long weekend.