I've just come from Nikki and Steve's where a party is in full force. They are great about inviting their neighbors and friends over and tonight they are playing Mexican Train dominos, it was the biggest game I've ever seen with lines extending everywhere since 8 people were playing. The food was great, the house was filled with the sounds of many children of various ages all having fun. I can only imagine what it will be like to clean up in the morning!
I sat in a recliner and had a chance to reread the book so carefully prepared by Karen Cress at the time of Nan's passing. How good it was to see the photos which reach from the time she was a baby until the end when she was very ill. There are so many precious memories tucked between the covers of that book and its been awhile since I read mine. Karen did such a great job of preparing the book and Nikki scanned hundreds of pictures to make it possible. Once again thanks to both of them for the work they did.
Nan would have loved this Christmas so much for as the little ones are growing up and their personalities are developing its even more fun to be with them, to hear them, watch them and treasure these days. Nan was into family in a huge way and Kallie and I sat in the chair and turned the pages as I told her what she was seeing, first baby pictures of Nan, then baby pictures of Nikki and finally baby pictures of Keanna and Timothy, Kallie and Mia were not born until after Nan's passing.
As I sat in the chair I was in text contact with friends like Marilyn in Rhode Island and Pam in Portland, Janice in Antioch and so on. I am so thankful to have great friends, a super family and the blessings of life itself.
And so a new year has been thrust upon us, our president is determined to ruin our economy by raising taxes on people like myself, people who work to create small companies but are somehow now the enemy, the wealthy already pay 70% of all taxes in this country, what is our fair share? 80%, 90%? And where are the spending cuts? Oh that will come later, there is absolutely no sign that there will be any spending cuts, oh yes there will be at some point in the future because we are going down fast, borrowing 45% of every dollar the government spends. That cannot continue but once again there appears to be no concern about what we are putting on the backs of our children, huge debts. Just Obama care is set to hit us all with 1 trillion in new taxes starting tomorrow, taxes on medical equipment used for the care of sick people, a huge reduction in medical savings accounts where people could put money aside to cover their future medical expenses, when will American wake up? This will be a terrible year in many ways as government expands even more, its choking my business, I waste hours every day trying to comply with new government regulations as I write appraisals. None of it is helping move America forward, none of it is creating jobs for desperate people, many of which are minorities who have even higher unemployment numbers that whites.
But I want to remind myself and each of you that God knows, He cares and He will see us through but our lives are going to get more complicated with less freedom in the coming months. It is hard to see how God can work through this mess but I know He will. Its been interesting to read about the chaplain of the senate and his prayers before sessions, he is Barry Black, a member of my church, the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Well wishing all of you a happy new year, working together with our friends and family we can make the best of a very bad situation.
Love to all,
Tim
Monday, December 31, 2012
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Life has rich moments
Dear Family and Friends,
I've just come home from an evening at the Oakland Zoo with the family, the entire zoo was decorated with Christmas lights and it was beautiful. The kiddos had a super time and we adults enjoyed it too. Seeing little Mia wiggle her way up to the glass so she could see the ants in action, Kallie carrying her new animal from Build a Bear with her everywhere, Keanna being the social director and Timothy taking it all in with his beautiful eyes. What special little bundles of joy they area.
Earlier we had met at the California Pizza Kitchen for an early dinner and everyone found something great to eat, what a nice place to visit. We met in Pleasanton at the mall and were given great service.
I started the day at 6 am, rolled out at 5:59 and got to the alarm before it went off. After a quick shower and a quick breakfast it was on the road to Blackhawk, a high end development nestled in the foothills at the base of Mt. Diablo. The home I inspected was huge, 4,000 sf and on a point with about 200 degree views, inground pool, high end kitchen and huge family room with step behind wet bar and a fireplace which protruded into the room. It was nice, rooms were large, ceilings were high and flooring was new. As I walked outside taking photos the morning air was still freezing which tended to quicken my steps just a bit.
Once I was through inspecting then I turned to shooting comparable photos for this appraisal and another one that is very challenging that I'll work on tomorrow.
I've now had the fire burning non stop for about 3 days and the home is comfortable because of it. Love the new wood, worth the price. The heat is so much more enjoyable than just forced air furnace with its hot air and then cold spots.
We are fast approaching the end of this year, one that has contained suffering, heart break, times of joy, friendships and a family that is so easy to love. Sure we don't all agree on lots of things, we are bright, opinionated, stubborn folk but more than that we love each other and want to see each other succeed, be happy, be healthy and prosper. We all have our challenges and facing life as a family we can lighten each others load a bit from time to time. I love that.
Sending love to all,'
I've just come home from an evening at the Oakland Zoo with the family, the entire zoo was decorated with Christmas lights and it was beautiful. The kiddos had a super time and we adults enjoyed it too. Seeing little Mia wiggle her way up to the glass so she could see the ants in action, Kallie carrying her new animal from Build a Bear with her everywhere, Keanna being the social director and Timothy taking it all in with his beautiful eyes. What special little bundles of joy they area.
Earlier we had met at the California Pizza Kitchen for an early dinner and everyone found something great to eat, what a nice place to visit. We met in Pleasanton at the mall and were given great service.
I started the day at 6 am, rolled out at 5:59 and got to the alarm before it went off. After a quick shower and a quick breakfast it was on the road to Blackhawk, a high end development nestled in the foothills at the base of Mt. Diablo. The home I inspected was huge, 4,000 sf and on a point with about 200 degree views, inground pool, high end kitchen and huge family room with step behind wet bar and a fireplace which protruded into the room. It was nice, rooms were large, ceilings were high and flooring was new. As I walked outside taking photos the morning air was still freezing which tended to quicken my steps just a bit.
Once I was through inspecting then I turned to shooting comparable photos for this appraisal and another one that is very challenging that I'll work on tomorrow.
I've now had the fire burning non stop for about 3 days and the home is comfortable because of it. Love the new wood, worth the price. The heat is so much more enjoyable than just forced air furnace with its hot air and then cold spots.
We are fast approaching the end of this year, one that has contained suffering, heart break, times of joy, friendships and a family that is so easy to love. Sure we don't all agree on lots of things, we are bright, opinionated, stubborn folk but more than that we love each other and want to see each other succeed, be happy, be healthy and prosper. We all have our challenges and facing life as a family we can lighten each others load a bit from time to time. I love that.
Sending love to all,'
Saturday, December 29, 2012
My Heart is beating well...
This morning Pooka was ready for a walk and so was I. It was cold outside so I found the gloves, the cap and we headed out. I decided to wear the heart monitor just to be sure, what a delight it was to find that as I left the house the rate was in the low 60s and no matter how fast I walked at the park I could only get it up to 79, quite a difference from last time when with the heart flutter the rate was close to 140 once I go moving at the park. Once I got back I carried in some loads of wood from the wood stack and built a roaring fire, walnut really likes to burn!
Mid morning I showered and drove to church where I enjoyed the sermon by Rod Western, an all around great guy, an important part of the Tracy SDA church. Afterward I was anxious to get home so I went by Taco Bell, had a bean burrito and diet coke with no ice.
Once home I changed to some sweats and a sweater and headed outside to keep trying out the new heart rhythm. I pulled the 12 foot plastic boat to the back deck and out of the way, then I set up a bridge of boards and plywood over the missing deck section and using the old wheel barrow I moved several loads of firewood to the back deck, to its wood holder which is complete with a cover to ward off the rain. Once I had the wood carrier about 3/4 full I turned to the task of getting all the water out of the floating paddle boats. That task took some doing, I laid out a big towel, put my body flat on the dock and reached down with various tubs and containers from the kitchen and dipped out the water, that took a while and the first and newest boat was too heavy for me to pull up on the dock even when I had it empty. The second and original paddle boat was lighter and I pulled it up on the dock, tipped it over and it is ready for winter. By this time I was very tired but pleased that I could tackle little tasks that needed attention. I love the fresh air, had no coughing and it felt great to use the muscles once again.
I came in and built up the fire, made a nice pasta dinner. My blood sugar when I came in was 91, that pleased me, mid morning it was 114 which is also a good number.
This evening I've sat and munched popcorn, watched episodes of Rizolli and Isles and enjoyed the fire so much. Right now the temp is 71 based on the heat generated by the fire.
I'm happy to report that friend Pam has completed her journey to Washington State safely in spite of ice and snow and some rough conditions on the mountains.
I have an appointment at 8 in Blackhawk in the morning, what nit whit made that appointment? Oh wait it was me. The family living in the home are flying out mid day so they needed an early appointment. It will get me going.
So love to all, Please keep those facing special circumstances in your prayers.
Tim
Mid morning I showered and drove to church where I enjoyed the sermon by Rod Western, an all around great guy, an important part of the Tracy SDA church. Afterward I was anxious to get home so I went by Taco Bell, had a bean burrito and diet coke with no ice.
Once home I changed to some sweats and a sweater and headed outside to keep trying out the new heart rhythm. I pulled the 12 foot plastic boat to the back deck and out of the way, then I set up a bridge of boards and plywood over the missing deck section and using the old wheel barrow I moved several loads of firewood to the back deck, to its wood holder which is complete with a cover to ward off the rain. Once I had the wood carrier about 3/4 full I turned to the task of getting all the water out of the floating paddle boats. That task took some doing, I laid out a big towel, put my body flat on the dock and reached down with various tubs and containers from the kitchen and dipped out the water, that took a while and the first and newest boat was too heavy for me to pull up on the dock even when I had it empty. The second and original paddle boat was lighter and I pulled it up on the dock, tipped it over and it is ready for winter. By this time I was very tired but pleased that I could tackle little tasks that needed attention. I love the fresh air, had no coughing and it felt great to use the muscles once again.
I came in and built up the fire, made a nice pasta dinner. My blood sugar when I came in was 91, that pleased me, mid morning it was 114 which is also a good number.
This evening I've sat and munched popcorn, watched episodes of Rizolli and Isles and enjoyed the fire so much. Right now the temp is 71 based on the heat generated by the fire.
I'm happy to report that friend Pam has completed her journey to Washington State safely in spite of ice and snow and some rough conditions on the mountains.
I have an appointment at 8 in Blackhawk in the morning, what nit whit made that appointment? Oh wait it was me. The family living in the home are flying out mid day so they needed an early appointment. It will get me going.
So love to all, Please keep those facing special circumstances in your prayers.
Tim
Friday, December 28, 2012
Short and sweet
Dear Family and Friends,
After an exciting week filled with family and Christmas this is a quiet night. My new walnut firewood burns perfectly and I've kept the house at 70 all day with just a few logs. Now its burned down and out for the night.
Today was office day, trying to get caught up and almost making it happen. There were conditions to cope with, value challenges to battle and new reports to write. Just thankful to have work to do.
And so its time to head to bed and catch some much needed rest. Tomorrow I'll take Kallie to Sabbath School and hope that other children will attend as well.
So wishing all of you a quiet night of blessings and calm.
Love
tim
After an exciting week filled with family and Christmas this is a quiet night. My new walnut firewood burns perfectly and I've kept the house at 70 all day with just a few logs. Now its burned down and out for the night.
Today was office day, trying to get caught up and almost making it happen. There were conditions to cope with, value challenges to battle and new reports to write. Just thankful to have work to do.
And so its time to head to bed and catch some much needed rest. Tomorrow I'll take Kallie to Sabbath School and hope that other children will attend as well.
So wishing all of you a quiet night of blessings and calm.
Love
tim
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Saying good bye
I've just come from Lodi where I bid farewell to Pam, a lifelong friend who is making a huge change, has sold her home and is driving to the Seattle area. We had dinner and it was hard to see such a great friend for the last time for awhile. Yet she is delighted to be moving into her future and I'm very happy for her.
The rest of the day has been catch up work on appraisals. On one I could not make the sketch of the floor plan work out so I called, sought permission to come back and measure again and drove to Tracy. I carefully went over the house, found a series of small errors and now the sketch works, I don't have to go back very often but when it happens there comes a time to just cut the losses and drive back and solve the problem.
Sure seems different to have a quiet house, Pooka looks constantly for guests and just keeps looking.
This afternoon I had a 1/2 of cord of Walnut delivered and this time I paid to have it stacked as well. Of course I payed a lot more for it than what wood sells for up where my brother lives but this is the bay area and wood is like gold here.
Well I have to finish the Tracy one before I go to bed so I guess I'll say goodbye now to you and go back to work.
Love to all,
Tim
The rest of the day has been catch up work on appraisals. On one I could not make the sketch of the floor plan work out so I called, sought permission to come back and measure again and drove to Tracy. I carefully went over the house, found a series of small errors and now the sketch works, I don't have to go back very often but when it happens there comes a time to just cut the losses and drive back and solve the problem.
Sure seems different to have a quiet house, Pooka looks constantly for guests and just keeps looking.
This afternoon I had a 1/2 of cord of Walnut delivered and this time I paid to have it stacked as well. Of course I payed a lot more for it than what wood sells for up where my brother lives but this is the bay area and wood is like gold here.
Well I have to finish the Tracy one before I go to bed so I guess I'll say goodbye now to you and go back to work.
Love to all,
Tim
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Easing back into the working world
Dear Family and Friends,
I'm just back from a quick trip down to San Jose. There were a couple things left behind when the kids drove home this morning, it happens when you have so many things connected to little people. So after I completed a couple reports I loaded up the few things and drove down to Olive Garden where we met for dinner, I could not believe how well the kids ate their dinner and of course we adults did fine with our food as well. A very pleasant evening for sure and they had just come from the shipping center where they picked up Jo's new mini IPAD. They mentioned that they had already set up their Kurig and made hot drinks.
Son Steve is establishing a new office in an extra bedroom at their home, he is doing it right, new texture on the walls, new paint, crown molding and new internet hard wiring throughout the house. I had given Steve a little bit of money toward a new printer and Nikki reported he was able to get his new printer today. Gradually he is getting to the point where his office will be complete. It is a huge step forward for him and the whole family. The kids can play in the playroom while he works quietly in his private office, everyone wins.
Pooka, Jason and Jo's dog that now lives with me has spent the afternoon walking about looking for the kiddos, wondering why everyone left so suddenly. Ken, our next door neighbor, is busy removing an old apple tree that fell in the recent rain and wind storm and in the process the winch on his truck failed. Some days don't work out so well.
I inspected a beautiful home this morning in Brentwood, perfect in every way, a joy to inspect and then came back home to work with a small detour to Starbucks, you would not believe the line of cars and trucks waiting buy their favorite coffee! It took a few minutes to get to the window.
Now I'm heading to bed, what a very special last couple of days and the interesting people who make up our family made it so special. Not a quiet one in the bunch, everyone has ideas, beliefs and opinions and everyone just wants to make things better for each other, pretty nice.
So good night from here, love to all of you.
Tonight I ask that you remember Mr. Spiers, a long time teacher at MBA. On Christmas eve he had a serious stroke while vacationing at Lake Tahoe. He was air lifted to Reno where he faces severe challenges, he needs our prayers tonight and so does his precious family. His life hangs in the balance.
Tim
I'm just back from a quick trip down to San Jose. There were a couple things left behind when the kids drove home this morning, it happens when you have so many things connected to little people. So after I completed a couple reports I loaded up the few things and drove down to Olive Garden where we met for dinner, I could not believe how well the kids ate their dinner and of course we adults did fine with our food as well. A very pleasant evening for sure and they had just come from the shipping center where they picked up Jo's new mini IPAD. They mentioned that they had already set up their Kurig and made hot drinks.
Son Steve is establishing a new office in an extra bedroom at their home, he is doing it right, new texture on the walls, new paint, crown molding and new internet hard wiring throughout the house. I had given Steve a little bit of money toward a new printer and Nikki reported he was able to get his new printer today. Gradually he is getting to the point where his office will be complete. It is a huge step forward for him and the whole family. The kids can play in the playroom while he works quietly in his private office, everyone wins.
Pooka, Jason and Jo's dog that now lives with me has spent the afternoon walking about looking for the kiddos, wondering why everyone left so suddenly. Ken, our next door neighbor, is busy removing an old apple tree that fell in the recent rain and wind storm and in the process the winch on his truck failed. Some days don't work out so well.
I inspected a beautiful home this morning in Brentwood, perfect in every way, a joy to inspect and then came back home to work with a small detour to Starbucks, you would not believe the line of cars and trucks waiting buy their favorite coffee! It took a few minutes to get to the window.
Now I'm heading to bed, what a very special last couple of days and the interesting people who make up our family made it so special. Not a quiet one in the bunch, everyone has ideas, beliefs and opinions and everyone just wants to make things better for each other, pretty nice.
So good night from here, love to all of you.
Tonight I ask that you remember Mr. Spiers, a long time teacher at MBA. On Christmas eve he had a serious stroke while vacationing at Lake Tahoe. He was air lifted to Reno where he faces severe challenges, he needs our prayers tonight and so does his precious family. His life hangs in the balance.
Tim
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Christmas, a joyous time
So here I sit in a quiet house, a fire is burning in the stove, rain is falling outside and Jason and Jo are at a movie, grabbing a rare chance to be together for an evening without kiddos.
Now speaking of Kiddos, Mia, aged 2, did not want to give up and go to sleep without her parents, she was having none of it but Timothy faithfully reported to Pappa what was going down and finally about 2 hours after she was supposed to go to sleep she did, I think! I've not heard a peep from the two of them for awhile now.
This morning we rose, loaded up the presents in the back of the van and drove the short distance to Steve and Nikki's. There we ate a delicious breakfast and the kids dragged us to the tree which was bulging with Christmas cheer (presents).
We opened for over an hour and everyone was delighted with what they received. There were a lot of much needed clothes exchanged, toys and Keanna opened her new laptop last. She just called to thank me again for it and loves it. She has already figured out many different ways that Windows 8 works and she is delighted.
It has been so much fun to see the kids play and share things, Timothy and Mia are pretty amazing and Timothy teaches Mia so much. We eaten, napped, enjoyed roaring fires and just had a very pleasant casual day after coming home from Nikki and Steve's. I now have new jeans and one is lined, never had that before and it sounds great for cold inspections! There are new shoes, a new coded lock for the front door plus handle hardware, talk about a wonderful gift, I now have new sweaters and shirts, just right for the cold season and a cute little photo of Mia in its own frame.
And any time now the kids will return from the movies and we will all have a restful night, can I even begin to explain how joyous it is to have beloved family staying right here in the house!
I can only hope that your Christmas was very special to you in your own way. This is a nice time of year when we tend to stay inside due to the weather, to talk and listen to one another, to watch TV shows with history and meaning, to listen to excellent music. I've been going through my CDs that are in a huge Sony player that holds 300 CDs. I'm not sure how many Christmas CDs I have but they have been playing for 2 days and I'm not done yet. Of special joy are the CD's that Dr. Ahn created each Christmas, his choices were widely varied and the CDs make for excellent listening, they are in the mix and I love them.
Of course I can't move through Christmas without remembering how much Nan loved the entire season, she shopped, wrapped, baked, invited, hugged and make Christmas very special for the family but I have to say that Nikki and Steve really helped a lot this Christmas by having us all there last night and again this morning. It just felt good to hear the conversations, the humor, the dogs barking, the children playing and the sounds of great food being enjoyed.
And having Jason and Jo at my home has been very special, Jo and Jason have been cooling, baking and creating magic. The Kurig has been very busy producing good hot drinks and fires in the living room fireplace and family room wood stove have warmed the crisp air. Outside the snow globe faithfully watches over the front yard pumping snow over the little snowmen inside. What fun!
Now speaking of Kiddos, Mia, aged 2, did not want to give up and go to sleep without her parents, she was having none of it but Timothy faithfully reported to Pappa what was going down and finally about 2 hours after she was supposed to go to sleep she did, I think! I've not heard a peep from the two of them for awhile now.
This morning we rose, loaded up the presents in the back of the van and drove the short distance to Steve and Nikki's. There we ate a delicious breakfast and the kids dragged us to the tree which was bulging with Christmas cheer (presents).
We opened for over an hour and everyone was delighted with what they received. There were a lot of much needed clothes exchanged, toys and Keanna opened her new laptop last. She just called to thank me again for it and loves it. She has already figured out many different ways that Windows 8 works and she is delighted.
It has been so much fun to see the kids play and share things, Timothy and Mia are pretty amazing and Timothy teaches Mia so much. We eaten, napped, enjoyed roaring fires and just had a very pleasant casual day after coming home from Nikki and Steve's. I now have new jeans and one is lined, never had that before and it sounds great for cold inspections! There are new shoes, a new coded lock for the front door plus handle hardware, talk about a wonderful gift, I now have new sweaters and shirts, just right for the cold season and a cute little photo of Mia in its own frame.
And any time now the kids will return from the movies and we will all have a restful night, can I even begin to explain how joyous it is to have beloved family staying right here in the house!
I can only hope that your Christmas was very special to you in your own way. This is a nice time of year when we tend to stay inside due to the weather, to talk and listen to one another, to watch TV shows with history and meaning, to listen to excellent music. I've been going through my CDs that are in a huge Sony player that holds 300 CDs. I'm not sure how many Christmas CDs I have but they have been playing for 2 days and I'm not done yet. Of special joy are the CD's that Dr. Ahn created each Christmas, his choices were widely varied and the CDs make for excellent listening, they are in the mix and I love them.
Of course I can't move through Christmas without remembering how much Nan loved the entire season, she shopped, wrapped, baked, invited, hugged and make Christmas very special for the family but I have to say that Nikki and Steve really helped a lot this Christmas by having us all there last night and again this morning. It just felt good to hear the conversations, the humor, the dogs barking, the children playing and the sounds of great food being enjoyed.
And having Jason and Jo at my home has been very special, Jo and Jason have been cooling, baking and creating magic. The Kurig has been very busy producing good hot drinks and fires in the living room fireplace and family room wood stove have warmed the crisp air. Outside the snow globe faithfully watches over the front yard pumping snow over the little snowmen inside. What fun!
Jo's birthday
Dinner is served
Christmas Morning
Love to all
Tim
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