I got a call last weekend that my nephew, Kane, had won a free ticket to a Pacers game for doing well in school. And since Uncle Matt and Aunt Wendi are familiar with the Indy area, we were asked to join him and my brother, Mike, for the game. They decided to come up for the whole weekend so we could spend some time together. The ladies, Mary and Kelci, decided to stay south for a Lady's weekend. On Friday, we took Mike and Kane to one of the best pizza places on the north side, Some Guys Pizza in Carmel. We had a very nice evening visiting at the restaurant, followed by a review of my childhood baseball card collection at home. We even enjoyed some entertainment as we watched Kane play the X-Box. On Saturday, I fixed a nice breakfast of eggs and sausages. After some more time on the X-Box, we went to a local baseball card shop. Then we grabbed lunch and headed north to Noblesville for a little geocaching. This was the first trip caching for my brother and nephew. After a little searching, he found the cache. I think we have another one addicted (or at least bitten by the caching bug). Now Kane just needs a geocaching name.
After that, we took a stroll through the local electronic's store, Fry's, and then off to the game. We had decent seats for the game and enjoyed a win by the hometown Pacers over the Bulls. Afterwards, we headed back north and tried to decide on what was for supper, at 10:30 pm. I drove by one establishment I thought we could try, Five Guys Burger and Fries. My attempt at an all Guys weekend didn't pan out since they appeared to be closed. So instead we went to the next best place, Buffalo Wild Wings. After a good supper, we headed back to the house and a good nights sleep. On Sunday, we had breakfast and then they were on their way back south. We had a great weekend! I can't wait for the next one!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
I think I have...
Apparently, I have lost signal and my batteries are drained. How else can I explain not having added a blog since December. Well, I will give you a quick overview of what has happened since my last note.
Christmas 2009
We were able to spend a nice long weekend for Christmas with my family. Although we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Jasper (we were one of about 4 cars there), we got to spend some quality time talking with Mom and Dad and reminising. We were also able to enjoy a little bit of a Geo-Christmas.
This year we hid the 3 geocaches for my sister's three boys. Each cache had a clue in it as well as some supplies that every geocacher needs. Once they found all three and deciphered the clues, they could go find their final present, full fledge geocaching toolkits! They had a blast trying to find them and digging through all the cool tools. It also gave my brother's kids their first taste of geocaching.
We also were able to visit with Angie, Scott, Mike, and Mary. We really enjoy being able to see everyone when we come down. An added bonus this year was that cousins, Jason and Justin Dickson joined us. It has been a several years since we spent Christmas with them and we enjoyed discussing the latest hot topics.
Christmas for the Ely family came a little later. We actually had it following New Years. This year we hosted, since we had all been together in Oscelo a few weeks earlier. Wendi had worked the morning, but never fear, I had things well under control. We had a nice lunch and visit. I think one of the highlights this year was Misty opening the diaper trike that Wendi had put together for our yet to arrive nephew. The other highlight was watching Mom and Matthew talk to each other using web cams while in the same room! We had a good time.
New Years 2010
New Years came and went for us. Wendi had to be at work early so she retired early. I stayed up and watched the ball drop and then made my way to bed. Another Year gone by.
January
With January, I started back to work from my two week vacation. January also brought a round of bad luck for us. In a matter of one week, we found out that we needed a new heat pump, the DSL router went out, and Wendi broke some trim off of her Tribute when she closed the hood. Towards the end of the month, we were also able to go back south for a weekend. We stayed with Mom and Dad this time to save a little money. Nothing like camping out in the living room! We had a nice visit with Mom and Dad, again remininsing. On Saturday, we took Team Krieg (Daniel, Andrew, and Stephen) geocaching. This was our first outting for the year and the first in almost two months. We started with a few local caches in Pike County and then hit the McDonalds in Washington for a late lunch. After grabbing lunch, we moved on to the Glendale area.
While caching in Glendale, we learned some interesting facts. First, Andrew and Stephen have quite the imagination. Not too big of a surprise given who their parents and grandparents are. We also found out that Daniel has a direction issue. Even with a GPSr in his hand, he still can't find the direction to the car. He can spot a geocache pretty good though. We also learned that Aunt Mary has issues driving, especially when the Krieg boys are in the car. They told us of all the things that Aunt Mary had almost "hit" and one thing that she did hit. Then there was Aunt Wendi's driving. She believe that her blue Mazda Tribute (which is only a 4x2) can go just about anywhere. Since there was snow on the ground, some of the backroad we took were either iced over or a little muddy. Do you think that will stop Aunt Wendi? I don't think so. She plowed on through. Atleast Daniel didn't have to get out and push. All in all it was a good day of caching and building relationships with our nephews. To top it of, we return to Mom's for a great feast for the whole family. Visiting with everyone was a real joy, even that too cool teenager neice, Kelci, and, of course, my favorite nephew Kane. Our little geocaching trip sparked some interest of Kane, so next time we get to go down and go caching, he will get a chance to enjoy the driving antics of Aunt Wendi. Again, it was great to see everyone.
February
February is a special month in our family. Too very important ladies in my life have birthdays during this month. The first is my mother. Without her, I wouldn't be here today. The second is my wife, Wendi. It is hard to believe that she and I have been together for more than 10 years now. How can anyone put up with me for that long? Happy Birthday Sweetheart. We were supposed to celebrate her birthday with her family this weekend, but that is questionable right now. It seems that Mom Ely had a little accident by the mailbox this morning and required some medical attention. She will be alright, but she may not be picking up Sophia with her left hand anytime soon.
I also got back out last weekend for some caching. My best friend, Jeff, and I went out Sunday afternoon for a little while. We asked our other friend, Chris, to go, but he had to stay home with the wife since it was Valentines Day. We had a pretty good time and had a nice hike in the snow covered woods. We end up visiting 9 caches and picked up some new path tags.
This year has started out with some good times and some sad/bad ones, but we try to keep Matthew 6:34 and 1 Corinthians 10:13 in mind:
Well, I think have have hit the power button and been plugged in to recharge. Now it is time to go out and find that signal. Until next time, God Bless.
Christmas 2009
We were able to spend a nice long weekend for Christmas with my family. Although we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Jasper (we were one of about 4 cars there), we got to spend some quality time talking with Mom and Dad and reminising. We were also able to enjoy a little bit of a Geo-Christmas.
This year we hid the 3 geocaches for my sister's three boys. Each cache had a clue in it as well as some supplies that every geocacher needs. Once they found all three and deciphered the clues, they could go find their final present, full fledge geocaching toolkits! They had a blast trying to find them and digging through all the cool tools. It also gave my brother's kids their first taste of geocaching.
We also were able to visit with Angie, Scott, Mike, and Mary. We really enjoy being able to see everyone when we come down. An added bonus this year was that cousins, Jason and Justin Dickson joined us. It has been a several years since we spent Christmas with them and we enjoyed discussing the latest hot topics.
Christmas for the Ely family came a little later. We actually had it following New Years. This year we hosted, since we had all been together in Oscelo a few weeks earlier. Wendi had worked the morning, but never fear, I had things well under control. We had a nice lunch and visit. I think one of the highlights this year was Misty opening the diaper trike that Wendi had put together for our yet to arrive nephew. The other highlight was watching Mom and Matthew talk to each other using web cams while in the same room! We had a good time.
New Years 2010
New Years came and went for us. Wendi had to be at work early so she retired early. I stayed up and watched the ball drop and then made my way to bed. Another Year gone by.
January
With January, I started back to work from my two week vacation. January also brought a round of bad luck for us. In a matter of one week, we found out that we needed a new heat pump, the DSL router went out, and Wendi broke some trim off of her Tribute when she closed the hood. Towards the end of the month, we were also able to go back south for a weekend. We stayed with Mom and Dad this time to save a little money. Nothing like camping out in the living room! We had a nice visit with Mom and Dad, again remininsing. On Saturday, we took Team Krieg (Daniel, Andrew, and Stephen) geocaching. This was our first outting for the year and the first in almost two months. We started with a few local caches in Pike County and then hit the McDonalds in Washington for a late lunch. After grabbing lunch, we moved on to the Glendale area.
While caching in Glendale, we learned some interesting facts. First, Andrew and Stephen have quite the imagination. Not too big of a surprise given who their parents and grandparents are. We also found out that Daniel has a direction issue. Even with a GPSr in his hand, he still can't find the direction to the car. He can spot a geocache pretty good though. We also learned that Aunt Mary has issues driving, especially when the Krieg boys are in the car. They told us of all the things that Aunt Mary had almost "hit" and one thing that she did hit. Then there was Aunt Wendi's driving. She believe that her blue Mazda Tribute (which is only a 4x2) can go just about anywhere. Since there was snow on the ground, some of the backroad we took were either iced over or a little muddy. Do you think that will stop Aunt Wendi? I don't think so. She plowed on through. Atleast Daniel didn't have to get out and push. All in all it was a good day of caching and building relationships with our nephews. To top it of, we return to Mom's for a great feast for the whole family. Visiting with everyone was a real joy, even that too cool teenager neice, Kelci, and, of course, my favorite nephew Kane. Our little geocaching trip sparked some interest of Kane, so next time we get to go down and go caching, he will get a chance to enjoy the driving antics of Aunt Wendi. Again, it was great to see everyone.
February
February is a special month in our family. Too very important ladies in my life have birthdays during this month. The first is my mother. Without her, I wouldn't be here today. The second is my wife, Wendi. It is hard to believe that she and I have been together for more than 10 years now. How can anyone put up with me for that long? Happy Birthday Sweetheart. We were supposed to celebrate her birthday with her family this weekend, but that is questionable right now. It seems that Mom Ely had a little accident by the mailbox this morning and required some medical attention. She will be alright, but she may not be picking up Sophia with her left hand anytime soon.
I also got back out last weekend for some caching. My best friend, Jeff, and I went out Sunday afternoon for a little while. We asked our other friend, Chris, to go, but he had to stay home with the wife since it was Valentines Day. We had a pretty good time and had a nice hike in the snow covered woods. We end up visiting 9 caches and picked up some new path tags.
This year has started out with some good times and some sad/bad ones, but we try to keep Matthew 6:34 and 1 Corinthians 10:13 in mind:
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own. - Matthew 6:34
... And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear...
- 1 Corinthians 10:13
Well, I think have have hit the power button and been plugged in to recharge. Now it is time to go out and find that signal. Until next time, God Bless.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Respect... Is that too much to ask for...
Today, I attended the funeral for my wife's grandmother. The service was a nice small intimate family affair. Being such, the procession to the graveside service was at maximum 10 vehicles. This should not have affected anyone's schedule that may have been crossing paths with us for more than 2 minutes at the most It is customary that when you are driving along on your daily routes, that if you come across a funeral procession, that you pull along side the road and wait for them pass or at the very least grant them the right of way. You do not pull in between any of the cars that have the Funeral Flag flying on the front of their cars. Evidently, there are some in our society that their busy schedules take precedent over everyone else regardless of what they are doing. On our way to the graveside, we did have those that paid respects to this lady and her family that they did not know by simply pulling off to the side while we passed. Others, stopped at the roads they were trying to pull out of until we passed. I recognize those and say thank you.
However, we also had others that cut between the vehicles in the procession to pull into a gas station. Another couple vehicles tried to speed quickly past us on the left side in a short double lane just so they wouldn't be delayed. If that wasn't bad enough, we have had two different vehicles pull out in between the cars in the procession itself. We even had someone on a bicycle riding on the wrong side of the road (on ice covered roads) towards us that didn't stop. They just kept peddling away. These things are just disrespectful to the person that is taking that last ride as well as their families.
I know most of us would want this last tribute of respect and I don't think it is too much to ask for. Not only that, it is both Michigan and Indiana State Law! So please, if you see a funeral procession, please be respectful and follow the law.
Rest in the Lord Grandma. You are missed.
However, we also had others that cut between the vehicles in the procession to pull into a gas station. Another couple vehicles tried to speed quickly past us on the left side in a short double lane just so they wouldn't be delayed. If that wasn't bad enough, we have had two different vehicles pull out in between the cars in the procession itself. We even had someone on a bicycle riding on the wrong side of the road (on ice covered roads) towards us that didn't stop. They just kept peddling away. These things are just disrespectful to the person that is taking that last ride as well as their families.
I know most of us would want this last tribute of respect and I don't think it is too much to ask for. Not only that, it is both Michigan and Indiana State Law! So please, if you see a funeral procession, please be respectful and follow the law.
Rest in the Lord Grandma. You are missed.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Welcome
Welcome to the inaugural edition of the Lost Signal? Batteries drained? blog. As you might guess, my wife, Wendi, and I are avid geocachers. We have been signed up as members since 2008 at Geocaching.com, but really didn't get hooked hard until this year. Some close friends of ours actually got us started. Thanks Chris and Tina. At the time, Wendi was working at the local swag shop (Target), and I had every other weekend to spend doing something. So I started going caching with Chris when she worked and just loved it. Being out of the house, doing something, was the initial attraction to the great sport. But the excitement when finding that hidden treasure that someone placed really reels you in.
For those of you who do not know what geocaching is, think of it as a modern day treasure hunt. Basically, some nerd decided to hide a box in the middle of the woods when the US government opened up the GPS Satellite systems up for consumer use so that his friends could go find it. He only gave them the longitude and latitude coordinates of where he hid it. After they found it, they decided to hide something and almost 10 years later, you have 960,000 caches (the treasure chest) hidden around the world being hunted by out 60,000 active geocachers.
Today, when a geocacher finds a cache, they will sign a log that is left in the container to prove they were there. They also may trade swag items (little trinkets, figures, games, CDs, necklaces, etc) that they have brought with them with something someone else left in the geocache. Not all geocaches contain swag, especially since they vary from the size of the tip of you pinky finger to the size of an oil drum or larger!
If you want to find out more about it, message me and I would be more than happy to discuss it with you or you can visit the Geocaching.com link at the bottom of this blog.
Anyways, as I was saying, we have been geocaching since 2008. Just a few weeks ago (Novemeber 29), we found our 1000th geocache. It was a milestone that when we started I thought would be years away. However, after several thousand miles later on both the Tribute and the F150, we made it. Our first thousand definitely gave us many adventures, both in the city and out in the middle of no man's land. I think we heard more than our share of banjos playing too.
One of the most memorable things we did in our first 1000 was to complete a special challenge cache called the Indiana Epic 92. To complete this challenge cache, we had to find a single geocache in each of the 92 counties. Well, this was the reason for most of those miles. We have seen parts of Indiana that neither one of us knew existed. We also had a lot of fun doing it.
The other thing about geocaching is that there is no quick trips anywhere after you get hooked. Our normal 3 hour drive to either of our parents have taken us as long as 8 hours to complete, just because we had to stop at about 10 cemeteries, a Masonic lodge, and a few bridges along the way. We have even taken Geo-Vacations. We went to the GeoBash 2009 in Wauseon, OH. This was an event for geocachers to get together and share stories, eat, drink (if they were old enough), and just have a fun time. Oh, we also geocached while we were there. When I decided to go to Orlando, FL, for a Visual Studio Developers conference, we decided it was a great opportunity to grab a few caches in more states. So that trip we grabbed caches in Tennesse, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina. We already had grabbed a few in Kentucky when we were grabbing the southern counties in Indiana. We have also found caches in Michigan and Illinois in other trips.
Well, that is about enough for my first blog. Just remember if you have lost signal or your batteries are drained, maybe you need to push the power button and plug it in to recharge.
For those of you who do not know what geocaching is, think of it as a modern day treasure hunt. Basically, some nerd decided to hide a box in the middle of the woods when the US government opened up the GPS Satellite systems up for consumer use so that his friends could go find it. He only gave them the longitude and latitude coordinates of where he hid it. After they found it, they decided to hide something and almost 10 years later, you have 960,000 caches (the treasure chest) hidden around the world being hunted by out 60,000 active geocachers.
Today, when a geocacher finds a cache, they will sign a log that is left in the container to prove they were there. They also may trade swag items (little trinkets, figures, games, CDs, necklaces, etc) that they have brought with them with something someone else left in the geocache. Not all geocaches contain swag, especially since they vary from the size of the tip of you pinky finger to the size of an oil drum or larger!
If you want to find out more about it, message me and I would be more than happy to discuss it with you or you can visit the Geocaching.com link at the bottom of this blog.
Anyways, as I was saying, we have been geocaching since 2008. Just a few weeks ago (Novemeber 29), we found our 1000th geocache. It was a milestone that when we started I thought would be years away. However, after several thousand miles later on both the Tribute and the F150, we made it. Our first thousand definitely gave us many adventures, both in the city and out in the middle of no man's land. I think we heard more than our share of banjos playing too.
One of the most memorable things we did in our first 1000 was to complete a special challenge cache called the Indiana Epic 92. To complete this challenge cache, we had to find a single geocache in each of the 92 counties. Well, this was the reason for most of those miles. We have seen parts of Indiana that neither one of us knew existed. We also had a lot of fun doing it.
The other thing about geocaching is that there is no quick trips anywhere after you get hooked. Our normal 3 hour drive to either of our parents have taken us as long as 8 hours to complete, just because we had to stop at about 10 cemeteries, a Masonic lodge, and a few bridges along the way. We have even taken Geo-Vacations. We went to the GeoBash 2009 in Wauseon, OH. This was an event for geocachers to get together and share stories, eat, drink (if they were old enough), and just have a fun time. Oh, we also geocached while we were there. When I decided to go to Orlando, FL, for a Visual Studio Developers conference, we decided it was a great opportunity to grab a few caches in more states. So that trip we grabbed caches in Tennesse, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina. We already had grabbed a few in Kentucky when we were grabbing the southern counties in Indiana. We have also found caches in Michigan and Illinois in other trips.
Well, that is about enough for my first blog. Just remember if you have lost signal or your batteries are drained, maybe you need to push the power button and plug it in to recharge.
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