Cocoa the Wonder Puppy

There is a new sound (and smell ) around the Weaver house.  We have adopted a new puppy!

There isn’t anything wrong with his eye. The camera just happened to catch him winking.

On New Year’s day we did our yearly goal planning as a family and we determined that we wanted to get a puppy this summer to train while the kids were out on summer break.  We also determined in February that we wanted to try to get a chocolate lab.

I was out in the country working in my boat this Saturday, and this adorable brown blur was jumping on my leg.  It was love at first sight.  I immediately told Bill (home owner) that this was a beautiful dog, and he immediately replied “take him home with you, he showed up 2 weeks ago on my front porch.  Someone must’ve dropped him off.  I get dogs all the time, but eventually they get out on the road and they get killed.”

I knew right away I had to take pictures and show the family.  After about an hour of deliberation (including a visit from my mom and dad).  We had made a decision.  Kaelyn, Bud-Dude, and I went out to pick up the puppy on one condition.  We needed to make sure he didn’t get car sick.  So we drove around for an hour, and he traveled perfectly.

So now my house is riddled with ‘squeak’ toys, bones, and ropes.  He is a fun loving dog, without a hint of aggressiveness.  Kismet hasn’t taken to him yet, but she is old (12) and set in her ways.  He’s just a little high strung for her taste.

We have a lot of work in front of us.  The current training goals are:

1. Potty training (he currently is getting an ‘F’)
2. Teach him not to jump up on people (also in the ‘F’ category)

I think Cocos is mostly a lab with a bit of blue tick in him, does anybody notice in other breeds?  My father is happy we rescued a dog rather than purchasing one from a puppy farm.  I had planned on purchasing one, but that was before a seen Cocoa, the wonder puppy!

My Christmas List

Matt’s X-mas List

1. Ties – must be extra long
2. Cologne – spray – (Very Sexy, Nautica Blue, CoolWater)
3. Call of Duty – Black Ops 2
4. Gift certificate to Marshall’s / TJ Max
5. Lounge pants : XXLT  (for running around the house)
6. License plate for the front of my car (Black with white lettering)
7. Tokens for SuperWash
8. Dress Shirts size neck 20 length 38/39  (they are hard to find – 20 37/38 does not work)
9. Sweatpants or jogging pants size XXLT
10. Rechargeable packs for xbox 360 controllers (so we don’t have to use batteries)
    1. http://www.amazon.com/WOWparts-Xbox-360-Rechargeable-Battery-Charging/dp/B007MJSZDQ
    2. 
11. Weekend at Bernie’s – the movie
12. Turkey jerky @ Duane
13. House slippers (size 14)
14. New pillows (memory foam would be awesome)

Steed’s Heating & Cooling – Thank you

I would like to publicly thank Mathias Steed for rescuing my family on a Saturday morning, from freezing to death!

Ok, so not really!  We woke up a little chilly on Saturday morning, and our heater wasn’t working well.  I called up Mathias and less than an hour later, our heater had never worked better…. Thank you!

Steeds Heating and Cooling
121 East Center Street
Dunkirk, Indiana 47336

Phone number : (260)251-1511
email address   : steed1021@gmail.com

The middle class war — health insurance

This is not a political rant!

Yes / No  (circle one) :  Is your spouse able to receive health insurance coverage through his/her employer?

In the past year many insurance companies are forcing the covered employees to have their spouses covered by their own employer’s health insurance offerings, regardless of which one is better.  This policy is the single most counter productive policy that insurance companies have put into place since the infamous “pre-existing condition” clause.

First let us analyze what this does to working class families.  It more than doubles the amount of health care premiums a family has been paying in years prior to the policy, but it also doubles the amount of the deductible and ‘out of pocket’ expenses on a single family.

This policy alone is targeting the middle class families with hard working parents.  Let me explain in detail.  The upper class (executive) families typically have a stay-at-home mother who doesn’t have this option available since she is not employed (I don’t want to misconstrue the facts, stay-at-home mothers work very hard).

What this policy would do for my family: We would be forced to have my wife quit her job and stay at home.  She currently works for medical coverage and her take-home pay hardly covers the cost of childcare and gas.  So if her company opts to take this policy she would have to resign her post and I would be forced to take the family health insurance policy from my employer.

I don’t understand why this policy is legal!  Also, I don’t understand why the middle class is not fighting it!  They will fight for a  tax reduction, but they won’t fight for a 100% healthcare increase, in which the average american household (/w 2 children) pays over $2500 per year on healthcare premiums /w deductible.

Families that have been forced to have “dual-spouse” healthcare are paying nearly $5,000 per year to accommodate for this policy.  Conversely, the tax reduction currently on the table only affects the average american by costing the American family $1300 per year.

Attention middle class families with two working parents!  If your family is not affected yet…. just wait…. it’s coming!

We really need to figure out how to come together and make a difference. I’m growing weary of the middle class always holding up the tent.  Just for once I want to sit and watch the circus myself .

WJCC — Volleyball Schedule

Overdue items error in Sharepoint 2007 budgeting and tracking multiple projects template

Caution: Humblebrag below!

Project dashboard error in Sharepoint 2007 budget and project tracking module.  The overdue tasks are coded incorrectly in the web part.

There wasn’t any overdue tasks in the Overdue Items list, but when you looked on the dashboard the projects were critical and showing overdue tasks.

Bad Microsoft!!!  Bad!

I went into the web part editor (XSL code) and I found innapropriate logic!

(substring-before(@DueDate,’-’) < substring-before(ddwrt:TodayIso(),’-’)
or
substring(@DueDate,6,2) < substring(ddwrt:TodayIso(),6,2)
or
substring(@DueDate,9,2) < substring(ddwrt:TodayIso(),9,2))]) < 5″>

This logic divides the DateTime (e.g.: “2012-6-27T12:00:000”) into Year (2012), Month (6) and Day (27)

then it compares with today’s Year, Month and Day separately.

Which means if either condition is true, the task is overdue.

Bad Microsoft.

Here is how I fixed it:

Replace all instances of the following code:

(substring-before(@DueDate,’-') < substring-before(ddwrt:TodayIso(),’-')
                                                   or
                                                   substring(@DueDate,6,2) < substring(ddwrt:TodayIso(),6,2)
                                                   or
                                                   substring(@DueDate,9,2) < substring(ddwrt:TodayIso(),9,2))]

with

number(translate(substring-before(@DueDate,’T'), ‘-’, ”)) < number(translate(substring-before(ddwrt:TodayIso(), ‘T’), ‘-’, ”))]

I have to finish by saying that it feels really good to fix Microsoft code!  Hope this helps

He must increase, but I must decrease. – John 3:30

He must increase, but I must decrease. – John 3:30 (NKJV)

This scripture seems simple, right?  Well it is until you compare it with other versions (e.g., NIV, NLT).  In each of those versions they omit the ‘but’!  So I ask you, is ‘but’ that important?  Well, let’s look a little deeper.

First I ask you what must increase? Conversely, what must decrease?

I am of the flesh. A product of this world and as such I am filled with some really good things, but I am also filled with some undesirables.  Jesus indeed was a product of this world, but he possessed the holy spirit.  Why was Jesus so full of the holy spirit? Well, because he was not full of the worldly things, he was set apart; blameless and without defects.

So what must we increase?  The spirit (the holy ghost).. Faith.

So what must we decrease?  Our worldly ways (carnal nature).

Seems simple enough, right?  Well, if you read the New International Version (NIV), and I do on a daily basis.  You might miss the little word in the middle of the verse.  That little ‘but’!

What does that little ‘but’ do?  It adds a condition!  It declares that one happens first in order for the second to happen.  It places two verbs in some sort of a sequence, and this sequence is eternally important!

So, which comes first?  (if you just said chicken you and I are very similar).  Seriously though this simple ‘but’ tells us what the condition is, and therefore tells us which must come first.

We must decrease in the worldly ways, before we can increase in the spirit.  Now this may not be revolutionary to you, but for me; it changes everything!

For the past 10 years, I have been under the misunderstanding that if I continue to learn about Jesus and read the bible over and over that I will get there.  This entire time I was unwilling to put away or even say that my life was in need of change.

I have hit my threshold with the spirit, I can’t gain any more unless I am willing to put my sin behind me.  No matter how much I toil and ask God for favor and knowledge it is of no use….  I must decrease before God can increase.

Thanks to God for the understanding.  Thanks to you (my friend) for reading this, and now I ask you to pray for me.

Pray for decrease