Reformation Day

This is a repost from this blog---- Exactly one year ago today. Instead of trying to send the same message in a different way, I just decided to copy and paste. Sorry. I'm not lazy, I just don't think I should reinvent the wheel.

October 31st is a day that covers both ends of the spectrum for me. On one end of the spectrum is Halloween. Halloween is a day I completely despise for a multitude of reasons. I have felt this way since I was a young boy. My feelings toward Halloween have been compared to those that Ebenezer Scrooge had toward Christmas. I happily accept that comparison. I'm guilty as charged. On the other end of the spectrum is reformation day. On October 31st, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the church door in Wittenberg, Germany. Martin Luther is the father of the reformation movement and the reformed church. God bless Martin Luther!

Thank you for praying!

As most of you may know, I just came through a very difficult time at work. I went through a formal evaluation today where I was observed teaching a one hour lesson and was graded on a very complicated set of criteria. Trust me, the details would bore you. Thanks in no small part to my teaching partner, Michelle, the lesson went very well. I received a favorable evaluation and was only marked down on minor details. Many people were praying for me throughout this nerve wracking process. I have no doubt in my mind these prayers were heard and answered. Thank you to all my friends and family for helping me through this (self imposed) difficult time.

Bible Jokes

In most cases, the Bible is no laughing matter. However, I do believe God has a sense of humor. I also believe he gave us laughter as a means of pleasure. Just think about how good you are feeling when laughing.

Pastor Mark Webb snuck this little gem into his message on Sunday. In the book of Job, one of Job's friends is named Bildad the Shuhite. Pastor Webb then informed us that Bildad was the shortest man in the Bible.... Tee Hee! Get it? Shoe height? I know it's a groaner, but I love humor like that!

Not why, but how...

This week our church is having its Fall Bible Conference. We have have been immensely blessed to hear 4 messages by Pastor Mark Webb. Tomorrow we will get to hear message number 5 out of 6. Pastor Webb is teaching the book of Job. Yes, the whole book in four days! Aside from all the lessons we are learning from Job, there is one thing he said that has truly stuck with me. When you are suffering or when something bad happens, don't ask why, ask how. Meaning don't ask why is this happening, but how can I glorify God in it? Obviously easier said than done, but it's something to aspire to.

Sometimes things change

Some time back I mentioned Tami's new business on this blog. This business, known as Downsize Solutions, takes care of estate sales, senior citizens looking to downsize or simply selling treasures for people who no longer have room for them. While this business is still in its infancy and has yet to blossom, a secondary business has evolved. Tami has recently gotten into buying old furniture and refurbishing it and/or upcycling it. She has already created some beautiful pieces and has made two sales already. I won't say she is making a fortune, but the money she has invested has started to flow back in. I'm not really sure where this secondary business will go, but I must I admit it's kind of cool. If you have an old piece of furniture you're not ready to part with, consider letting Tami give it new life. When I get some photos, I will post them here.

Soon it will be...

In about week it all begins. Halloween will be over and the Christmas season will be upon us. Yep, that's right folks. Brace yourselves for two solid months of Christmas. Thank goodness Halloween acts as a buffer. If not for the wonderfulness of Halloween (sarcasm), I'm guessing retailers would start the Christmas season right after Labor Day. Some stores already have Christmas stuff up. How dare they disrespect Halloween like that! (Yup, more sarcasm!).

It used to be the Christmas season didn't start until Thanksgiving. You know how Santa always ended the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to open the Christmas season, right? Well, apparently that's not enough for retailers. They have to start the Christmas shopping season in mid October. Not only that, the sacredness of Black Friday has been encroached upon as well (Uh-huh. Even MORE sarcasm). Now instead of opening very early on the Friday after Thanksgiving, retailers are opening Thanksgiving night. Bargain hunters now must line up mid-afternoon Thanksgiving Day for the joys of holiday shopping. Madness. Pure unadulterated madness is what this is! And do you know why retailers are doing this? It's simple. It's because people are stupid enough to sacrifice one of the best family days of the year in order to get a good deal on a flat screen TV. Believe me, if nobody showed up, the retailers wouldn't open on Thanksgiving. And what about the poor employees of these retailers? Do you think they really want to sacrifice their Thanksgiving to serve a bunch of crazed bargain hunters? Yeah, I seriously doubt it.

For the record... you won't see me shopping on Thanksgiving. You won't see me shopping on Black Friday. You probably won't see me Christmas shopping at all. I refuse to participate in this craziness. I will be at home eating turkey, eating pumpkin pie, watching football and keeping my hard earned cash in my pocket. Don't get me wrong though... the grandchildren will get plenty spoiled. I'm not a scrooge after all! I just won't be fighting crowds and knocking over housewives to buy their presents.

Merry Christmas, everybody!

Soli Deo Gloria

I'm sure you've seen me sign off some of my blog posts with the phrase, "Soli Deo Gloria". This phrase is on one of the five banners that grace the back wall of the auditorium in our church. Each banner contains one of the following Latin phrases: “Sola Scriptura” (Scripture alone), “Solus Christus” (Christ alone), “Sola Gratia” (grace alone), “Sola Fide” (faith alone) and “Soli Deo Gloria” (To God alone glory). These phrases were catchwords that came out of the Protestant Reformation in the 1500’s and helped to define what the Reformation was about.

I have recently been working at doing everything in my life for only the glory of God. I thought I should explain the meaning of the phrase if I use it in blog posts.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Putting your "Breast" foot forward

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. There are Susan G. Komen events in every corner of this nation. Pink ribbons adorn every surface available. NFL football players wear pink cleats and wrist bands. The referees even threw pink penalty flags for a week. My new Principal told the teachers they could wear jeans for a day next week if we wear a pink shirt. That's fine. I'm all for breast cancer awareness. My maternal grandmother died of breast cancer, my aunt is currently battling it and my mom has had several scares after mammograms.

Hearing my new Principal's directive for breast cancer awareness reminded me of a funny story from last year. My former Principal wanted to promote breast cancer awareness. He got on the school's loud speaker and instead of making an announcement about breast cancer awareness, he mistakenly said it was, "Breast Awareness Month". As you can imagine, the teachers had a field day with that blunder.

Next week I will wear my pink shirt in honor of Breast Awareness Month. I've always been one to get behind a cause. Count me in!

Grandma is broken

Tami took Sveta to the Cracker Barrel today. They played checkers while sipping hot chocolate and looked at all the fun stuff in the country store. Sveta asked Grandma to buy her something from the store, but Tami told her she couldn't buy anything. She explained to her that she was saving her money for Christmas and was broke. Sveta asked what "broke" meant. Tami explained it meant that she didn't have any money.

Later on they were leaving and Sveta found a quarter in the parking lot. Most 5 year olds would grip the quarter and celebrate their newfound "wealth". Not my sweet Sveta! Sveta quickly held the quarter out to her Grandma and offered it to her. Tami asked why she wanted to give the quarter away. Sveta simply replied, "I don't want you to be broken, Grandma". Awwwwww! Isn't that sweet?

A "grave" reminder

As the saying goes, "Life is short". With each passing day this is becoming more and more evident.

My Father-in-law has recently been researching his family tree. He has taken some trips to cemeteries around the area in order to see the graves of some of his ancestors. One of his trips took him to St. Mary's cemetery in St. Bernard where my dad is buried. It's strange to see my dad's name (which is also my name) on a grave stone. It's also strange to think that when my dad was my age, he was already stricken with leukemia and fighting for his life. A fight he lost at the age of 47. As the days pass I am amazed in knowing I will outlive my dad if I live past April 5th (that's less than 6 months away!). Incredible to even think about that.

Don't know what ya got...

You don't know what you got 'til it's gone. How true that saying is and it fits so many situations. Tonight it relates to something that seems so important, but really isn't. I'm talking about the internet. The world wide web. The information super highway.

The internet has woven itself into the very fiber of our lives in the 21st century. We use it for almost everything. Banking, paying bills, shopping, reading the news, checking the weather, communication, watching TV, watching movies, storing and viewing photos, and many facets of our work (I use the internet to communicate with parents and I even have an online grade book).

When I arrived home from work this evening the internet was down. It's amazing the thoughts that quickly went through my head... What am I going to do? I feel so disconnected! What if I need to e-mail someone? The truth is, the internet was only down for a matter of hours and it was no big deal. But it seemed like a big deal at the time.

What did we do BEFORE the internet? Well, we mailed our bills in (remember writing checks?). We went to the bank to do our business. We went to the store to buy our merchandise. We read the newspaper (remember when we got the news from the paper and used it for more than fish wrap?) We wrote letters and actually mailed them. We dropped our film at the drug store and picked up our photos a few days later (remember when Polaroid instant photos were all the rage?). We used the phone a lot more. We read a lot more. We used a strange contraption called a phone book (remember those?). We even spoke to people. Face to face! IN PERSON! Remember that?

The fact is, the internet is a wonderful, wonderful thing! But it has also eliminated a lot of good things in life. Some of the old ways were better. They may have been slower and less efficient, but in this age of information, speed is not always best. Call me old old fashioned, but I miss some things from the good old days.

Happy Birthday, Michael!

Today is my son Michael's 20th birthday. Happy Birthday, Butterhead!

God blessed me with a son on October 20th, 1993. The blessings have increased exponentially the last 20 years.

I remember the day he was born like it was yesterday. I can't believe 20 years have gone by so quickly.

Michael has grown into a fine young man and I am so proud of him I could burst! He's the best son a dad could ask for and has brought so much joy into my life.

Happy Birthday, son! I love you very much!

Emotional Weekend

Many of you will recall my sister-in-law, Maria, passed away in June. It was the very last day of school before summer and she died that evening. Tami and I made the impromptu trip to Phoenix to support Tami's brother, Tim, and to attend the funeral. This weekend, for the first time since Maria's passing, Tim is here in Indiana visiting. It promises to be a very emotional weekend for a number of reasons. Please pray for our family (we don't always see eye to eye on things) this weekend. Pray that we have opportunities to witness and that we will be a light in otherwise dark times.

Kickin' it old school!

There are a million reasons schools today are not like they used to be. This is NOT going to be a rant about the state of public schools nowadays. Everybody knows today's schools are different than the schools we went to. Let's face it. Times have changed. Schools today are full of computers, laptops, iPads, Smartboards and every conceivable gadget. With all this wonderful technology, you'd think America's schools were churning out Einsteins of epic proportions. I'll just let that thought hang in the air for a moment. You decide if kids today are smarter than their ancestors. Not sure? Ask a 6th grader what 9x6 is... you'll quickly have the answer to your question when 54 doesn't come flying of their mouths. How did we ever learn anything without all those fancy electronic devices? How are we not as dumb as a box of rocks? I'll tell you how. Our parents valued education. If we didn't tow the line at school, our parents would immediately give us an attitude adjustment. The system used to work. I have no idea why we felt the need to fix it. Our grandparents and parents were pretty smart. We may not have thought that about them when we were young, but they were.

How two rite reel good

I've had many compliments on my writing. I've heard my writing flows and and is easy to read. I've heard my writing is witty, creative and entertaining. I don't feel like my writing is that good, but hey, who am I to judge? Anybody can be a good writer. Here are some of my secrets:

How two rite reel good!

When eye rite, I try too keep things simple. I try two avoid using fancy language and speak to my readers in an easy to reed stile. Most importantly, I try to bee a good speller. Theirs nothing worse than trying to reed lousy spelling. Its a good thing eye half spell checkers :-)

Shutdown

As of today, the government shutdown is over. I'm not sure that's a good thing or not. The only way we can get a smaller government is to trim a lot of fat. And our government is about as fat as they come. And they're using MY money to get that way.

White Castle Part 2

The family tradition involving White Castle hamburgers goes back further than Michael and me going to the Reds game.

I remember when I was a little boy going with my Grandpa to pick up White Castles for the family. Grandpa had a history of eating some of the food in the car before arriving home, so Grandma warned him NOT to eat any White Castles before we got back. Grandma ordered 20 White Castles and said she would count them when we got home. And you know what? She meant it! She would count every last slider! Grandpa was a sly old bird though. He ordered 24 White castles. We each ate two in the car, stopped along the way to dispose of the incriminating evidence and arrived home with Grandma's 20 burgers. To this day I'm not sure if she ever knew. Maybe she knew and would knowingly smile when Grandpa and I arrived home with the correct amount of White castles. Or maybe she was none the wiser... I wish I would have asked her before she passed away.

A rare treat

Michael came over for a visit this evening. He and I were left to have dinner on our own because Abby was out with friends and Tami wasn't eating. I asked what he wanted to eat since it was just "us guys", and he came up with the perfect answer... WHITE CASTLES! It was the perfect answer because we only eat sliders when the girls aren't eating with us. We both ate too many and I'm sure there will be a price to paid later :-(

This slider supper brought back some nice memories. When Michael was a little boy I used to take him to the Reds game. We would always stop and pick up a sack of White Castles to eat on the way to the game. It was always our guy thing... just a father/son special and rare treat. I was reminded of those times tonight. It was a good night with my son. Nothing like father and son bonding over some greasy, artery clogging deliciousness.

Maybe one day I'll take my grandchildren to the Reds game and maybe, just maybe we'll pick up some White Castles along the way. Ah, tradition!

Bengals tour the Great Lakes

After next Sunday, the Bengals will have played 7 games. A quick look at their schedule revealed a strange pattern... 5 of the first 7 games involved teams that make their home on the shores of the Great Lakes. Here's a list of the 5 teams that make up the Great Lakes tour for the Bengals.

Chicago Bears- Lake Michigan
Cleveland Browns- Lake Erie
Green Bay Packers- Lake Michigan
Buffalo Bills- Lake Erie
Detroit Lions- Lake Erie

This means absolutely nothing and only reveals what a weirdo I am. Only somebody like me would notice something like that.

Looks can be deceiving

I've mentioned one of our favorite TV shows before. Duck Dynasty is the real life story of the Robertson Family. The Robertson Family owns a company called Duck Commander in West Monroe, Louisiana. Duck Commander specializes in hand made duck calls and a multitude of other duck hunting equipment and accessories. The company is a huge success and the television show about this large family is a smash hit. Those two things combined make these people very, very wealthy.

At first glance, these people look like a bunch ignorant, backwoods hicks. Looks can definitely be deceiving. If you watch this show for any length of time, you will quickly see how intelligent these people are. These people have more insight into life than most people I know. The show itself is entertaining enough, but it's also refreshing because it's squeaky clean and they close the show each week with the family around the supper table praying. You don't see that much anymore. TV nowadays is full of sex, potty humor, blood and guts and a huge push of the gay agenda. What a breath of fresh air it is to see a family of God fearing people not afraid to be themselves living a simple lifestyle, not having to resort to trashiness to sell their show and to see them making millions of dollars doing it. I think this just shows there is a large (yet silent) portion of our country's population who do not support the current state of most television programming.

You go, Duck Dynasty!

Apples?

Last weekend we took Sveta to the fair. On the way home she said she was hungry. We stopped at McDonald's and got her a Happy Meal... Chicken McNuggets, fries and chocolate milk. As Tami was unpacking the meal in the car, she discovered the meal also contained apple slices. Tami excitedly told Sveta that she could have the apples for dessert. True to form, Sveta is too smart for her years. This was evident when she flatly said, "Apples aren't dessert!". Obviously we couldn't slip that one by her, but that didn't stop her from scarfing up the apples anyway. Apple pie for dessert? Definitely! Apple slices for dessert? Not a chance!

Here's the failed attempt at tricking Sveta into thinking apple slices are dessert...

Mr. Fix It

1 Corinthians 1:31 says if you are going to boast, boast in the Lord. Therefore please do not take this post as me bragging or boasting about myself or my abilities. All glory and honor to God. The One who is worthy of it.

Last Wednesday our washing machine broke down. I won't go into boring details, but a quick Google search of the symptoms revealed what the problem probably was. Tami and I agreed with Google's diagnosis of our problem. On Saturday I finally had a chance to tear the machine apart and find the broken part. I quickly ordered a new part on line and it arrived yesterday. In a matter of minutes I replaced the part, put the machine back together and hooked everything back up. All systems were go and I ran a test load to make sure the washing machine was properly repaired. It was and all went well. The machine ran through a full cycle flawlessly. Satisfied with myself, I put my tools away. I was so happy to repair my washer for the meager cost of a $25 part. There are no service call charges or labor costs when you do the work yourself.

If you don't know me very well, you might read my tale of washing machine repair and think I'm some kind of Mr. Fix It Handyman. Nothing could be further from the truth. I'm not handy with tools and unless something is ultra simple, I'm not capable of repairing it. I do my best, but I just wasn't born with the knack to fix things. However, in this case, (and with the help of a YouTube video), I was able to repair the machine and save the cost of an expensive repair bill or an even more expensive new washing machine.

This is just another example of the Lord providing for my family. Money is tight right now and this nation's economy is in shambles. I can assure you a new washing machine or expensive repair bill is not in the family budget. The Lord took care of me as He always does. $25? That's a manageable amount of money. I'm just thankful it was a job I could handle myself.

Here's the culprit:

The quiet man

The name of this blog captures the very essence of who I am. A quiet man with a lot on his mind. Given a choice in any given situation, I choose to say nothing. I like it that way. But as I've said before, just because I'm quiet, doesn't mean I'm not thinking. I'm always thinking. It may not always be something deep, but my mind is rarely blank. If I'm angry or upset, I choose to keep my feelings inside. I know this isn't the healthiest way to deal with things, but it's just how I operate.

Tami on the other hand... I wouldn't classify her as a chatterbox, but she is definitely one to talk things out when something is bothering her or on her mind. A woman is like a toddler... if there is silence, there is reason for concern.

I found this little plaque. It's not exactly accurate, but it gets the job done.

I've said it before....

I had my second night of parent/teacher conferences tonight. After a long day at school we hold conferences from 3-7:30. It sure makes for a long day (and night). I arrived home just after 8 this evening and I will arrive at school again at 7 tomorrow morning. I know I've said this before, but it's a very strange psychological phenomenon. When I get back to school in the morning, it will truly feel like I never left. It's almost like working two days straight. UGH!

Praise the Lord!

My newest little buddy, Elliott, has been having some health problems. He's been battling an acid reflux issue since he was born. Every time he eats, he spits up most of his milk. He's even lost some weight which isn't good for a 10 week old. Today he went in for an Upper GI and was given a good report. There's nothing anatomically wrong with him. Praise the Lord for that! it looks like the little fella is just dealing with a burpy, gassy tummy. This is different than colic. Colic is not necessarily related to digestive or intestinal problems (although it CAN be).

We are just happy that there is nothing physically wrong with Elliott. He just seems to be dealing with normal baby stuff. Easy for me to say though. I'm not the one trying to console him when he's screaming at the top of his lungs :-) Hang in there young parents... this too shall pass. I promise.

Not my hometown team

Everyone who reads this blog knows I am a fan of the local sports teams. The Reds, The Bengals etc... What you may not know is that I am a fan of another team. The Denver Broncos. I have been a fan of the Broncos since I've been 10 years old. You may ask why would I be a fan of a team so far away, but I wouldn't be able to give you an answer. The truth is, I have no idea how it happened. As best as I can tell it probably goes back to my days of collecting baseball and football cards. There was probably a card of a Broncos player that I particularly liked or something. For whatever reason I started following the team and rooting for them. This casual following of the team turned quickly into being a full blown fan. It's even possible I know more about the Broncos than the Bengals. Goodness knows the Broncos have given me more to cheer about over the years. The Orange Crush defense of the 70's. The miracle games against the Browns in the 80's, John Elway, Terrell Davis and the Mile High Salute of the 90's and now the era of Payton Manning in 2013. Just as it used to be with the Reds and Bengals, I would live and die with every Broncos football game. Now I root for them with the same casual interest I give the Reds and Bengals.

The Reds had a disappointing season. The Bengals are mediocre to a little above average and the Broncos are undefeated. Reds? I'll see you next year. Bengals? You gotta show me something, guys. Broncos? Keep on rollin'!

One of those nights

It was one of those nights. That phrase usually brings about a negative connotation. In this case it's quite the opposite. Last night was an incredible night. We took Sveta to the fair to ride some rides, play some games and eat food she isn't normally allowed to have. Everything just worked out perfectly and we had a fun, fun night! Some of the highlights included:

There was a ride similar to King's Island's "Drop Zone" (except in miniature form). Sveta absolutely LOVED it. She rode it multiple times and squealed every second.

Just like last year I took Sveta on the ferris wheel and it was a wonderful time. I expected nothing less.

She played the Mouse Game. You put a quarter on a color and win a prize if the mouse runs down the hole that corresponds with your color. Sveta became exasperated after about a dozen rounds of the game and not winning. We left to ride more rides as she was clearly not happy with the mouse. As we were leaving, she was not shy about her displeasure with the game when she said, "I HATE THAT GAME!". After riding and eating, it was time to go home. Our exit route took us past the infamous mouse game. I asked if she wanted to try the game one more time before going home. We did play once more and we put a quarter on "Emerald". As luck would have it, Mr. Mouse ran straight into the emerald hole and we won! Sveta chose a large stuffed bunny as her prize and quickly changed her opinion by saying, "I LOVE THIS GAME!"

A trip to the fair wouldn't be complete without a funnel cake. Yeah, we ate one and powdered sugar was everywhere! It was glorious!

The Reds got it right

The Reds fired Dusty Baker today. It was the right decision and can only lead to positive things in the future. While I never like to see another man lose his job, it's tough to feel sorry for Dusty. He is still under contract for one more year and will receive about 4 million dollars for next year. He will receive all that money and he is free to pursue another job in baseball...Manager, front office, consultant or otherwise. The bottom line is he'll be fine. I haven't had a chance to read any of the news yet, but apparently the two sides agreed on a mutual separation. I don't think this would be a tough decision at all. If someone wanted to pay me 4 million bucks to go away, I'd be gone.

Thanks for everything, Dusty. You weren't always bad for the Reds. You're a great guy and I'd love to sit down and hear some baseball stories or pick your brain full of baseball knowledge. Enjoy your retirement. You've earned it.

Fun on the ferris wheel

Tomorrow night we will take Sveta to the Aurora Farmers Fair for the second year. We took her last year and HAD... A... BLAST! We got to watch her ride all the traditional kiddie rides, listen to her squeal as she rode the kiddie roller coaster and the best part of all was taking her on the ferris wheel. She had no fear and just loved every minute. Honestly, I think I had more fun than she did. In fact, I know I had more fun than she did.

This year she knows what to expect. She even thanked us already for buying the tickets (ride tickets that is). I know she's excited and we can't wait to take her.

The truth is, I am not wild about carnivals or fairs. Never have been. But when it comes to my granddaughter, all that goes out the window. We're going and it's going to be a wonderful time!

One and done!

The Reds season ended last night with a mere whimper. They played a one game wildcard playoff and performed just as they have the last two weeks. Uninspired, flat, no energy, apathetic and nonchalant. So sad. Not because they lost and the fans are disappointed, but because these guys are making a gazillion dollars and act like it's no big deal.

The end result is not a surprise. This team has been underperforming all year and they saw that pattern continue until the very end. The other teams in the playoffs are hungrier and are playing like they want to be there. More power to 'em, they deserve it. The Reds got what they deserve... a trip home. Have a nice winter, Boys.

You may think because I am blogging about this I am bitterly disappointed and upset. Nope. Not even close. I've got bigger problems in my life than my favorite baseball team losing. I do not draw my joy from the Cincinnati Reds. I draw my joy from my family. I have a wonderful wife and great kids. I have two beautiful grandchildren who I don't get to se nearly enough. I have a mother and siblings who care about me and I have a church family like no other. I am blessed and I know it.

Do I wish the Reds would have won last night? Of course! Am I going to wallow in despair? PFFFFFFFTTTTTT!!!!!!!!! You gotta be kidding.

TWO YEARS!

Two years ago, on October 1, 2011, I sat in my easy chair with my laptop. I have no idea what came over me or how I decided to start a blog, but that's exactly what I did. Not being a big talker, I guess I had a lot of thoughts and feelings bottled up inside. A blog seemed like a logical outlet. I have always been a quiet man. Sometimes I am even silent for extended periods of time. I know it drives Tami crazy because she never knows what's on my mind. It's not her fault, it's mine. I just don't ever feel the need to talk things out. Tami's favorite line used to be, "Your silence is DEAFENING!". She meant my silence was bothering her and she needed to hear something from me... anything!

I've gotten a little better about expressing myself verbally (but not much). Now that I have this blog, Tami needs only to log on to find out what's going on in my puny little brain. I'm much better with the written word than I am with the spoken word.

Well, here I am two years later. I had absolutely no idea this blog would last this long. I had no clue people would stay interested. Over 700 posts and 10,000 page views later, Silence Runs Deep is still going strong.

Happy Birthday, Blog! Many happy returns!

Thanks for two wonderful years, folks!