alternative

Ok so this is kind of random, but there are a ton of ways to get to UAH from my house. Well, obviously you can do all sorts of strange detours and stuff that take forever but I am talking about just ones that take about 20 minutes or less. Lets see, right now I can think of 15 different ways not to mention the ways coming home(they differ due to some one way roads). I shouldn't ever have to much problem getting there when road problems occur. Its always a good thing to consider the possibilities. BTW, hamburgers on sandwich bread aren't nearly as good as on hamburger buns.

taking advantage?

I really get mad when people try to take advantage of me. The worst is when you have old people and it gets really difficult to be respectful and all that. I have a couple lawn customers who are getting up there and are retired and all with their lincolns and whatnot. I really hate doing this yard because it is like on a 80 degree slope and a whole lot of it has to be done with a trimmer. to top it off they only want it done every other week and this allows the grass to get nice and long. anyway, they are one of my least paying customers so I decided to raise them so theyd at least be up to par with the other folks whose yards take me way less time. Anyway, I call them up and the man answers and he's all fine with it and all so that makes me kinda happy. a couple days later, the lady stops me in teh middle of the road as I am driving past, and tells me she's so glad Im doing her yard and making sure of the price raise. She says, You have to raise it $5 right? I say, no maam, Im sorry but I had to raise it $10 due to the continued high expense of equipment, gas increase, and due to the difficult of your lawn. "Oh me" she says, "We are on a fixed income! My husband has congestive heart failure, and he cant do it anymore. Oh, you dont have to mow that area over there anymore(I never did in the first place) because I sprayed weed killer over it all! I am now late for class, and extremely frustrated with this lady. I just say FINE, I will do it for your price. She jumps for joy, wipes her tears, and bids me on my way. When I come to do it and end up paying $5 instead of making money to do the stupid thing because of all the rocks in their yard that cause my deck belt to shred. Anyway, after she pays me her price, I tell her that I am taking on a corporate job that is going to be considerate time and effort, and that I am not suere if I will be able to keep all my current customers, and that I might have to find someone else for them. She kind of gets a little upset and tells me she is sorry to hear it and that she really wants me to do it. I say I will see what I can do(RIGHT...) and I will let her know soon. I continue blowing the driveway, and she comes back out with more money to pay my price. She's like: "I really want you to do it, what if I pay what you originally wanted? Would that help?" I say, "Yes maam, it would."
HA HA, triumph again....

Hardships and Rewards

"But this spring whose crystalline waters stream over particles of pure gold does not run in a flat riverbed accessible to all; rather, it flows in a narrow, rock-bound valley surrounded by gigantic ideas, at the entrances to which the great mind stands guard like the cherubim with their swords, turning back anyone seeking entry merely for the price of a fleeting intellectual pastime." ~ some old military journal from 1832.

yeah, so sometimes I really feel stupid. Today it happened. I was out mowing and was kind of thinking it was mowing strange, so I look under the deck. I put one of the blades on upside down. Yeah, pretty stupid huh? I try my best.

Parched

I lost my nalgene bottle a couple weeks ago and have had trouble surviving without it. Poor thing, wonder where I left it. It makes me sad to think about it sitting out in the cold somewhere while I'm betraying it sipping tap water from an old dasani bottle. my prized possession...

Summer Essentials...

Thanks...

Thanks for everything God. Everything this week has been really stressful and you've really helped me get through it without completely exploding. Thanks for some of my lawn customers who understand that the weather can wait, and please help me to not get so mad at the people who arent happy with me. Please help me to respond with words of kindness and help me to get them all done as soon as possible so they won't get more mad. Please let the rain hold up, I cant handle this much longer. Everybody has stuff going on and there yards need to look nice for it. Thanks for working out everything so I havent had to much in the way of mechanical problems. That always gets me worried and I really appreciate that nothing has exploded yet. Thanks for school, I hate it but I know it's good for me. Help me over the next week to show your glory to everyone I meet. I want my light to shine for you and I want people to see that I'm different because of you. Thanks for everything again. Your awesome.

You just can't beat a good match of volleyball...
or a restful nights sleep after a hard days work. :)
ah, I find that life is good when I decide to put aside the pains of life.

Spring

Spring is rapidly approaching. We have been experiencing quite a bit of rain down here during the last week or so and anytime the sun manages to appear, it just amazes me how much greener everything is. I love the colors that come out in spring. Its like everything is cleaner or something. All the trees have a different color then any other time, and all the flowers on the trees just make everything around look awesome. This rain is keeping me from being very productive as far as lawn care is concerned, but its not a big deal. I like it anyway. I was downtown today at a little coffee shop there and worked on a history outline while I enjoyed my cup of chai. It gave me a very good feeling inside. On my way home I passed a cemetery that was just awesome looking with all the different colors of flowers from the trees; not an overwhelming brightness of contrasting colors, but pale and fresh. Something about them is so cool looking to me. Thanks so much God for the simple things!