Abbie's Official WebSite

My father (Abbie's Pe-Paw) has created a website all about her:

www.abigailvinson.com

Man are we exhausted...

We were at the doctors office (Dr. David Goff of Cooke's Children's) at 7:00AM this morning for her first checkup. By the way, we would recommend that early to everyone because it's nice to be first in line. All is going well. She's lost a little bit of weight so we're going to start on a 7-7-20 (that's all I'm allowed to post no detail...I'm sure the ladies can figure it out) regiment to help her out.

Inapropriate joke of the day (just a little vulgar) MUST BE 18 YEARS OF AGE TO CONTINUE!!!

Why are babies so fragile?



They are put together with one screw!!!

Thank you goodnight! or day...we're all mixed up

First Night = DONE!!!

I just wish everyone could marry an amazing wife like I did. Have I said how wonderful she's doing with this whole 'motherhood' thing? WOW!!! God will provide is right!

In keeping with the tradition of this pregnancy (thank you God), the first night went very very well. I stayed up late with Abbie and gave her a bottle around midnight so Mom could get as much rest as possible. That worked out pretty well since we're nursing...one and a quarter ounces of formula = about 3 and a half hours of sleep...does that mean 2 ounces = 6 hours of sleep? j/k

Thanks for the prayers last night and thank you Robin & Terry for the fantastic Chicken Lasagna (was that cream cheese???(we need that recipe!!!))

It's official Abbie has taken over the blog for awhile...

Okay...More Pictures

Click here for more pictures of the lovely, beautiful and talented Abigail 'Abbie' Morgan Vinson.

BV

Home at last

Praise Jesus we are already home. Everything is going great!!! The dogs are adjusting nicely to little miss Abbie. We're home and did I say...we're home. I know we were only in the hospital for like a day and a half but 'there is no place like home!'

Yes, I know...Life as we know it is over...we know it's true but man, if I had a dollar for everytime we heard that in the last 36 hours we would be rich.

Thank you to the wonderful staff at the Presbyterian Hospital of Denton's Center for Women. Debbie, Betty, Abby, Cindy, Stephanie, Carmen, Mitzi, Linda and of course Donna (the A-Team) you were all amazing and made the whole experience even more wonderful than it already was (thanks for the suite!!!). Dr. Marc Wilson, you are truly an amazing man of God and we appreciate your love, kindness and gentleness throughout this entire pregnancy.

Thanks to my parents (Tate and Lecil) and the Out-Laws (Donnie and Diane) for food and getting stuff and checking on the dogs.

Thank you McMaster's and Storch's for coming by and offering advice and assistance if we ever need it.

But most importantly...thank you God for trusting me with a wonderful precious healthy little girl and the amazing wife that carried her for us both. (I love you honey!)

Again, thanks to everyone for the support and prayers...
BV

Abigail Morgan Vinson

Hey everyone Abbie's here.

Born 12:23PM (like 4 and a half hours of labor...man Kristie's good)

5 pounds 13 ounces and 18 inches long...

Thank you for your prayers everyone!!! Everything went great and Kristie and Abbie are doing wonderful!!!
BV

Funny Stuff Day...

Death Star Subwoofer

A picture is worth a thousand quotes. [link]

"Now witness the full power of this fully armed and operational battle subwoofer!!!"
-DV

The Sponge Monkeys Song
The Quiznos Sponge Monkeys Like the Moon in case you didn't know.

Jeff is Cool
This German Aggie is a great lip syncer (sp)

Have a great weekend!!!
BV

Chocolate Chip Cookie #10

As stated previously on Life as a 20-Something, I am a huge Alton Brown fan. My wife on a whim one day bought me I'm Just Here For More Food and the baking began. Yes, I enjoy cooking. I would love to go to culinary school someday...eventually...so there. That being said, here's the Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe (very simple and a big hit anywhere I've taken them (hope this isn't illegal or anything)).

The Dry Goods
All-purpose flour - 2 and 1/2 cups
Baking Soda - 1 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp

The Wet Works
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Brown Sugar - 3/4 cup
Unsalted butter - 2 sticks (melted and slightly cooled)
Egg Yolks - 2 large
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp

The Extras
Chocolate chips - 2 cups

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Pulse all dry goods together in a food processor for 5 seconds (to sift) and move to bowl.
  
• Whisk together all liquid ingredients, including butter and eggs.
• Add the wet stuff to the dry stuff and mix just until batter comes together. Do NOT smooth.
• Using a disher (or ice cream scoop) scoop portions onto a pair of ungreased or parchment-lined baking sheets. At this stage, the cookies can be frozen on the pans then moved to zip-top bags; they'll keep for up to 3 months
• Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until golden brown. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes, then remove to a rack to cool completely (yeah right).

Let me know what you think!

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

The wife and I sat down last night to watch a movie that was suppose to be 'fantastic.' The basic premise is [link] a couple undergo a procedure to erase each other from their memories when their relationship turns sour, but it is only through the process of loss that they discover what they had to begin with.

Now, if I had known this from the start it would have made it a little easier to get into the movie. At first your like, 'Dude, what is going on? Will this start making sense soon?'

Eventually you get it (what's going on) and it turns out to be pretty good. Overall, I would give it one and a half a thumbs up. The cast was great and the subplot with Kirsten Dunst was a nice little twist (stellar cast by the way).

In the end...just give me Office Space.

'Corporate accounts payable, Meana speaking...Just a moment!'

Congratulations to the Happy Couple

Yesterday's post was pretty heavy...here's a fun quick one for the day.

Pamela Anderson is considering a third stroll down the aisle with ex-Motley Crue drummer, Tommy Lee reports Radar. Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee first wed in 1995, divorced a year later, then remarried 18 months after that only to re-divorce in 1998 following Lee's conviction for beating Anderson in front of their two young children reports Radar Magazine.[link]

3rd times a charm???

The wheels have been off for a while.

Thimerosal

As some of you know, Kristie and I are expecting our first child, a baby girl (Abigail Morgan), in the middle of August. Now, I'm already freaking out because of the whole, 'Will I break her?' bit. Add to this the facts of Thimerosal (a mercury-based preservative in children's vaccines) may be responsible for the exponential growth of autism, attention deficit disorder, speech delays, and other childhood neurological disorders now epidemic in the United States. [link] (Boston Globe charges to look at archives)

I worked in a hospital pharmacy for 5 years so I asked my former boss (BBG) what he thought about this. Here is his response:

The dangers of Thimerosal are well documented but vaccine manufacturers have protection from litigation by the federal government. The reality is parents would rather expose their children to danger than endure the inconvenience of their child having the Measles or Chicken Pox. I have a wife that is primarily a stay at home mother so it is easy for me to forgo the aforementioned vaccines but a two income family that is reliant upon the dual income must consider a couple of weeks off work and the pain of watching your child suffer. Merck has removed Thimerosal from all of their children's vaccines and most manufacturers have followed suit. Glaxo Smith Kline still has Thimerosal in their pediatric Engerix-B, why we switched to Recombivax at DCH, and all of the INJECTABLE flu vaccines contain Thimerosal. Flu-mist, a live culture nasal vaccine, does not contain Thimerosal but you must limit contact with those at high risk and weakened immune systems. The FDA has a website that deals exclusively with Pediatric Vaccines and Thimerosal.

Has anyone else faced this choice?

Wine For Dummies

I started reading a different type of book this week. Normally my reading consists of a management/leadership/business/branding book. This week, however, there's a different avenue to travel, Wine for Dummies. Please do not get this wrong, I personally feel that an occasional drink is a-okay. After all, wasn't the first miracle performed by Jesus (John 2:11)? That being said, I have always wanted to be able to go to a restaurant and be able to order a beverage that would go well with my meal...other than water.

The 2nd chapter of the book goes into wine tasting. You get to learn about the 'nose' and 'palate' of the wine you are tasting. I have started with the basics (chardonnay) and so far Yellow Tail (Southern Australia) is my favorite.

Has anyone else got the wine bug?

Wedding Crashers

Owen Wilson + Vince Vaughn = Funny movie.

However, it would have been just as funny without the nudity and F-bombs (stupid Hollywood). The movie begins and ends like any generic 'guy comedy' (see 'Old School'). That all I have right now. Don't want to ruin it for others that might go see it.

On a side note:
One of my friends from high school and one of Kristie's friends from high school just got married (to each other) yesterday.
Congratulations Jason & Heather Ryan!

To close:
No we did not crash their wedding. We were invited.

Foo Fighters - In Your Honor

Great sound on the latest album from the Foo Fighters. This one is great for the commute from Denton to Irving everyday. There's a little bit of everything stylewise. I was going to do a quick break down of each track but it would take way too long this morning (there are 20 tracks on the album):

1. In Your Honor
   
2. No Way Back
3. Best Of You
   
4. DOA
5. Hell
6. The Last Song
7. Free Me
8. Resolve
9. The Deepest Blues Are Black - Favorite song on the album (like an 80's rock ballad)
   
10. End Over End
11. Still
12. What If I Do?
13. Miracle
14. Another Round
15. Friend Of A Friend
16. Over And Out
17. On The Mend
18. Virginia Moon
19. Cold Day In The Sun
20. Razor

Very well done...each song is unique and none are 'fillers.'

They were on Letterman the other night and he had this gem to say:

"This band, the Foo Fighters, are very respectable! Paul, do you know what they are doing when they aren't playing music??? They are out fighting FOO!!!"

Guess you had to hear it for yourself...

Jonathan Product

Kristie and I have been watching this show 'Blow Out' on Bravo. It's pretty much a look behind the scenes of what goes on at a 'high brow' (very expensive) salon. You get to see how Jonathan (the 'straight' owner) runs the company, manages time, manages employees and in his spare time creates a product line. He is very passionate about what he does...and should be for making $500-$1000 for a hair cut. I just purchased some of the new product he created, Dirt.

This 'dude' cries at least one time per episode and it started to get under my skin but then I started thinking to myself, 'Self, how would you react if you created your very own product, something you have dreamed of your entire life, and it was finally created right before your very eyes in less than 3 months? Would you cry...a lot?'

Now I get it, the Dirt is costly because it was made with his tears...

Doesn't that make you want to VOMIT?

Digital Duct Tape

Duct Tape can be used for just about anything (see Ductigami: The Art of the Tape) But what about Digital Duct Tape? Have you ever had to string something together that should have been fairly simple with all the technology we have? (I love technology...Always and forever) For example, I work for a small startup company in support services. We have created a 'web based' application which must be used on Firefox or I.E. by the user for us to support it properly. The organizations that use our product are familar with this, however, the 'end user' does not always know about this.

Friday we recieved a support request that required me to do some research on the 'In House Mac.' We were able to reproduce the issue on Safari but I needed to document what this 'looked like.' This is where the Digital Duct Tape comes in.

• I did a Print Screen on the Mac (had to call Terry about that one)
  
• Then I printed a hard copy of the print screen
  
• Faxed it to our e-fax
• Checked my email for the e-fax
• Attached the e-fax to the support ticket

There you have it...Digital Duct Tape. (I know the whole process was not digital...but it sounds better than 'Technology Duct Tape.')

Ever used it?

I'd Do Any Thing For Love (But I Won't Do That)

Never done this one before:

I have been craving meat loaf...the food (yeah I know...weird) for like a month. Last night I got home and my wife was pulling a beautiful meat loaf out of the oven. For those of you that do not know Kristie (wife), she does not really enjoy cooking. So I was extra surprised to have a made from scratch meat loaf and mashed potatos meal waiting for me upon arrival.

IT WAS THE BEST MEAT LOAF I HAVE EVER TASTED!!! (Even better than Dad's)

And I get to have left overs today.

Kudos to the best wife in the world (and Alton Brown)

Good Eats Meat Loaf

Wiki-Book

Ladies and Gentlemen-

And now for something completely different: A book forum using backpackit.com. Storch turned me on to this site for taking notes/reminders for the ole' blog and now I would like to try this. You may add recommendations and comments to books or add a new book you would like to recommend or have others comment on. This idea stems from Love is the Killer App by Tim Sanders. Part of being a 'love cat' is sharing knowledge from the books you read (even share the book.)

Finding a great book to share is the hard part.

This will take place: http://bvinson.vinson.backpackit.com/pub/144713

To join the forum send an email: albert59ada@bvinson.vinson.backpackit.com

Please include your email address in the body of the email.

And you thought $2.17 a gallon was too much...

For those of you that don't know, I'm trying to 'get into' the whole business and investing scene. My father-in-law told me about American Airlines saving $118 million a year just on fuel. WOW!!! Check out some of these little facts/stats about AMR

From a CBS News article [link] and an Airport Business article [link]

Jet fuel accounts for nearly 20 percent of American's costs, its second-largest expense behind labor. American spent $2.8 billion on fuel last year, and with stubbornly high oil prices, it estimates the 2004 cost will be $3.4 billion.

Fuel-saving steps American has taken: taxiing on one engine instead of two, and shutting down auxiliary gas-powered engines while planes are parked at the terminal.

To reduce weight and improve mileage, American jets have been carrying half as much reserve fuel on international routes since May after the Federal Aviation Administration approved.

American also uses its planes as tankers, ferrying fuel from places where it is cheap instead of filling up where it is costly. This summer, when jet fuel cost $1.58 a gallon in California but $1.16 in Dallas, American saved $400 a flight by filling up in Texas.

An engine on a taxiing MD-80 airliner burns as much fuel as 90 sport utility vehicles driving 60 mph.

The average two-hour MD-80 flight consumes more than 2,100 gallons of fuel. A five-hour Boeing 767 flight burns 7,500 gallons.

American refuels its planes 60,000 times a month.

Crude oil prices remained above $55 per barrel this week, up more than 80 percent since 2001.

What innovative steps has your organization taken to reduce cost?

T-5

This past weekend in a wonderful message titled 'Ripple On,' Mike Breaux from Willow Creek listed his top 5 movies. That got me to thinking about my top 5 and here they are:

5. Be Cool (Finally, a sequel that is better than the original)
4. Garden State (love me some Zach Braff)
3. Good Fellas ('What? Am I a clown...Do I amuse you?')
2. Heat (De Niro and Pacino playing opposites...need I say more?)
1. Tombstone (and I don't really like westerns)

What say you?

Quitomzilla - Firefox Extension

After another budget talk with the wife, I have decided to give up Starbucks. At least for a little while! As you may know, I use Firefox for my web browser. One of the really great things about this application is opensource extensions. You may customize the way you move on the net.

Anyway, after deciding to quit I needed a little encouragment. That's when I ran across this beautiful extension. It was originally created for individuals that have quit smoking and I modified it for myself [link] I put the day I stopped going and the number of drinks I purchased a day and how much one cost.

As of today I have gone 1 week 1 day and 6 hours without purchasing a lovely Grande Iced Quad Americano (no water)...serious drink by the way and saved $24.00.

WOW!!!

My wife asked me this question, "If you have saved $24.00, where is it?" My response was, "Not on the credit card..."

Zondervan's 'Gender-Accurate' Bible???

What in the world is going on at Zondervan? Every Bible I have ever purchased has been a Zondervan. I went through High School and College with the 'Student Bible' and now I own one of their great 'chain reference' Bibles. Now there's the TNIV (Today's New International Version).

I subscribe to Business 2.0 and read an article [link] over the weekend about the 'powerhouse publisher.' They mentioned three of new 'styles' being produced and the most disturbing is the 'Gender-Accurate' TNIV.

"Young people today may not go to church," says Brian Scharp, VP for Bible marketing, "but religion is important to them. We have to make it relevant."

Another article at Crosswalk says this, "The Zondervan spokesman says it was with such changes in mind that the TNIV translators worked to develop a version of scripture that reflected the intent of the biblical writers while making use of contemporary English. For instance, he says, "There are passages of scripture that say God wants 'all men' to be saved. It's very clear from both the Greek language and also the intent and the context of the writer that God's intention was not simply that all males be saved, but that He wants all people to be saved." [link]

Really?

The Executive?

I was checking out | the mind of daniel | and found this pretty nice personality test. It was not as intensive as the Now, Discover Your Strengths test but the results were similar.

I am an ENTJ - The Executive - AlsoKnownAs: Extroverted Intuitive Thinking Judging

ENTJs generally have the following traits:

• Driven to turn theories into plans
• Highly value knowledge
• Future-oriented
• Natural leaders
• Impatient with inefficiency and incompetence
• Want things structured and orderly
• Excellent verbal communication skills
• Dislike routine, detail-oriented tasks
• Self-confident
• Decisive

Take the test here [link] and share your results.