Statute of David

How to drive your wife crazy and increase the value of your home all at the same time!

2019-07-07T17:26:00.000-07:00

At the time, most shoppers were shying away from the house due to the condition of the basement. Truth be told, it was pretty rough: mostly super unfinished, moisture problems, jenky storage shelves and it was sort of a tetanus incubator. It was bad enough that the Sellers dropped the price AND (sorta) finished half the basement before getting a single offer.

By the time we spied it in late '16, we were ready to rise to the remaining challenge. Since then, I accumulated a substantial amount of time spent working my way through the basement remodel project; one space at a time. The workshop/storage space didn't put up much of a fight. The challenge on that front was mostly one of time management. I needed to have the floor painted, shelves assembled and work tables constructed before Wifey and the new baby came home from the hospital.

The office has been a real challenge though. With two kids, every minute I spend working construction is a minute Wifey spends managing two young children...alone. In loving appreciation of my wife, I dedicate my top ways to drive your wife crazy while increasing the value of your home:

Disappear into the basement right after dinner on a weekday without saying a word
Say that you'll be up in 10 minutes but don't emerge from the basement for 45 minutes
Ignore her design input
Admit that you're having fun working in the basement
Run the saw after the littlest one already went to bed

Now, get out there readers! You have everything you need to drive your wife crazy! Don't forget to justify the time spent away from your family by constantly overestimating the value that you've added to your home!

Office Update: Alex & Kinsley's Playhouse

2019-04-02T13:22:00.000-07:00

This project is a couple of steps up the complexity ladder from the flooring, painting and wainscotting project that preceded it. It's going to be substantially more transformative though. The staircase is a hazard for young kids and a total eyesore. We originally planned to build a reading nook under the stairs but changed course in favor of a Nantucket-style playhouse for the kids to chill. It'll be a really cool space that's just for them. Here's what I started with; taken on December 31, 2017.

We built a fort in the backyard with Dad when we were kids. It was really cool - we even slept out there a few times. One night, we ran extension chords down from the house and watched the NBA playoffs on a black/white CRT TV. :-) Bunny ears and all!

While I remember framing a fort wall with Dad, this was definitely different. So, framing an interior wall was a first for me...as was coordinating with an electrician, hanging full sheets of drywall and finishing walls with anything other than paint. I was mildly terrified of the actuated hammer (which uses a .22 caliber round) to attach the sole plate to the concrete foundation. Here's what the framing looked like - it was taken on March 10, 2018.

There's a strand of LED lights that back-light the cubby and go around the ceiling of the playhouse for lighting. They're controlled by the switch at the door - the kids love to "open" and "close" the shop with the light switch and door bell. We put a carpet runner and some pillow seats in there to make it kid-comfortable. We didn't finish the interior walls so the kids can draw on them without us worrying about it. The cubby at the top is a space for some Boston sports memorabilia. This pic was taken on March 28, 2018 - 3 months after I started.

The playhouse certainly isn't future-proof. While we think we'll change it into a reading nook in the future, it might be hard to tear down and replace the memories that we'll create with the kids in the playhouse.

Up next: the staircase/stairwell project! Am I done yet?

Goodbye to Boom Beach

2019-03-05T23:59:00.000-08:00

I can count on 1.2 hands the number of video games I've been truly invested in: Super Mario Brothers (8-bit Nintendo), Bubble Bobble (8-bit Nintendo), Revenge of the Gator (Game Boy), Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (8-bit Nintendo), Tiger Woods Golf (X-Box 360) and Boom Beach (iOS/Android).

As kiddos, Hollie, Matthew and I spent hours and hours and hours playing those early Nintendo games. While Ali and I were dating, Tiger Woods Golf was a common method for determining who was right. And during recent years, Boom Beach has been my video game of choice. That, however, is about to change. It's hard to imagine but I started playing Boom Beach over 5 years ago and it's time to let it go.

Dear BB,

We had a good run but it's time to face facts and embrace the current reality that I'm just not that into you. I'm tired of the same monotony day-in and day-out. Sure, it was fun taking all of those resources from Dr. T and the other players. But once I upgraded all of my offense and defense, things started to fall...flat. Mega Crab is still cool but the Task Forces, Tribes and Warships aren't doing it for me.

We made a few memories. Remember the time I accused you of miscalculating my resources? And the Support team responded so promptly and with total professionalism. I was SO embarrassed...

Listen, it's not like I was just playing all of the free stuff. I bought diamonds from you - even Wifey bought diamonds from you! This is ridiculous. It's you. It's not me.

So long, BB! Despite being a HQ 65 who's maxed in every other way possible...I'll keep that one sniper tower at level 1 just for ol' times sake.

-Commander

P.S. I disabled the music and sound effects the first time I played.

The Office Reno

2018-12-28T20:32:00.000-08:00

We are so totally knee-deep in home ownership and my sights are set on the basement office. I'm excited to introduce to you this 3-stage approach to the office renovation.

Stage 1: Admire how well photographers can make a room look. This is the seller photo that was used in the listing. During this stage, I find it useful to initiate contempt and channel it towards the previous owners as a means of motivation and action. Take the drop-ceiling for example. Sigh, have they no decency?! Look at the floors. Gasp, how could they?! And you just know they're hiding a hideous mess behind the camera lens. Tautology!

Stage 2: Despair and otherwise grasping that I've bit off more than I can chew. Also that I'm probably making it more difficult than it needs to be. But hey! Those floors look impecable. This is surely the longest stage of any project I run.

It's always useful during this stage to engage reinforcements. Here, Alex pitches-in by pushing the sawdust around with a moppish thing-a-majig (also courtesy of the sellers).

Stage 3: This is the stage of self-negotiation. Most of the big stuff is done. But not all. Dialogue turns inward as the finish-line is called into question; "chances are I'm the only person that'll notice if I don't put bead of caulk along the edges of the wainscotting." Or, "If the door stays shut, then maybe we don't really need that flooring transition."

There's still a bit of work to do but I'm officially filing this one in the "Done" column!

Safe Secrets at Christmas

2018-12-25T19:28:00.000-08:00

One of many blessings I've received since matriculating into parenthood are new perspectives, including the ability to see experiences, perhaps a second time, through my parents eyes.

In my formative years, Christmas was a time of joy, love, celebration and family. To the later point, a time that pitted father against sons in the eternal battle of keeping presents a secret until they were intended to be opened. I reflect upon the Rollerblade Christmas fondly - it was brilliant really. The only way into our attic was through the access door in my closet! It blew our minds at the time; the clever ol' man essentially hid the presents behind enemy lines. I can still remember the feeling of raising my head into the attic for the first time, fixing the flashlight on never-there-before boxes and looking through the packaging at a new pair of "blades" with black, purple and green laces. We must've pulled ourselves into the attic 25 times during the buildup to Christmas.

Another year, I think it was my TV year, the presents were nowhere to found. We checked Mom & Dad's shower, the trunks of their cars and the attic. Nothing! As Christmas approached, fate shined upon us. There was a shimmer coming from whence a black handle had been previously unremarkable. It didn't make any sense to us, why had a new padlock been installed on the shed? In truth, it didn't matter. The game was on. We couldn't find the key or pick the lock so we did the next most rational thing. We took the double doors (which never functioned properly again) off the hinges and walked right in.

And so it continued. Year after year. Some years we'd win by unearthing the mother load. Other years tilted in Dad's favor.

Then THE Christmas happened. No one quite knows where the idea came from but it was the ultimate in Dad-strategy. Perhaps he became weary of doors no longer working or attic insulation collecting on the closet floor. The one thing we know for sure is he changed the game and forever quelled the Christmas hunt. See, by piling the gifts in the middle of the basement and (sorta) covering them with a (sorta transparent) sheet, he altered the entire dynamic. No longer was it an annual high-stakes winner-takes-all game of Hide & Seek.

What Dad knew was that the prize (finding the gifts) was equally proportionate to the amount of effort required. In what could be described as an escalating arms race, he just decided to drive the amount of effort required to find the gifts down to zero. And in so doing, the prize had no value. Sure enough, we were surprised that Christmas.

Now, in 2018, I have to smile because in my home office is a pile of gifts...covered with blanket.

If experience has taught me anything, I am 100% sure the secret is safe.

Cloudy with a Chance of a Money Pit

2018-10-14T06:14:00.000-07:00

Me: Knock. Knock.
Ali: Who's there?
Me: Amos.
Ali: Amos who?
Me: Amos-Quito!
Ali: [turns. leaves the room]

Frick and Frack, the previous home owners, made many a ding-dong decision. One of the dingiest-dongs was the addition (and eventual loss of interest) of a garden pond. Honest question, what was your reaction when you read the previous sentence?

Oh, garden pond. Where for art though purpose?

One thing was obvious: that swamp station, mosquito haven, zombie lair needed to go. The years and years of accumulated rain, leaves, mud, animals (unverified), potted plants, branches and rocks totaled 1,357 cubic feet of sludge. For reference, a gallon of water weighs 8.34 lbs. In total, I hauled 11,317 lbs of yack-inducing chuck toss. Blah.

I eventually reached the bottom of the 3' beast. Then the fill dirt arrived, clouds parted and the Red Sox ripped towards their 4th World Series Championship in 14 years.

From there on, it was mostly smooth sailing. Kinsley and Alex had a blast playing on the mountain of dirt and going for rides in the cart. As we entered the second half of Fall, the garden pool was full and Alex posed for one more picture. For some reason, he thought it was hilarious to lay on the ground like this.

I sure am happy to cross this project off the list. Makes me sleep a little bit better knowing there's no pond in the yard. I think I'm shorter than before I started the project. And I'm glad I didn't find a body while dredging nasty nast. Take that, Frick/Frack!

It's Pronounced [loo-is], Y'all

2018-10-09T16:26:00.000-07:00

We've had difficulty finding time for a vacation this year. We've cancelled, rescheduled (twice) and also shortened. Total downer. Makes me wonder, what's the longest a family has gone without a vacation? To the best of my knowledge, we never had a summer without a vacation when I was growing up. Ocean City, Deep Creek Lake, Rehoboth Beach, Outer Banks. Most years we'd team-up with aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. Other years we'd bring a friend.

I have a greater appreciation for it all now. Good thing Ali's driving this ship. :-) To Lewes we go!

This was the first time Kinsley was old enough to play at the beach. She went head first into the sand fun but was understandably apprehensive about the water. It is October, after all.

Alex must have been feeling more adventurous: he was living it up in the water. All he needed was a shovel and bucket. After that, he was good to go. Eventually Kinsley's curiosity got the better of her and we ventured into the water together. She and I went in far enough that I could let her sit on my knee. The water was cold but she didn't mind; she blew bubbles and even splashed some waves over towards her mom and brother.

The highlight of Alex's trip was the Pirate Cruise. They really do a great job engaging the kiddos in pirate adventure. He's been keeping an extra close eye on his bounty but I'm willing to bet that his favorite part was defending the ship via water cannon during the pirate attack.

We lucked-out because there were only a few kids on the cruise. It gave us plenty of room to play and explore.

While the kids are goin' bananas for beaches and the pirate life, Ali and I are judging a 4-day battle of the baristas. We tried a couple different coffees each morning in search of Lewes's best cup of joe. From Station of Kings to some other place that I don't recall, we both agreed that the First Cup bean at the Bake Shoppe was tops. Bake Shoppe's losing points for other things but they emerge victorious in Battle O' Coffee 2018!

One of the things that keeps us coming back to Lewes are our wonderful Aunt and Uncle. Google seems to think my Aunt/Uncle are Alex & Kinsley's great Aunt/Uncle but that makes my head hurt. So how's about we roll with Grand Aunt/Uncle? Either way, they make us feel welcome even when our circus-on-wheels is in tow!

I Can't Unsee It

2018-08-15T19:01:00.000-07:00

Giving Wifey a personalized license plate was a special occasion. There was a lot of build-up in 2015 as the list of possibilities became shorter and shorter. Suspense mounted while friends and family weighed-in and Wifey remained unaware. When the plates finally arrived, we triumphantly placed them on the new Chevy SUV. Years later, as the lease came to an end, we were certain that we'd transfer the personalized tags onto the new SUV.

Standing at the counter with sublime disinterest towards the contents, the dealer handed me a folder with a new set of plates. The cover flipped open to reveal the unthinkable.

The new license plate number had my initials in them! Right there in front me. In my hand. The first three digits: 4DM. How can it be!? In all of it's permutations, this universe has brought me the license plate that is For-David-Mills!

What should I do? What would you do? What do you think I did?

I'm really glad that you've read this far. Unfortunately, however, you've now been primed to notice 4DM license plates around the DMV. Like me, you'll never be able to unsee them. After a while, you might notice a For-David-Keith (4DK).

They're out there, people. Believe me. They're out there. Good hunting.

Mills Ministry Services: Now Open for Business

2018-07-22T18:53:00.000-07:00

I became an ordained minister this summer. Did it so I could preside over Hollie's wedding. A few weeks thereafter I attended a work offsite. The icebreaker was to 1) introduce yourself and 2) share a highlight from your summer. I gave my usual introduction and excitedly shared that, "I married my sister over the summer." I'm not sure what sort of response I was expecting but it certainly wasn't the awkward silence and blank stares that I received. It took me a moment but I realized "I officiated my sisters wedding" would have been a much better choice of words. I quickly clarified but now have to chuckle and wonder if any of my work colleagues think that my sister and I are...wedded.

Ordination is quite the status symbol. It comes with a certificate, ministry license and clergy badge. It's a lot of fun too. I especially enjoyed writing (and delivering) the ceremony and being the recipient of the Officiant mug (which has taken it's rightful place among other valuable memorabilia).

I had a lot of flexibility with the ceremony. Venturing into the fringe of acceptable behavior was encouraged. While YouTube runneth-over with Princess Bride ceremony ideas, I managed to limit usage "mawaaage" to no more than 5 times. When it comes down to it, there's really only one legally required part of any ceremony: the I do's. Er...ah...the declaration of intent. Not gonna lie though, I smashed the the welcome, sermon and presentation of rings.

I smile now but was sweatin' bullets on the way to the ceremony. We were running a few minutes late and having trouble finding the building. I called Mom for directions and, for reasons I can't explain, led with, "We're having a Minister emergency." Normally, not a big deal but Mom answers her phone on speaker. Which means I declared "Minister Emergency" via speakerphone into a room filled with the bride and bridesmaids. Things got real quiet, real quick. :-)

The kids were in full toddler mode (Auntie Waa, sorry about that flower vase! Love, Kinsley.). The shrills in the background of the wedding videos are, undoubtedly, my children.

I loved every minute of the rehearsal, wedding and ministering. The venue was perfect. And I couldn't be more proud of my big sister!

Dad Level: 10,000

2018-06-20T19:17:00.000-07:00

I had a buddy in college that kept a pet snake in his dorm room. I never would have known he had a snake except, one day, the snake wasn't in the aquarium. Instead, el serpiente was just chillin' on the desk. In the dorm room. In between me and exit.

My lizard brain went straight into fight-or-flight mode. Flight wins. I go from zero to sixty faster than ever before. My onboard navigation system calculated the most direct route (through the shared bathroom, out the neighbors dorm room) and I was g-o-n-e. Didn't look back until I was halfway across campus. Never returned to the scene of the crime. Naturally, my buddies found it humorous.

Fast forward 17 years. There's a HUGE snake in my basement. Alex is 10' away. This is not a drill, people. Fight or flight? Place your bets...

I kicked that snakes @ss (or whatever they have)! Well, technically not. More like, I managed to keep my organs from shutting down long enough to trap the goliath in a bucket with the help of a broom and 8' piece of moulding. Pretty sure I was radiating beams of manliness at the time.

Clearly, the snake knew too much and would not be permitted to return to the woods behind the house. It's his lucky day though. This snake is on a relocation program. So I plunked a lid on the bucket, taped it down with a pretty good mix of duct tape and packaging tap, put it in the front seat and drove it down to the Ag Farm.

I knew the snake needed a name. Unfortunately, the only thing that came to mind was a nickname for someone at work. Now, when we drive past the Ag Farm (twice a day), we all shout, "hello" to the snake named after one of my colleagues.

Bjoern the Unicorn

2018-06-17T18:24:00.000-07:00

This is Bjoern. He's a Unicorn. And when connected to a garden hose, water shoots out of his horn. While it's clear why he joined the team, Bjeorn has a critical shortcoming: he takes a loooong time to inflate with the included pump. We're talkin' 15-20 minutes.

This is a Ridgid 12-gallon high performance wet dry vac. It's 5 horsepower, 145 CFM are best used to power a workshop dust collection system, scare a toddler or suck up anything smaller than an apple. With a simple configuration change, you can reverse the flow of air through the hose.

Discovering I could inflate Bjeorn with the Ridgid was the highlight of my day. I took that thing from empty to party-time in 15 seconds. Then I giggled. Deflating was fun too.

Update (July 7): I went a little overboard with the vacuum the second time. 15 second: just right. 18 seconds: unrecoverable malfunction. Bjeorn is no longer with us. ...was a challenge to "retire" him without the kids seeing.

Blood, Sweat and (preferably no) Tetanus

2018-04-08T14:48:00.000-07:00

I've been working on the basement office project for several months. Recently, I've be focusing on the space under the stairway. It's a junk-zone today but with some love, we think it can be something special.

The original vision was to create a bench nook sort of thing for readers and/or loungers. That didn't make it past the approvals board so now I'm building a playhouse! Something like this:

An important early step is removing an old shelf system and building a wall to enclose the area under the staircase. Over the course of a couple of weekends, a nice pile of wood scrap and other construction stuff accumulated in the corner and I finally decided to haul it out to the trash today. ...without gloves. And that's how to spend the morning in the hospital, children.

Lots of blood. 6 stitches. 1 tetanus shot. Two parts embarrassed, one part regret. Sigh...

Project status: on hold.

That's Enough Sleep for One Night

2018-01-18T18:36:00.001-08:00

When I was growing up, we'd spend holidays with grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles. Thanksgiving's were mostly spent at Mom's parents house in Towson. Children and grandchildren descended and temporarily forgot that they didn't own the place.

It was fun. We played marker tag and made cookies. Grammy and Grandad lived in the house at the corner of Cottage Lane and the back alley which meant they had a larger back yard than most. We'd play any- and everything in that yard: soccer, basketball, football, badminton, golf, etc. And the tire swing was a popular attraction.

I remember that (accidentally) sending a ball over the fence into the neighbors yard was avoided at all costs. Can't remember why though. I bet more than one tennis ball was lost forever on account of a grandchild's fear of the neighborly unknown.

If you stood on the back porch, you could pull seeds off of the tree and wing 'em at your siblings down below. Of course, if you were down on the ground level, you could sneak through the basement, up the stairs and into the kitchen to lock the Winger outside on the porch.

Grandad was a late-riser. In his defense, he was probably a normal-riser. ...children wake up early just to mess with parents (and grandparents).

If it was your turn, Grammy handed you a googly-eyed-fuzzy-pencil-looking-thing and asked you to go wake Grandad. There was only correct way to wake Grandad; twist the hair into a tight swirl, sneak-up on the unsuspecting fella and shove the hair twist right up his nostril (then duck any reflexes that may have been triggered).

I couldn't believe my eyes when I was clicking around the web yesterday and found this (the one on the left): the googly-eyed-fuzzy-pencil-looking-thing! The only difference is that ours was a yellow pencil with green hair. Wild.

Turns out that every generation enjoys waking someone from a sound sleep...

Fuel for Sleep Deprived Parents

2017-08-08T19:26:00.000-07:00

I have front row seats to this amazing moment that's been happening each night for weeks. It happens a few minutes before Alex goes to bed and only lasts for 10 seconds, if I'm lucky.

After his bath, we put Alex in his pajamas and read him a few books. Ali takes Alex to go through the rest of the bedtime routine and I take Kinsley for her bath. Just as I'm finishing her bath, Alex comes out to say, "good night." With Kinsley in my arms, I kneel down to his level.

And then it happens. He gives her the most gentle hug I've ever seen, kisses her on her cheek and then hugs her again. Kinsley smiles right back at him and my heart swells.

I have no idea where he learned it or what compels him to do it. He just does it and it's arguably the best part of my day. And each night, I start looking forward to it all over again.

Kinsley Marie

2017-05-22T17:20:00.000-07:00

We've been in a consistent state of change for the past several months. We've taken ownership of the new house in January, Ali's been in the final stages of the pregnancy and I'm 7 months into a fresh career move.

Mid-January to mid-February was a race to get the new house painted. Somewhere between rolling Moonlit Snow on the walls and Stolen Kiss on the ceilings, I started getting next-level excited about becoming a family of four. Before long, the crib was assembled, a take-home outfit (and other clothing) started showing up and the newborn carseats were back for round 2.

As we crept closer and closer to the May 27th due date, we started to wonder if the new baby would steal Uncle Matthew's birthday lime light. It seems like it would have been fun for most everyone. Fun fact: I have Aunts and Grandparents who share (or are very close) to my b-day. Go Capricorns!

Ultimately, however, the doctor had a different plan and we found ourselves heading into the hospital early Monday morning, May 22nd. Finally, we were going to meet the new baby! Obviously, it's impossible to know anything about her personality today, but I will write that she refused to cooperate at every photo opportunity over the last 9+ months.

This being our second time, we're much more confident and comfortable heading in for delivery. It's great to be familiar with the facility, process and have a general understanding of what's happening.

Delivery went exactly as expected. Everyone was in a good mood when baby entered into the world at 10:09am. By 10:28, the doctors and I were posing for pictures with the new baby. I'm happy to see that I've figured out how to wear the mask in a more flattering way.

Baby was back in Ali's arms shortly after the photoshoot was complete. Shortly after that she had her first real-world meal and shortly after that I was making some phone calls like every proud papa would.

Baby weighed-in at 8lbs even and looks beautiful. We could not be happier.

The new baby, Ali and I are spending the days and nights together. I shuttle between home and the hospital in an effort to keep Alex's routine as consistent as possible. It's really nice to have Grammy and Pop-pop to help. And, I can't wait to introduce the new baby to Alex!

We don't have a name picked-out for the new baby yet but we've narrowed it down to three. We like to ask everyone who comes in the room for their opinion. I'm leaning in one direction (and am really happy about it).

The Gender Sender Delivers the News

2017-01-08T19:48:00.000-08:00

Wifey and I have been keeping a secret for a bunch of weeks:

The news of baby's gender was available to us around Thanksgiving-ish. However, as of Christmas morning, only Wifey knew the gender. Turns out we have significantly different opinions about this little tidbit of knowledge the second time around. Who knew?

I lived through several weeks of loving torment (e.g. "Do you want to know now? ...how about now? ...um, now?"). We made plans to disclose the Mills side of our family at Christmas lunch AND force them, willingly or not, to participate as the gender was revealed to me/us. Here's how it went down:

Our calendars are marked for May 27th!

The Great Pacifier Backfire

2016-10-25T20:12:00.003-07:00

Wifey & I didn't want to use a pacifier with Alex. Then he went to daycare and we found ourselves knee deep in those thangz. It made our lives a little easier at the time but Alex is so chill that neither of us think there was a material benefit. Quitting the habit brought the full range of withdrawal goblins though and that's what we're dealing with this week.

Naturally, I took the pacifier notion and mashed it with one of my favorite musicians (Walker Hayes). Here's where I landed.

Since I have very little music-ability, I needed to rip the instrumentals and most of the remaining creativity. Getting the lyrics and instrumentals didn't go quite as planned but you got the point! Here's the original song. I picked it because it's got a nice message behind it that is easily relatable.

You be the judge though, which version do you like more? ;-)

Fall is for Farms

2016-10-23T20:15:00.000-07:00

This is a great time of year to be (as mature as?) a toddler. Who doesn't like to carve up a vegetable, cruise down a hillside slide on a potato sack, roll around in corn or over-indulge on cinnamon donuts? We've been doin' one fall festival per week for a while. It's great - each weekend a new farm!

Gaver Farm was our choice for pumpkins and farm animals this year. Alex especially likes the goats.
By the way, have you ever noticed human's predisposition towards enormous pumpkins? I can't explain it but it seems to be part of our nature. I direct your attention to Exhibit A (...as in Alex).

Despite the more reasonably sized pumpkins, Alex wanted the pumpkin that weighed as much as he does. Gotta admit, I love his ambition! Unfortunately for him, when I was growing up, the rule was; if you can carry it, you can get it. So...

The best part of Butler's Orchard Pumpkin Harvest was the squash shooting, jack-o-lantern launching, punkin' chunkin' CANNON. How could I resist? Pay close attention to Alex when I blow the horn.

Side-note: Butler's has the best cinnamon donuts.

Blizzard Wizard

2016-01-27T15:44:00.000-08:00

I am so very happy that Jonas decided to plop more than 2' of snow on us. Now-a-days winter-tech is just a distant memory in my book. But it's just too hard not to have some fun when the opportunity presents itself. Plus, in my mind's eye, this is exactly how I'd look if I were cast in a Winter apocalypse movie.

Notice that my trusty sidekick has decided he's gone far enough. While I press forward clutching Jake's leash in my hand, he had decided that a pee-break wasn't worth the effort and retreated back into the warmth of our cave. I bet he'd change his mind if he was wearing SmartWool from head to toe...

I finally coaxed him out as the storm started to wind down. Hardly anything was cleared but those sidewalks that were created a fun maze for us to navigate.

And then there was this little fiasco. This is the bread isle at the grocery store. Kinda crazy, right? Would you be surprised to know that the ingredients used to make bread were virtually untouched?

The storm affected a lot of folks in a negative way. We're hoping that they stay warm and safe. But for me, it was a lot of fun to frolic in a winter wonder land.

We'll pass on the wine tonight

2015-08-06T10:30:00.000-07:00

August 6^th occupies a nice little spot in my heart and mind these days. It was last August 6^th (a Wednesday) that Ali and I learned of our greatest adventure yet.

We were on vacation house-sitting in Eagles Mere the week prior. Heading back to work is never easy and by the time Wednesday the 6^th rolled around, we were both wishing we were back in PA enjoying the mountain air.

On this particular Wednesday, we both had pretty awful days at the office. When we got home, it was all we could do just to make dinner and find a few minutes to relax with one another. Ali went to the change out of her work clothes and I went to the kitchen to grab a bottle of wine. You know it’s been a really bad day in Davey World when wine becomes appealing. As I waited in front of the TV – quality programming I’m sure - I poured two glasses of wine. Then my wonderful wife appeared to my right.

“I think I’m going to pass on the wine tonight…”

You could probably guess what ensued. Our emotions rushed in two different directions. Ali, shock. David, gitty like schoolgirl. We were overwhelmed with emotions. And then, “Are you sure?” We looked at the test. “Looks like a ‘+’ to me. Right? Umm, do another one.” No more tests in the house – and this was not the time to leave things any less than 100% definitive. …quick, Ali, drink some water. I’m going to Safeway!

I return 20 minutes later with 3 new tests (from 3 different manufacturers, of course) to a wife bursting at the seams. 3 tests and 30 minutes later, we’re still not 100% convinced. It wasn’t until the following morning, in the doctor’s office, after a blood test that we accepted the news that we had been hoping for; Ali was pregnant.

Field of Dreams

2015-07-14T17:15:00.000-07:00

I’ve got retirement on my brain.

Mostly because my mom retired this year and we just celebrated with her, family, and friends. But…also a little bit because I’ve been planning for retirement since 1996 and been obsessing over it ever since.

Take a trip down memory lane with me. My first ever retirement plan was to hit the Maryland Lotto and retire at (or before) age 30. One needs to reach the ripe age of 17 before purchasing a lottery ticket in Maryland. Oh, I counted those days all the way down to my 17^th b-day. When the day finally arrived, I drove straight to the 7-11 in Damascus and bought as many Lotto tickets as my birthday cash could afford. The money I won was “reinvested” immediately which led to compounding losses and eventually…no more cash. As it turns out, the lottery was not a good retirement plan for me. I haven’t given up on that dream entirely but I’ve augmented it with mitigation strategies including the Virginia Lottery and a career.

With Plan B well underway, I’m free to think about the more operational related pieces of retirement. I like to refer to this part of the dream as “FTB” or soccer (f)ield, (t)urnstile, and (b)arn.

1. Soccer Field: Kinda like Groundskeeper Willy meets Ray Kinsella from Field of Dreams. I'll spend my mornings tending to the (full size) pitch. In my minds eye, it’s freshly mowed, painted and has the professional style goals where the nets are tied behind the goal forming a perfect ready-to-billow canopy.

2. Turnstile: the Red Sox hold spring training from early February to early March each year (currently in Fort Myers, FL). I’ll spend those 4-5 weeks each year exploring a second career: as one of the ticket checkers at the turnstile gates.

3. Barn: I want a barn to house a wood-shop real bad. Ha! I’ll build furniture in my spare time.

Even more important than FTB though, I hope to be surrounded by friends and family. That’s the real dream. Which is what we did with Mom this weekend. So enjoy the retired life, Ma. You’ve earned it.

Our New Addition

2015-04-20T17:51:00.000-07:00

For the last week or two of Ali’s pregnancy we spent every day wondering if today was going to be the day. Not knowing turned us into loonies as we began trolling the universe looking for signs. Our car was nearing the 100k-mile mark. As the miles passed by, the odometer screamed increasingly louder – signaling to me the impending reality: Baby’s on the way.

Eventually, 100,000 miles came and went. Our best guess came and went. Baby’s due date came and went.

The 283^rd day of the pregnancy (40 weeks 3 days) was a Sunday. At this point, we felt like we were on borrowed time. Which meant that both Ali and I were working lots of extra hours and trying our best to get ahead of our workload and put ourselves in a good position to take extended leave.

Ali was doing email at the computer desk and I on the couch round about 5p when she turned to me and said, “my stomach doesn’t feel real well.” And that was it: the beginning of labor. We didn’t know it yet but we were in for an exciting night.

Around 6p, Ali still wasn’t feeling well but the feeling would come and go. She was the first one to wonder aloud, “do you think this is…labor?” I’m not 100% sure, but I’m pretty sure I responded dismissively from behind my Outlook, “Darlin’, if it were labor, there would be no mistaking it.” Then, back to my email. Ha! My bad!

By 7p, there was no mistaking it. We settled-in and waited for the one thing that I clearly recall from the parenting classes: 5-1-1. Money well spent! At 1a we called the doctor and doula. The doctor said, “how’s about you bring her into the hospital and we’ll try to figure out what’s going on.” I wondered quietly to myself, “they didn’t teach how to interpret these symptoms in medical school?”

Labor bag? Check. Overnight bag? Check. Clean the house so that Matthew will be comfortable while dog-sitting? Umm…not so much. Very sorry about that one, Matthew. But thanks for taking care of Jake!

It was pouring rain on our way to the hospital. We walked from the parking garage to the emergency room and stopped twice for contractions. Once we got into the emergency room, no one had to say a word. They just smiled knowingly and pointed towards the Labor wing.

Ali was a champ. All. Labor. Long.

I can’t sit in one position on the couch for more than 30 minutes. Ali held terribly awkward positions for 4x that long and by the time Baby arrived at 7:42am on Monday, April 20^th, I was convinced that balancing upright on epidural-ed legs is her superhuman power.

Baby weighed-in at 7lbs 11oz. We haven’t made the final decision on his name so he’ll have to be “Baby Mills” for a little bit longer.

Shortly thereafter, the new mom, the new dad and their new baby were moved into a Mother/Baby Room. Our emotions were all over the place (in a very good way). By this time the rain had stopped and the sun was welcoming all of us to a new day and the next chapter of our lives.

It turns out the it's a slow day in the Labor & Delivery Unit (and that news travels fast). The nurses and doctors have been pouring into our room to see and hold the adorable new baby with red hair. :-)

A Winter of Green

2015-01-04T19:22:00.000-08:00

We’ve got a boatload of ‘firsts’ ahead of us so before reality sets in; we’re taking a few days to escape the normal rush of things. It’s winter. Let’s head for the mountains!

This winter has thrown me for a loop. December came and went. January has arrived and we’re yet to get any material amount of snow. Doesn’t Ol’ Man Winter know that my electric boots were made for walkin’?! And that’s just not what they’re going to do unless temperatures dip below chilly here in the DC Metro Area. Get it together, Winter. Get it together.

Fortunately for me, Wintergreen Ski Resort has enough snow making potential to cover a football field with 37’ of snow in 24 hours. We visited from Thurs-Sunday and spent most of our time enjoying Jake and each other’s company. The weather was all over the place. It was clear on Friday, nasty on Saturday, and rainy on Sunday.

I skied on Saturday, which was the perfect way to test my new GoPro. The GoPro is a lot of fun. I need to keep in mind, however, that it captures all of my moments: good and bad. …like the moment at the end of the video when I get lost on the mountain. Left? Right? Map. Right? Left? Map. Oh forget it…

The surface was good but the story of the day was the visibility (or lack there of).

We had a lot of fun. It was tough at times for Ali to get around but she managed real well. We’re happy to be home in our own bed and ready to take on the year ahead of us.

Operation: Rolling Pitter-Pat

2014-11-28T14:26:00.000-08:00

Having just discovered the gender of our baby, the Doc wrote the secret onto a piece of paper and sealed it in an envelope. There it would keep until the Baker converted the news into confectionery intel. Like concentric circles, here's how our closest peeps learned of our (forthcoming) baby boy!

Taking the envelope from the Doc's office to the Bakery was torturous. We had to force each other to leave the envelope unopened. After a few days, the cake was finally ready. I went and picked it up alone. Of course, the Baker-lady who brought me the cake knew the secret. She laughed and joked knowingly while I quietly freaked out a little bit. Ali and I had our own little private reveal party on Oct 28th. We cut into the cake and...BLUE!

I "disclosed" mom on a Sunday early in November. We had to force the issue a bit. Grammy-to-be was having the kitchen remodeled but the construction schedule had been totally blown. This created a big dilemma since my idea was to put a balloon in a gift cleverly disguised as a house/remodel warming gift. As the construction schedule got longer (and longer), it started to encroach on the whole-family Thanksgiving announcement. Eventually, it couldn't delay any longer so I forced the issue. She cried when she opened the gift and sooo...success!

We told our immediate family on Thanksgiving via t-shirt message. Ali and I wore t-shirts made with a status bar and read, "Baby Loading. Please wait..." Once we took off our jackets, boom! The secret was out. Ali was showing at this point and there was no hiding our secret any longer. Oddly enough, I can't find a picture of us in our t-shirts. Sorry, world. You'll just have to use your imagination.

Got a few extra hours? Search for 'gender reveal ideas' and...there goes your afternoon. Don't forget to finish my post though... There are so many creative ideas out there. It's impossible not to get caught-up in the excitement; instantly wanting to do some ridiculous number of them (and do something totally unique - which is way more difficult than it sounds)

The Day Ali's Been Waiting For

2014-07-13T08:56:00.000-07:00

San Francisco has it's pluses and minuses. Pluses, for example, include the year-round weather, it's the center of the Tech universe and boasts convenient proximity to destinations like Tahoe, Sonoma and Carmel.

It has it's downside too, though. The hipster population density, homeless situation and cost of living are all frightful. Aghh! The later means that apartments are modest in size by American standards. In total, our Nob Hill apartment had 1 bedroom and was less than 550 square feet. It was also the most expensive apartment we've ever rented. It meant that we needed to be a bit creative and always put things away.

Truthfully, we loved that apartment. Not as much as Back Bay but close. We both walked to and from our offices (uphill both ways - seriously). The Victorian architecture and Cable Cars reminded us daily that we were living a special adventure. We had convenient access to everything we could ever need. There was hardly a reason to own a car.

In Maryland, things are different. When Ali & I were looking at apartments, we were amazed at the amount of space (and cost) of what we needed. I never thought I'd say this but...wifey, go buy more stuff! We have more space than we know what to do with!!