Scrotum

I know you are very wary of this blog with a title like that and me being me, but please read on. At my current job, people get wounds EVERYWHERE. I have had to hold up an obese women's stomach before b/c her wound was actually in a fold. We have a quadriplegic who has them on his buttocks from sitting so much. But the icing on the cake, recently a man came in with a scrotum wound. It's actually on his"perial" also known to most of us as the "taint". I figured with the doctor and nurse i would'nt be in on this one. Well.........i was wrong. I got to hold his scrotum back while the doctor and nurse bandaged him up. I felt so bad for him, he was in intense pain b/c of this wound. So he's laying flat with his knees bent so we can get at his wound(i now have a new apprciation for when you women go to the obg/yn) when his wife asks in what room will the home health nurse do his wound care at home. The doctor replies somewhere where he will be able to lie flat like we have him, so the nurse can dress the wound. At that point the doctor tells the wife it would actually be better if his feet where raised in the air a little to make it easier. So.......with my left hand still gently cusping his scrotum the doctor tells me to grab his right leg and raise it.I'm now on his right side with his scrotum in my left hand,his right leg in my right hand, and the doctor talking about wound care. She's at this point not really finishing the dressing....just standing there talking!!Needless to say we finished up, i srubed my hands for a good 30 minutes(yes i was wearing gloves), and that was all. The good news...he comes back on a Mon.,Wed.,Fri., schedule. So if you think you're having a bad day on monday just remember you could be holding another man's scrotum and his leg in the air!!!!

Thanks for Giving

Today the family and i went to my parents for Thanksgiving. My Aunt Nancy was there along with my cousin Sarah. We had a blast!! We played Balderdash(fun game if you've never played). Had all the fixings...Turkey,Squash,Green Bean Casserole, Stuffing,Mashed Potatoes & Gravy and of course pie's. And laughed ALOT!! I think everybody had a wonderful time, i know i did. I hope everybody else had a great time with family and friends on this special day, and try to remember what you are thankful for. Personally I'm thankful for my beautiful family, wonderful and close friends, my health and health of others, the troops who fight for us EVERYDAY so we can be together on a day like this, and being to wake up everyday to see these things. I love you all and hope you had a fantastic day!!!

What to do....

Although i have had my job now for going on 4 months now, i have continued to look at other jobs. I like my job now and like the interaction with the patients, some of whom I've grown kinda close to. This is not a 40 hr. a week job and doesn't pay very well. It's also a small business and there is no room for growth. It is however close to the house and i get off at 3:00 p.m. Just in time for Emma to get home. I had an interview today and already got a call-back. It pays much more, has benefits, 401k, and other perks. However...it is in Marietta and the hours are 3:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. at a hospital(Kennestone). From what i understand it is no weekends until i can handle all aspects of the process and then it will be every 6 weeks i work a weekend. Sounds pretty good right? The only dilemma is that i will not see my family basically through the week. The kids go to school and of course Brookie works during the day. I love my family very much and like to spend time with them. So....do i leave a job that i like, that pays little with no benefits. But get to see my family. Or....do i get a better job and sacrifice family time. Any comments or advice you have will be wee received!!!1

Uncle!! Yeah!! Part 2

It has been recently announced what the sex of my 1st niece/nephew will be. I'm am getting more and more excited as they get closer and closer to having him/her. So you're probably wondering why i haven't divulged in the sex then on my blog. I have asked involved to not tell me. I have two kids of my own, but this is different. This is where they come and spend the night so the parents can go out for a night. This is were my kids have a cousin to play with when we all get together. It's all very exciting. I know eventually i will find out. #1 because we will all be together around Christmas and #2 because my wife and daughter kinda have a big mouth. It's also very hard in general conversation when speaking about this subject to not let it slip. Thank you to everybody who so far has been very good at this. I'm also sorry i wont be on your blogs anytime soon b/c my sis and mil(mom-in-law) have blogged about this very subject.Love you all.

say what!!!

As you all know, my answering machine messages are very different from the usual. I have received mostly all compliments from these, with the occasional complaint that it sounds familiar, or it's a couple days past due. But a mistake message made me play it back over and over again b/c i couldn't believe my ears. Apparently a telemarketer didn't, or did, i don't really know, was speaking to somebody else when it start to record. The message he left was....and i quote, "that guy needs a life". I didn't think i heard it correctly the first time b/c it was very soft and low. After replaying it over and over I'm sure that's what was said. I try to make things interesting and outta the norm and actually started doing this b/c of a routine the late and great George Carlin did one night about answering machine messages. I have done this now for at least two years and kinda take pride in them. I hope you all enjoy them and maybe get a laugh or at least a smile from them. I love my life, my family, and my friends, and find it very rude for someone who is trying to sell me something be like that. I wonder if i would've answered mid-way between the message if he would've spoke his mind then??? I think we all know the answer to that one.

The heart grows fonder..

Because of the work Brookie's in, she has to travel a couple of times a year. I don't mind at all that i watch the kids, but i do miss her when she's gone. I love her company and ALWAYS like to know my whole family is safe. She is currently in Destin, Fl. for a couple of nights with her company. Although she doesn't necessarily like the people she works with she always goes and never complains. I hope she has a good time, and knows that she is always missed when she is gone on trips like this.

Why at the "Y"?

Why do people feel it nessasary to talk on the phone while working out? I don't need to hear about your weekend and what you did. I pay money also to go to the "Y"(YMCA) and workout. And how can this be the ONLY time you have to speak to this particular person out of your day? This was actually said by a women while she was on the sit down and lean back exercise bike. I'm pretty sure she didnt even break a sweat on this machine, which kinda defeats the purpose. And the ONLY time you have...i'm sure you're a stay at home mom that put your kids on the bus a long time ago, but you could'nt find time to call this person except at the "Y". Maybe the person on the other end of the line isnt that important if you can't find time during the day. I just want to know...why at the "Y"?

November 1st

All of you that read my blog were there on this very special day in my life. It was a BEAUTIFUL fall day. The days before had been kinda chilly and dreary. But it turned out to be warm and very comfortable. Before friends, family, and God i vowed to love and cherish my wife until the end of time. I feel like i do a good job on this. I take marriage very seriously, maybe a hold-over from my Catholic days, and i try my best to be a good husband and father. I remember standing around, very nervous for some reason, even though Brooke and i had been together forever before we got married. It was very emotional for me because we had already had children and they were there for it. I got wonderful pictures of everybody there, i especially like the one of my father, Elijah, and i. Mike and Charles were doing a good job of trying to calm me down when we were going down the aisle knowing that Brookie was behind me and i hadent seen her since the day before. When i finally saw her she was ABSOLUTLY GORGEOUS. Her dress was perfect, her hair was flowing, and was just perfect. I tried to make it though the nuptuials as best as i could, but it was very hard. The thought of her and everybody that means something in my life being there to witness it was very emotional for me. I thank all of you for sharing that special moment in my life with me. I will always remember that day until i leave this earth. And it will always be one of the fondest memories of my life along with my children being born. Brooke, thank you for saying "yes" and sticking by me through thick and thin. I love you dearly. Dad Erlacher, thank you for being the man you are and giving your daughter to me, i know that's hard to do. Mom Erlacher, thank you for raising a wonderful women and letting me into your family. Brother and Sis, thank you for making me feel like one of the family and letting me know what it's like to have siblings. Mom and Dad thanks for everything you did when you raised me. I know i wasent the easiest to deal with, i hope i make you proud. Oma and Mammaw, R.I.P. we all miss your warmth and smiles, i'm glad you were there to witness it and get to see your great grandkids. Katie and Andy, you are both great friends to me and i consider you guys family and can't wait to see Sydney grow up and be a wonderful women like her mother. To the rest of you who probaly won't read this, i love you all and miss you. I think this is long enough, but i could go on and on about that day. With love,

Abraham

My Mother-In-Law

Doesnt check my blog or comment on it :(

Are you kidding me??

We get the paper on Friday, Sat., And Sun., and at the end of the "Metro" section they have the obituaries. I usually peek at them just out of curiosity, but what really makes me mad are some of the funeral homes. That's because at the end of some pretty, well-written obituary is the funeral homes big, bold, can't-miss-it ad. Now don't get me wrong, some of them are very classy and are relatively small. But the ones that are printed bold just don't make me feel warm and fuzzy. I understand you have to advertise somehow, but can't you come up with another way. Honestly, i don't see their profession going out of business anytime soon, do you?

Time to get up

Have you ever tried to talk to a deaf person from a couple feet away? Or roll a log UPHILL? This is what it;s like to try to wake Brookie up. This has been going on since childhood b/c of the stories I've heard from my mom-in-law. I sleep on the side with the alarm clock so when she has to get up it goes off next to me. Then the fun begins. First it starts off with a simple "time to wake up". About 5 minutes later it's repeated. 10 minutes later it's a little nudge. After that the little is taken out of the nudge. Still nothing. You see she usually gets up with Emma, so when she doesn't get up it pushes Emma behind. Then i get up with Elijah and put him on the bus. Not only this but because I'm worried Brookie won't get up i don't sleep after the alarm goes off. Not only this but I'm still fighting her to wake up. I know she works alot and she can go to bed whenever she wants but i need to find a better way to get her up. HELP!!!!!

What Camera????

In the mail Brookie received something from Roswell(a city in Georgia). I thought this was strange considering that we don't travel there that often. When she opened it up she found out she had been given a "citation" for running a red light. You see in some cities here, they put cameras up by the traffic lights to prevent this. Seventy dollars later...i finally asked why she didn't stop b/c it's pretty well known that the area has these cameras. Her response......wait for it.....it's a big one.....wait......SHE WAS GOING TO FAST TO STOP!!!! This is not a punch line to a joke. She was speeding and couldn't stop in time for the light. Oh yeah..did i mention they send a picture with the citation and Brookie was BEHIND the white stop line when the light was already red!! Ahhhh...i love her so much.

What's the big IKEA?!?!?!?

All of the women in my life are infatuated with IKEA. However, most of the men i know are not. Why is this...maybe because ALL of the furniture has to be put together. Women go into the store, see fantastic prices(which i can't deny they have), figure they have the "perfect" place in the home for whatever piece of furniture it is, and write down the bin number and they're off. I learned this very early. It started when my sis-in-law got a new clothes thing in Greenville and i came in at the end to help my dad-in-law finish it. You see the "instructions" are just pictures and some Swedish writing....how convenient for us Americans. Anyway, i thought i learned my lesson but sure enough women are very persuasive. A computer desk, chair, sofa, rolling chair, and other numerous items later apparently i still haven't learned my lesson. God speed to all men with women addicted to IKEA!!!

9!!!!!!!

Elijah had a band recital on Thursday and needed some new clothes for this. His outfit was to be all black....pants,shirt,shoes,the whole nine yards. Everything was fine until we got to the shoe section. The kid wears a size 9........IN MENS!!!! He is huge now, he's close to Brookie and my mom-in-law's height, he surely will pass them by summer, and lord only knows how much he weighs now. I've heard about kids growing up quickly, but this is ridiculous!! I truly think we have another "Lurch" on our hands. Thanks alot dad-in-law!!!!

Hallow-Weenie???

Around this time of the year i start to decorate the house for the time of season. Halloween is one of the favorites, besides Christmas. I put up cobwebs, a grave, a head w/ a spear through it, all kinds of good stuff. Most of the years i've gotten compliments from people coming up to the house just b/c i've decorated it. I think poeple enjoy it, but Elijah is getting older and Brookie always has some comments. I however enjoy it and hope the kids do as well. I also put out a fog machine on the actual day, this adds some spook to the night. Rest assured i will continue this, even when the kids are gone to school and it's just Brookie and i.

Uncle!!! Yeah!!

I'm very excited about the upcoming birth of my first neice/nephew. Me being the only child from my parents, i had to count on somebody else or else i would never be an UNCLE. Thanks to Leigh i can now look forward to this. I hope that they find their way back stateside so i can be closer to him/her after he/she is born. This all depends on the job situation w/ Rene's company though. Anyway keep that baby healthy and know that UNCLE ABE will be waiting. Just one request baby....please don't pee on me while i change your diaper!!!!

B.S.!!!!

Brookie has been at the same job since she was 16 yrs. old, going to high school, and having a baby. She worked her way up from housekeeper to General Manager. I know you all know these facts, but there's a reason for this. Recently she told me her company has put a "freeze" on hiring new employees, wages, and a sabatical which you get every 5 years. Now follow along...she got reprimanded for low "GSS" scores(basically guests rating their stay) but cannot hire anyone new. I'm no genius but if you have a problem worker at your hotel you have two options. Fire them...but then you work more to cover that loss of the shift...and don't forget the wage "freeze" so you know you won't be getting more money anytime soon. Or keep them and possibly watch your scores suffer. Fire them and not be able to relace them because of the "hiring freeze" or work more....hmmmm..what to do, what to do. If the economy is suffering, like it is, then don't expect great scores!!! If your reason for "freezing" all of this is because of the economy, don't expect happy people all of the time!!! Not only that, but really, when's the last time you went outta your way to tell someone they did a GOOD job when you went somewhere. Usually all the bad comments are nasty and have to do with complaining, am i right? She has handled this better than i ever would have. People far more INFERIOR than her have been promoted while she has done everything they have asked. She got conned into going to the hotel she's at now so somebody else could go into corporate. She is truely an amazing women that i am proud to married to everyday. She puts up with things nobody should have to. I know you all feel the same way and i hope i did her proud on my blog. I'm sure she would blog about it if she could, but she's probaly a little scared somebody at work might find out and read. Well Brookie this is for you...it will be out in blogspace, but said by your husband who does'nt work for them....FUCK HOTEL EQUITES AND ALL THE PRICKS THAT WORK THERE!!!!

In The Saddle!!

O.K. so i know some people who have blogs and i ALWAYS check them and get upset when i see the SAME posts all the time!!! I thought to myself...there must something that happens that you could write about in the time since last that you wrote. Katie useed to be good about this, but lately even she's fallen off a little bit. So my goal is to have the most UP-TO-DATE blog and see how i do with my little experiment. Hopefully i don't disappoint!!!