The Wrench in Our Plans

Jesica and I have plans!

We thought about Arkansas for the Holidays. We have a Cabo trip planned. We have a Europe trip in the works. We spoke with our realtor last week. Since I travel for work now or work remotely, we're looking at other places we could live (not that we're moving). We keep discussing kids because her schooling at its close (but again, this isn't an announcement).

We have plans and those listed above aren't even an eighth of them!

However, everytime we feel we're just to the point where we can move forward...something like this happens:





Yes, this is our Mitsubishi without a transmission! And without AC and without a horn. It seems that they all decided to stop within a week of one another. Horn, then AC, and finally the transmission. And that tow was crazy pricey!




However, with this HUGE setback, we can find hope in more than just the Gospel.

The Redlands Bowl is close! And it is free! Thank you kindly's go to Jesica for a wonderful weekend concert with Lorna Luft and the San Bernardino Symphony! Oh, I love John Williams music (he's an incredible genius) and it is so much better live! Thank you kindly, Sweetie for a great evening!

And Casey is as happy as he's ever been!

And we have each other!

Our plans will come together regardless of a broken, stupid, idiotic, oafish, expensive, dirty-rotten, insensitive, worthless, zany, hairbrained, expensive, absurd, moronic, fatuous, ridiculous, expensive, no-good transmission!

Let's make our plans happen!

Another Conversation

I have a few handfuls of movies that I'd really like to share with Jesica! I know she'll like them, she just doesn't trust my judgement for some reason. She doesn't seem to appreciate my artistic view, so I'm always thinking of ways to trick her into watching movies that I like.

Today we were trying to figure out what to watch and this is how it went:

Jesica: Ev, Sweetie what do you want to watch this afternoon?

Evan: I don't know. I think that we should watch whatever you'd like to watch.

Jesica: Oh, but you've been gone all week. We should watch something you'd like to watch.

Evan: Well, to compromise, how about that one movie that has that one really hot guy that you like? I can't remember the name of the movie or the guy. It has that guy you like coming out of the water.

Jesica: Casino Royale?

Evan: Yeah! Let's watch that one!

Jesica: (Laughing histerically) Let's watch Pride and Prejudice!

So, we compromised and watched Made: I want to made into a Cheerleader.

Maybe someday...

Any ideas?

Now I Know

I thought that the reason that no one frequents my Blog was because I seldom frequent my Blog.

I was wrong!

Apparently, my life could be told in a 4-page book:

Page 1 - Ode to My Mom

Page 2 - Jesica, the Love of my Life

Page 3 - Find a way to do as little work as possible...usually "Tom Sawyer style."

Page 4 - The End - Thank you kindly!

I was told this (rather awkwardly, actually) and had to pass it on!

I promise that I'll add a lot more; maybe an appendix will show all I've learned and I'll call the Appendix Eastman's World! Someday...

The Eastman's Update

Dairy Queen may just be one of the greatest ice cream establishments in the United States! I can think of a few others before we get back to today's DQ story.

Braum's Ice Cream and Dairy Store - I am so glad that there is one of these just as you drive into Bartlesville from Tulsa!!! It totally makes the drive from the airport to B'ville worth it!

Granny's - Yes, a tear dropped from my eye when I read the previous link...though it may have opened again! Yeah!

Sonic: America's Drive-In - Oh, boy do I wish there was one closer than OC. However, it is probably a good thing that there isn't. I already need to drop 10 Lbs.

Baskin Robbins - 31 Flavors, though I've never seen that many in there?

Frost Bites - Riverside's Hidden Treasure!

Snelgroves - Also going away...jerks! But here is a picture for memories' sake:

Leatherby's - Thank you kindly to Troy Kimball (and family) for this introduction!

All of the Cold Marble Slab/Stone Places - No link, because they're all good!

And those frozen yogurt places (Pinkberry for instance) that really taste like yogurt that you can choose what to put on them - even Cap'n Crunch!

Okay, so I love Ice Cream...and I have a story for each of the above places, but I just wanted to mention how cute Jesica is with chocolate all over her from a hot day and a chocolate dipped ice cream cone!

That was sweet on so many levels!

She Did It Again

I have really tried to stay to a posting every three days for the last 9 days (quite an accomplishment, eh?), but I had to Blog again today because Jesica has done it again!

http://www.inlandvalleywcr.blogspot.com/

Behold her creativity and additional presence on the web!

Way to go, Sweetheart!

They Amazingly Overcame!

In two weeks civilization will go on as it does without much thought to an event that changed the history of the world 145 years ago. I have a great respect for men who fought to the death on that day in Pennsylvania. However, as I remember the bravery and honor of those men, I've decided to read The Civil War. I believe that I have owned it and lugged it around since it came out in Paperback 18 years ago - can you imagine that I actually wanted this book that young?

Anyway, as I was reading this book while on a plane recently and learned some crazy, crazy stuff!

"He was a compromise candidate, everyone's second choice in a convention dominated by more celebrated politicians, a moderate from the center of a moderate middlewestern state without which the new party stood little chance of victory."

Lincoln, the 2nd choice! What?

The next paragraph discusses the 40% of the popular vote that he won the election with and then quotes the Richmond Whig:

"[...the election of Lincoln] is undoubtedly the greatest evil that has ever befallen this country."

Are you kidding me? And before Lincoln took an oath the Union had gone from 34 states to 27. Some people really hated him - insanely!

Robert Toombs, the Confederate Secretary of State, told Jefferson Davis that firing on Fort Sumpter was "at this time suicide, murder, and will lose us every friend at the North. You will wantonly strike a hornet's nest which extends from mountain to ocean, and legions now quiet will swarm out and sting us to death. It is unnecessary; it puts us in the wrong; it is fatal."

But like most Southerners, an Alabama secessionist J.G. Gilchrist told the Confederate Secretary of War, Leroy P. Walker, "that unless you sprinkle blood in the face of the people of Alabama, they will be back in the old Union in less than ten days."

To have this kind of hatred, plus a bloody, deadly, costly civil war in our past, and knowing that a torn country was brought back together, gives me great hope in this time of high prices for everything, fear and hatred of politicians. We can overcome differences and enlighten our minds to the point of forgiveness like every family who lost something in that surprisingly tragic fight for, among other things, rights, unity, and freedom.

Thank you kindly for showing us how gentlemen should act!

Shuttle Shuffle

This place is CRAZY!

Perhaps you've been here to fight the traffic, parking, people, lack of customer service and security. In addition to those nightmares, it also happens to be far, far away from my home. And when there is a flight at 6:00am that you can't miss, the drive (and everything else) seem so much nastier.

So, on Friday when I was dreading this early morning escapade through LA on Monday morning, my co-workers saved my bacon! They told me of this service (that apparently everyone knows about) that would pick me up whenever I wanted to make it to my flight on time, deliver me and my bags to the airport, and then pick me up when I got back to take me home!

Yes, Super Shuttle is the way to travel - to an airport like LAX. On the way there I slept from 1:15am to 2:30am in the van. I didn't even have to worry about parking or traffic! I then fell asleep on the floor (eww) next to the escalator that led to the security screening area, because they don't open until 4:00am. Jerks. I read and dosed off on the planes to my destination and arrived hungry, but not tired. Yea!

The way home was nice as well. I didn't sleep but met some interesting people! I met a newlywed lawyer for parents who lose their children to Social Services and a couple who had been in Europe for 24 days. And my work paid for it! Thank you kindly Super Shuttle!

Can I hear an "Amen?"

Freelance Jesica

Yoga Bear

Check it out! Jesica is livin' the dream! Props to her on her new endeavors. My hope is to some day spend all of my time answering questions about my wife's brilliant writing!

More importantly for this site, though, is the help that she can bring by telling the world stories of inspiration!

Keep Writing Jes and making people smile!

Kyle in Class

Before I start an ode to my friend Kyle (who I may have neglected), I have to quickly apologize to my minute amount of readers for my absence. Sorry. I'll do better...maybe.

So, my Sheriff Deputy friend has a special knack for stating the obvious. In fact, it was always enjoyable to sit down the row from him in a lecture hall just to hear his retorts to hair-brain, idiotic responses/questions from other students in the room.

It was always better to sit down the row, because if you sat next to him you couldn't pay attention to the professor or would get in trouble for talking because they never suspected the deputy. However, in our World of Islam class there was no getting around it. And one day in class we received a note from somewhere in the room that read something like this:

"We paid good money for this class to learn how to coexist with Muslims. We want to better understand their religion and why they do the things they do. What we didn't pay for was your meaningless banter and loud voice - Shut up or go home" and other mean stuff...etc.

I couldn't help but laugh. I guess they didn't know Kyle at all! Or maybe they didn't think that he paid for the class too. Why did they think we were there? Whatever it was, it was fun to see Kyle's response. I never thought a paper being ripped up and sent to the trash can "air mail" could be so entertaining. In addition, he probably got better grades than they did, even though he "wasn't listening". That is amazing about Kyle, too. I never thought that he read or did homework or anything and he'd come to class and get A's all the time. Amazing.

Kyle is one of a kind. I sat next to him at graduation (by choice-I'm glad that we didn't have to worry about alphabetical order junk) and he spoke of his plans for the future and his family. I was awed by his concern for his family and especially his wife. He sent me a picture of the MoVal Tornado a few days ago and because of his comments about his wife, family and dog, my first question via text was about his family.

So, that's Kyle - our friendly neighborhood deputy - in a very brief history. There are so many more instances which could be recited. I asked our friend Ed to describe him in one word. "That's just not possible," Ed responded.

Here's to you Kyle! Your colorful verbiage and your knack for telling it how it is has made me a more rounded and open-minded person! I'll be forever grateful!