Weekend is ending

Well the weekend is fast drawing to a conclusion. But at least it's been relaxing and productive.

One of the outside spigots for the hoses developed a leak on Thursday. I had never changed out a washer in one and figured this would be a good time to learn. After a few minutes of advice from a neighbor (thanks Bob) and a little googling, I set to work. There were only two hurdles to overcome. The first was getting the stem out. It was somewhat tougher than I had anticipated, but with a little WD-40, and some elbow grease, out it came.

Next came the trip to Lowes. After searching around in the plumbing department to no avail, I looked for some help. The salesman in the department helped me look for either the correct washer or a replacement stem. Neither was available. So, now I'm back in the car and off to Home Depot. After a quick search with the help from one of their staff, the correct washers were found and I came home to finish the job.

The second project undertaken Saturday was to change out the old thermostat for a programmable one. Angie had bought one and I had agreed to change it out for her. Now that I had the time, I wanted to get it done.

I had had a friend of mine (a different Bob) show me how to switch one out in my house. Since it was relatively straight forward, I didn't anticipate any challenges. I turned off the power to the AC unit at the breaker box, and got going on the project. After a little bit of sweat, the new unit was on, and a temporary program set.

Last but not least, Angie and I had lunch downtown with Gretchen and Dawn and the best man from my wedding, Tom. He had flown in from California to visit customers and we all went to lunch and then to the zoo to cap off the afternoon.

It's been a long time since I've updated this, so where to begin?

First, I am now married to a wonderful woman, the former Angela Spears. We were married on the 31st of May, in an outdoor ceremony. The weather was perfect, she was stunning and we were surrounded by friends.

The company I am working for merged with a competitor in April and we now have a new boss and a new name. The combined companies are a great fit and I'm excited by the possibilities. Even in what looks to be a down market, there should be plenty of upside to this merger.

I know that I've neglected posting here, but I have a renewed interest in blogging and will endeavor to do a better job.