Alright, I definately...

...need to get internet in my apartment. Sorry for the absolute non-existence of posts this month. I've been busy at work, which is usually the only time I can post. But, it's a slow day today (thank god!), so here I am!

Not a whole lot to report. I've just been working and hanging out with mom and dad, or Stephen and Jacqueline. I probably murdered the spelling of her name too. :-)

Well, I got all the painting done in my apartment, and all the furniture moved in and arranged. Aunt Anne hooked Sarah and I up with a couch and a nice arm chair, as well as a coffee table and a couple of end tables. Their friends, Christina and Al, gave us a nice little table and some chairs too. That's the first kitchen table that I've ever had in my own place! I would just always eat in the living room because I've never had room to put a table before. I love this apartment!

Last week I refinished the table. The top was just natural light pine, and the legs were a stark white. Ugh. Didn't really match the decor in my place, so I had to do something about that! I stripped the varnish and the stain off the top of the table, and got it back down to bare wood. I mixed up some stain that's this really nice, lustrous, dark cherry color, and put that on really heavy. After the stain dried, which I did at work, I took the table home to spray the laquer on top. Nine coats, and three wet-sands later, and my table is looking nice!

On the legs I sprayed a product by Rustoleum called Hammerite. When it dries, it has a hammered steel texture to it if you apply two or three coats. However, if you just do one thin coat, it separates from itself as it dries, and allows the undercoat to show through slightly. I just did one light coat, it separated as planned, and it's perfectly smooth. It looks almost like granite!

Other than that, haven't been up to much else. Still looking forward to going to Disney sometime this month. Now if only I could get someone to go with me...
*winks in the general direction of mom and dad's house*

Steffie and Ty, I miss you guys so much!!! I want to come out and visit sometime next spring, and I'm looking forward to Skype this weekend! Give the kiddos a huge hug from me!

Aunt Kellie and Uncle Kerwyn, I miss you guys too! Thanksgiving just wasn't the same without Uncle Jeff passed out on the couch watching football, and eating turkey at your house.

Say "Hi!" to the whole fam for me. I miss all of you! I even miss the snow.... just a little.... o_O

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Chuck Norris can slam a revolving door.

Home Life...

Well, I'm in my new apartment, as you all know. It's nice, but boring so far. Don't get me wrong, I love the place, but I don't have internet access, dish, a tv. There's not a whole lot to do except paint. I'm painting a few accent walls this weekend, and as soon as I can get some paintings put up it'll be looking sweet! I'll post some pictures as soon as I'm done. For now though, here's the first picture of my new place. This was taken last night before I went to bed:



Don't worry mom, I'll be buying a little food today after work ;-)

Anyway, I'll get some more pictures this weekend so that you guys can see the rest of the place. Other than moving, not alot going on lately. Aunt Anne and Kyle are going to Disney World today and tomorrow, but I opted to stay home and paint. I need to save some money! I'm going to put my patio lights and my air chair up later tonight, so I'll be well on my way to a sweet bachelor pad!

And in other news, my Fantasy Football team is on a two week winning streak, taking me to sixth place with a 2-4 record. The guy that I'm playing this week has a horrible team, so I'm fairly confident that I can win again! Depending on how many points I score, and if one other guy loses, I could move up to fourth place this weekend. Woohoo!

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Count from one to ten. That's how long it would take Chuck Norris to kill you... forty seven times.

Moving Day!

Today I'm moving into my new apartment! I'm at work right now, but I'm getting off in a couple of hours and using the van to move my nine boxes of stuff into my place. ;-)

That's right folks! Nine boxes! That is the sum total of my worldly possessions! Oh, wait, that wrong. I bought a coffee pot last week. Ten boxes! Woohoo! Aunt Anne got me a really nice chair with an ottoman, and some friends of hers have a little table and some kitchen chairs for me. I'm not completely destitute, but I still need furniture! I've got the day after Thanksgiving off, so I'm going to camp out at Best Buy or Circuit City and buy a bigscreen TV and a sound system.

Uhoh, my delivery guy just got back, so I gotta run and get him on the road with the next order. See ya!

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Chuck Norris counted to infinity - twice.

Homeward Bound!

I got my apartment! I went down to the leasing office at Beneva Place yesterday and picked one out. It's a very nice place too! The girls in the office showed me around, I looked at two different units, they ran my credit and that was that. I move in next Wednesday! I was actually a little surprised that my credit was good enough to get the place. At my last two apartments, I had to have a co-signer on both of them. Here, they ran my credit, and thirty seconds later told me I was good to go.

This is all such a relief. I've got a good job and my own place, so this whole exodus of mine can finally stop feeling like vacation, and more like home. I can get some sense of normalcy returning to my life. Now I just need to get some furniture...

I'll post some pictures of the grounds of the complex after I move in next week. It has so beautiful in there. There's tree everywhere around the buildings, so it has a nice woodsy feel to it. Right in the middle of the complex is a lake with a fountain in the middle of it. It's just a nice, quiet, secluded, homey feeling place. I can't wait to move in!

Anywho, that's pretty much all that's up with me this last week. I've been fighting off a cold since last Saturday, so I haven't been up to much outside of work. Oh yeah! Capital One had deposited money from my bank account a couple weeks ago for the last payment on my car. Well, they did the same withdrawal twice, but they never posted the second one on any account. They had no record of the check being deposited, so I had to fax them a copy of the cleared check so that I could get my money back! Well, they called me yesterday afternoon and told me that they put a check in the mail. So not only am I debt free, I have people owing me money! It's great!

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In the Words of Julius Caesar, "Veni, Vidi, Vici, Chuck Norris".
Translation: I came, I saw, and I was roundhouse-kicked in the face by Chuck Norris.

Alrighty then...

So, sorry for the lack of updates all this month. I've been sooo busy sitting on the beach watching the sunset.... ahh this rocks....



Anywho, what have I been up to since my last post? Well, you all get to see me soon! I'm flying out there on the 31st of next month and helping Mom and Dad drive down here to Florida. Not looking forward to the drive, but I can't wait to see you all again! Steph called me last week saying that Zane was crying because he missed me so much. Poor little guy. I miss everyone out there more than you can believe!

Not a whole lot going on down here though. I've just been working and hanging out with Stephen and Kyle mostly. On Saturday I went to the beach with Aunt Anne and watched the sunset. That was an awe inspiring sight.

I'm having tons of fun with Capital One now to. I called them at the beginning of this month to find out about making the last payment on my car loan. They told me that the auto pay feature wouldn't work for that, and I just had to send in a check. So I sent in the check, and they deposited that along with my auto pay! But they never posted the check to my Capital One account, so they have no record of that. Now I have to send them in a copy of the cleared check from my bank, and try to get my money back somehow. It's kind of nice though. I went from owing them money to them owing me money in one fell swoop!

Anyways, I'm really looking forward to seeing you all again, and Mom, I'll try to post more often. I know how much you like seeing what's going on down here. :-) Love ya'll!

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Chuck Norris can eat just one Lay's potato chip.

My first week in Bradenton...

Alrighty, so I'm in paradise! This place is awesome! The weather is beautiful. We've had rain on and off all week, but it's not bad. It'll rain a lot for fifteen minutes or so, and then it clears upand is suny all day. I talked to my mom yesterday, and she was saying that the high in Fort Collins was only 55 degrees. Nothing but cold, dreary, dark rain for three days straight. And I just go outside and stand under a palm tree and smoke a cigarette. Oooohh, I love it!

So I started out the week by looking for a job. I thought that I had a job coming out here, but that changed. Color Wheel is a paint company based in Florida that is owned by the same corporation as Kwal, where I worked at in Fort Collins. Well, I thought I would be able to just transfer. I was in contact with the District Manager out here, and one of their stores close by had an opening. Well, I got ahold of him on Monday, but he told me that they had already filled the spot. Needless to say, I was just a little perturbed. I was kind of hoping to have a job right away, but oh well, it is what it is. My car shouldn't have made it out here, but it did. I'm here for a reason, and have a purpose, and now I'm just trusting that God will provide a job for me. I'm still looking though! Beating the pavement, going to all the different paint stores around here. Hopefully I'll find something in the next week or two.

I love it here, but it is different. It's tough not having anyone that I know around. I know my grandparents and my aunt that I'm staying with, but it's not the same as being around the people that you've known all your life, ya know? I just can't wait to find a job and get into my own place so that I can get some sense of normalcy going again.

The only bad thing that I can see about Florida: hurricanes. I'm not worried about them here in Bradenton and Sarasota, but it can still bring on some crappy weather, even if it hits on the east coast. Just now actually, I saw on the news an update on tropical Storm Fay. It's expcted to hit Florida sometime on Monday, and could possibly develope into a category 1 storm as it passes by Sarasota and St. Pete. I'll keep ya'll posted on what it does, but it could get interesting, so keep us in your prayers!

Tomorrow morning I'm going to go to Aunt Anne's church and scope it out, see if I like it and all. I really miss my old church Rez. Those sermons and Pastor John really were something else! Hopefully I can find a church around here that is similar to that. I think we might also try to get out to Disney World tomorrow afternoon, so that'll be fun!

Anywho, I've gotta go and watch Phelps win another gold medal, so I'll leave it at that!

Last day of the trip....

Well, last day with Ty and Trapper. We all slept in really late this morning. It was nice to sleep in a real bed finally! We hung out for awhile at the house, chit chatting with the family, and then we went down to Siesta Key Beach. That was nice! Beautiful weather, nice and clear, and the water was perfect! I love the sand on that beach. It’s so soft and cool. We stayed there until the sun set, and then headed back to Bradenton. We had to leave for the airport by three in the morning. So we got up all early, and headed out for the airport, making a quick pit stop at 24 hour Starbucks. Yes, I said 24 hour Starbucks! Dad, if your reading this, I know your jealous for that! How many times are you out jonesing for a cup o’ joe, and Starbucks is closed? Not here!

Anywho, we got to the airport and it was goodbye to the last of my family from Colorado. Now it’s just me. I have family out here that I know, but it’s goodbye to the people I’ve known and been around for my whole life.

Now I just have to figure out what to do next….

Fun weekend!

So, I'm unemployed now! My last day at work was on Friday. Woohoo! I'm jobless! Ahem....

Well, I had a pretty busy weekend this week. On Saturday I hung out with Ty and played some frisbee golf. He kicked my butt pretty good too ;-) I kept up with him pretty good until the last 6 holes or so, and then my game just fell apart. I hit the same tree twice in a row. The same tree! Don't even ask me how I did it, but somehow, I found a way! Anywho, we went back to his house out in Wellington after that and played Super Smash Bros. Brawl with Steph and Sarah the rest of the night. Probably the last time for awhile that we'll be able to get together and do that. The whole time that we're there, Sarah keeps telling me that Mom and Dad got me this amazing birthday present. She told Steph and Ty, and they we're telling me how jealous they were. I'm sitting there scratching my head, wondering what the heck I want that's that cool. They won't shut up about the dang thing, and I have no idea what it is! Can't find out until the next day at dinner with the family! Arghh....

So Sarah and I stayed the night over there and then went to play Laser Tag and Putt Putt with the kids and Trapper the next day. Zane looked so funny all geared up with the laser tag equipment! I've got some pictures of it that I'll be putting up on the photo album, so you should go check that out.

After all that, Grandma Carrick took Zane and Grace for the rest of the day, and we drove down to Denver to meet my parents and the rest of the family for dinner. We ate at D&B's, which is a restaurant/video game arcade/bar. Ty and I got some high quality web cams from Uncle Kerwyn and Aunt Kellie for our birthdays. The cool thing is, now I'll be able to keep in contact with everyone in Colorado, and be able to see Zane and Grace as they grow up! The bad thing is, Dad decided that my present was to big to take to Denver, and I just have to wait until later that night to find out what it is! Arghh! The suspense is killing me! I don't even know what Iwant that's remotely close to being this cool. He gave me two hints, which just made it worse. The manufacturer starts with the letter "F", and the name of the thing starts with the letter "E". As if I wasn't stumped enough before *rolls eyes*

The parents and the rest of the family went home after a little while, and I stayed at D&B's with Steph, Ty and Sarah and played games. Now for the really fun part of this whole little excursion. We left Denver to go home at about 9:45. Sarah and I got home to my house at about 1:30 in the morning. My car over heated and died in Longmont on the way back. Thankfully Steph and Sarah were following behind me and Ty, so we weren't just stranded all alone. Steph ran to the gas station to get some coolant and I put the whole gallon in the car. After about 45 minutes, we were able to get the car started again and started heading back home. A couple of miles outside of Longmont we had to pull over again because the temperature was rising fast. Steph had to run back to Longmont for more coolant, and blah blah blah....

I was freaking out at this point. I no longer have a job, already sold everything I own, and am supposed to be driving to the other side of the country in this thing on Friday. I'm more than just a little nervous and scared about this whole deal. My car needs to work, now more than ever! So, pulled over on the side of the highway, broken down, 12:30 in the morning, Steph, Sarah and I layed our hands on the engine and prayed over my car. I have faith that if I'm supposed to take this hunk of junk to Florida, then it'll make it there. At very least, it'll get me home. And you know what? It did. We all got back into our respective cars, and drove home. I watched the temperature gauge closely the whole time, and it never went above the half way point, which is exactly what it's supposed to do. My car wasn't working, and now it mysteriously is. How do you explain that?

I'm going to look it over this week and try to figure out the problem, but ultimately I'm putting my faith in God to get me where I need to go.

Still wondering what this unbelievably cool birthday present is that Mom and Dad got me? Well so was I at this point. It's 1:30 in the morning! Everyone's asleep! Now I have to wait another day to find out! Doh! But, as I'm writing this on Monday evening, I can look over to my side and see my beautiful Fender Electric Guitar and very friggin sweet amp sitting on the floor. Thanks for the best present ever Mom and Dad! Now I have to learn how to play...

Guys Night

So last night I went out with my Old Man, Ty, and the Uncles for dinner and a movie. We ate at Buffalo Wild Wings, which tasted fantastic, and then headed over to the theater to see the new Batman flick. Holy movie theater prices Batman! That movie was friggin' awsome! I would highly recommend it to any that's interested. after seeing Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker, all I have to say is "Jack Nicholson who?" I don't want to say too much about the movie for fear of giving it away, but it was awsome!

Tonight I signed up on Yahoo! Sports for Fantasy Football League. I'll be playing in a league with my old boss Duff and my buddy Mitch who lives in Florida. Never played Fantasy Football before, but those guys wouldn't shut up about it last year, and it sounded pretty fun. So, I'll give it a shot this year and then proceed to fail miserably and come in last place! ;-)

Anywho, tomorrow's my last day at KWAL. I've been there for the last three years, and I've lived in Colorado my whole life, so this is going to be a completely new experience for me moving to Florida. I hope it works out... I think I'm starting to get a little nervous ;-)

Sarah's in the hospital....

So, I'm sitting in my sisters ER room right now. The nurse just wheeled her bed away so that she could get an MRI. Why's Sarah in the hospital? Not entirely sure yet. She's been sick with what seemed like a cold all week, and then in the last couple of days she started feeling pain all the way down her back and having really bad headaches, like migraines. Then this morning my Mom called me at work to see if I could take her to Urgent Care because the pain was getting so bad. I went home and picked her up and we headed over to Urgent Care.

So we sat there waiting for the doctor for almost an hour before they called her in. About another hour later, the doctor called me into her room and told me that we had to take her to PVH (Poudre Valley Hospital) so that they could run more tests and give her an MRI. Well, we arrived at the ER at PVH about two and a half hours ago. All kinds of nastiness later, particularly with the IV, and she's finally going in for the MRI. Sarah told me that she was in almost as much pain as when she was in labor. Keep in mind this is well after they administered a couple of vials of morphine. Ya, no fun. :-(

So now I'm sitting in an empty ER room, waiting to hear what's up with my sister. Hopefully it's just some kind of an infection, because then they can just administer some antibiotics and everything will be alright. Whatever the case is, she's in God's hands, and nothing bad can happen. Aside from temporary, very intense, pain that is. o_O

And in other news, this is my last week at KWAL. Booyah.

Florida or Bust!

Okay, it's Friday night and I don't have to work this weekend. Thank God. ;-) Sorry about the lack of posts since I made this blog, but I've been pretty busy at work. A couple of times I started at 6 in the morning and then didn't get off until 1:30 am the next day. Woof. Overtime is great in short spurts, but it sucks when it becomes the norm, ya know?

So, about my move to Florida. Right now I live in Fort Collins, but I'll be moving to Florida two weeks from today. I decided to move to Florida about 8 months ago because I got kind of stuck in a rut here. I've always planned on going to college, but after I graduated High School, I just got distracted. Work, rent, you know the drill. Life happens. So I'm selling almost everything I own, packing the trunk of my car, and driving out there for a fresh start. I plan to move there and just live and work for a year to establish my residency, and then I'll start college. It's alot cheaper that way! I want to major in Astrophysics and minor in Math, so I'll be in for awhile! ;-)

Anywho, my brother-in-law Ty and his brother Trapper will be driving out with me. We'll be leaving here on August 1st at about nine o'clock at night. We're gonna head south on I-25 and drive through Roswell. After that we start heading east, and stop in San Antonio for a couple of hours. Remember the Alamo! We'll continue east after that through Houston, New Orleans and Tallahassee, then south again to Disney World! Four days and four nights in the happiest place on earth! That's gonna be fun. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures and post them on my online photo album for y'all (I'm practicing my southern accent) to see.

After we get done in Disney, we'll head west to the Gulf Coast. I'll be staying with my Aunt Anne out there until I can find my own place and get on my feet. I'm still trying to work out the details, but it's looking like I'll be able to transfer to Color Wheel, a sister company of Kwal, where I currently work. With any luck, I'll have a job when I move out there. That's gonna help out a lot. I finally got out of debt this year, but moving to the other side of the country, away from everything I know; it's a little scary. The security of a job and some income will make it a lot easier.

So anyway, I will be out of Colorado in a couple of weeks. Bye bye mountains, snow and elk hunting. Hello white sandy beaches, warm weather year round and my future. Unfortunately I also have to say goodbye to my family for a short time. I'll try to visit as much as I can, but I'm gonna miss all of them. Treasure the time you have with the people you love, because they might not always be around. I'm gonna miss all of you while I'm gone!

Her I am!

Hello world! My name's Mike. I've got writer's block, and have no clue what to say. How do I introduce myself? Ummm..... I'm 22 years old and currently live in Ft. Collins, CO. I'll be moving to Florida in August, but for now I'm just hanging out spending time with my family until I move. I'll be driving out with my brother-in-law Ty and his brother Trapper, but more on that later. Where to start? I guess with today.

My younger sister Sarah had her first baby on Thursday. Woohoo! She was two weeks overdue and the baby got so big that it wouldn't fit, so the doctors had to perform a C-Section to get him out. He's here now though and mom's doing fine. Beautiful little boy, 8 lbs 11 ounces and 21 inches long. She decided awhile ago to put the baby up for adoption, so I didn't have much time to get to know him. The new parents are a really good, strong christian couple though, and they're doing an open adoption. From what I understand, that means that Sarah will be able to see the little guy from time to time, so she'll be able to see him grow up. That's a little bit of solace after giving him up.

Today my parents and I spent the whole day at the hospital with her. I got to hold little Jacob for awhile. He just slept curled up on my chest sleeping for about an hour. Such a cute baby.

Anywho, I'm tired, so I'm gonna go to bed, but I'm working on getting my photo album online, so I'll post that link when it's done. I'll also let ya'll know about the plans for my little road trip to Florida. Good night for now!