You Can’t Get There from Here
Don’t ever let any one tell you that there is no way to get from here to there. Google Maps will show you the way!
Not only can you get there but Google will also show you some other interesting destinations:
- start to finish
- hell to highwater
- A to Z
- over the bridge and through the woods
- top to bottom
- poverty to easy street
Thanks to Google Blogoscoped who first posted about this.
Get with Mitt!
I have decided that I am going to vote for Mitt Romney in my state’s upcoming Republican primary. I believe that I have reviewed each candidate thoroughly enough to determine which one best aligns with my positions on what I believe are the most important issues for our country. I also looked at the person behind the candidate since it requires more than just ideology to become an effective leader. I have listed the criteria I used in selecting a candidate and have included how I believe Mitt stacks up against them. Read more
Taking Stock
Sorry I haven’t written in a while. We have had quite a lot of chaos in our household lately and it has been a struggle each day to do everything that needs to be done, let alone work on things I’d like to do. I have so many projects both new and old that seem to be in indefinite holding patterns. As soon as a think about picking up a project again my thoughts starts to race with all of the work to be done and I immediately become overwhelmed feeling that I won’t be able to accomplish even the simplest task. I just don’t want to give up, go through the motions and become bored and apathetic like little Neville. 
To that end, I am going assess the various projects and decide which one(s) has the best chance of being completed and still has potential to impact my life or somebody else’s. Then I am going to break up the project into small tasks and set some reasonable goals. I am also going to have to change some of my habits in order to reach my goals, i.e. wake up earlier.
I know that this is not terribly interesting to you but I’m finding it cathartic to write down my thoughts. I think I will be better accountable to myself if I actually write down my goals and post them for all the world to see. Once I set my goals I will post them here and periodically post updates about my progress.
How do you manage your goals and your time? How do you balance the things that need to be done vs. what you want to work on? How do you get things done? Leave a comment and let me know. I would love to hear from you.
Kate’s Home!
Kate has been home from the hospital for a few days now and we are so happy and relieved to have her back. She is doing well despite some complications caused by her illness and we are trying now to get back to some semblance of “normal” life. We are so thankful to all who prayed, cooked, cleaned, baby-sat, visited and gave gifts. It is wonderful to know how many people genuinely care about our family.
Please Pray for Kate
Update - Oct. 25
Kate is doing much better! She is off of the ventilator and no longer under sedation. She is wide awake and we are ecstatic to have our Kate back. She has moved out of the Pediatric ICU and is now in the general children’s wing. Thank you so much for your prayers. We believe there is power in prayer and know we have experienced that power this week. Please continue to pray that Kate improves so she can be well enough to come home.
Original Post - Oct. 22
As some of you already know, my four-year-old daughter, Kate, is in the Pediatric ICU at UMASS Memorial Hospital. Her condition has improved since she was first admitted Sunday evening. She is heavily sedated and on a ventilator. She’s had a high fever which has diminished and she her pulse has come quite a way down towards normal and her oxygen levels have increased. The doctors have already begun to ween her off of the ventilator in a very slow progression. We are so thankful for the improvements she has already shown.
It started with a cold on Friday afternoon and then at about 1:00 am Sunday morning Kate woke up and was wheezing. She had been given a nebulizer early this spring because of similar symptoms so Kate asked for her “Nebby”. We continued to give her the nebulizer but we didn’t see any change in her condition so Amy called her doctor Sunday afternoon to see if we could have Kate examined. We figured she would be given a stronger prescription the her nebulizer and that they would be home in a little while. That is when Amy called me - as I was home with Riley - and told me that Kate was being flown from our local hospital to UMASS. She was breathing so shallow and fast, pulse was high and her oxygen level was very low that they thought she needed to be intubated, put on a respirator and transported to UMASS where they treat children. Needless to say I was totally shocked. After dropping Riley off with friends I made my way to the hospital in total bewilderment. How could Kate go in for just a quick examination and now need extreme emergency care?
We know a lot of people are praying for Kate as well as our family I just want to ask you to keep praying for her recovery. Also pray that as she comes out of her sedation that she is calm and not in great fear or put up a fight. Knowing Kate the fight scenario is quite real 
(Before sedation she even refused to change into the hospital gown because she didn’t want to take off her special princess nightgown. They ended up cutting it off her after she was out.)
Thank you so much for your continued prayers. I will try to keep this page updated with Kate’s progress when I can get a chance.
Fun That Lasts a Lifetime!
Now you can have some fun and take it with you where ever you go. I’m sure this is a great way to impress the ladies as well. I guess it is better than getting inked with a picture of Roseanne on your chest. I wonder what laser tattoo removal feels like on your finger?
What’s the Big Idea?
When I first heard that Donny Deutsch was hosting his own talk show, “The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch” on CNBC, I definitely was not going to add it to my list of “Must See TV.” As an advertising executive, Donny Deutsch, was responsible for taking a small advertising firm and transforming it into one of the top ten firms in the industry. I have seen him several times on TV the past couple of years and a 56 inch plasma couldn’t contain his ego and some of his political views were just this side of loony. Let’s just say I wasn’t a fan. Then my aunt recently recommended that I give his show a chance and to my surprise I can’t get enough of it.
The show takes you through the success stories of various men and women providing a “roadmap to the American Dream.” Each episode usually includes an interview with a successful entrepreneur about how they achieved their success. Another segment might include someone who has a great idea and they are just starting out. Finally, Donny usually interviews someone with a product or service that makes you say “Duh! Why didn’t I think of that?” It keeps me inspired and I have truly learned a lot in the short time I have been watching. If you are a dreamer and a schemer, like me, then I highly recommend this show. It is on weeknights at 10 p.m. EST on CNBC. Go check it out.
The Simplest Things
It is fun to see how the simplest things can entertain a child. Here’s a video of my son, Riley, in his Johnny Jump Up. He is six months old in the video. Notice the growling
Welcome to Justintheloop!
Woot! This is the inaugural post for my new blog. I started this site for people who want be “in the loop” with what’s going on in my life. I don’t have some distorted notion that there are millions of you who are breathlessly waiting to hear about my latest trip to the hardware store. I just wanted a place where I could share some of my thoughts, ideas, stories, pictures and videos with people who are interested. I also hope my posts will foster some discussion in the comments. I know that there isn’t much to the site yet, but I plan to post regularly and I am working on a new design with additional features for the near future. I hope you enjoy the site. Please leave some comments or drop me a line as I would love to hear from you.
P.S. Subscribe to the RSS Feed if you want to automagically receive new articles as I post them. Here is an excellent explanation of RSS feeds for those who aren’t familiar with them.