kyleandkelly.com

At first I was upset with the way you nearly side swiped my car going 90 mph. As we were stuck in traffic for a while I noticed something though. I noticed children in the back of your car. I am perplexed as to why you would drive so recklessly with innocent lives in your control.

I know that raising children can harbor challenges, however it if crucial to remember how much these kids mean. They are so vulnerable both directly from your actions of nearly killing them as well as mentally. They pick up so much from you. When you drive like a menace you are only teaching them to be self centered just like you. So please for the safety of the entire country, slow down and teach your children well.

written by Kelly \\ tags: Driving Family

David Pogue, technology columnist for the New York Times, has an excellent series on the shady business practices of cellphone companies:

• “‘Take Back the Beep’ Campaign”
• “Verizon: How Much Do You Charge Now?”

The short version: your cellphone carrier is probably tacking on several dollars worth of unnecessary fees to your bill each month. Do that for millions of customers and watch the money roll in. They have no incentive to stop these practices unless they begin to feel the heat from their customers. Here’s how:

For those who don’t have/use a data plan (i.e., no web browsing, app downloading, etc.)

1. Call their customer service line and setup a data block. Be persistent and stick to your guns should they suggest alternatives.
2. Examine your bills for extraneous data charges. After you get that data block, ask about a refund for those charges. Once again, be persistent (but polite).

Anyone with a cellphone can participate in David’s “Take Back the Beep” campaign:

1. Read through some of David’s “Take Back the Beep” blog posts (just so you know what you’re talking about).
2. Submit a polite complaint with your carrier via the channels listed below.

Here’s where to send your complaint (Sprint already lets you remove the message):

• Verizon: Post a complaint here: http://bit.ly/FJncH.
• AT&T: Send e-mail to: customerissues@attnews.us.
• T-Mobile: Post a complaint here: http://bit.ly/2rKy0u.

written by Kyle \\ tags: badservice, cellphone, consumer

11/10/09

I feel that a lot of internet blogging or networking has a negative vibe. For this month, I would like to take time to express gratitude for a list of things. I’ll add to this and to a list on facebook daily. So to start off….
I am thankful for:
the possibilities in life.
the opportunity to fail and learn from these failures.
the presence of God and the salvation received from his son the big JC.
My own family, thier eccentricities included.

11/11/09

I am thankful for:

Freedom – as Americans, we easily forget that not everyone has the opportunity to worship in public, or to speak as they please.  Persecution is worldwide.  I realize that we are not perfectly free, but we are far beyond our brothers and sisters in many different countries.

11/12/09

I am thankful for:

Meaningful friendships.  Friends have brought me so much: There has been plenty of laughter, tears, memories and so much more with my friends.  Each of them has left a lasting impression.

11/13/09

I am thankful for:

The miracle of birth!  It is awe inspiring how a baby can be formed and grow so perfectly and then be born into this world.  Today not only am I thankful for the birth of my own children, but a good friend of mine has welcomed two of her own into the world.  Congratulations Jackie and Eric!

11/14/09

I am thankful for:

Family.  It is so nice to have family that not only lives close but is also willing to help with childcare needs as well as those odd things that happen like a flat tire.  Kyle was out with Owen today and had a flat.  I was home with Macy who was asleep, so both my mom and my dad rushed out to Kyle to help so that Macy could continue to dream.  There have been many other instances such as this that make me glad to be close to my family.  For my family that is not so close, I am very grateful that they are so diligent at keeping up with us and working so hard to schedule visits.  I don’t know what I would do without all of my families love and support.

11/13/09

I am thankful:

Just to be me.  Isn’t it nice to have no other obligation than to be yourself?  All other stress is self induced.  I can be silly and professional all in the same stride and know that that is me!

written by Kelly \\ tags: Family, thoughts

A headline on the front page of yesterday’s USA Today caught my eye: “Climate plan calls for forest expansion”. I thought, “didn’t Canada already go down this road?”

Turns out Canada already has plenty of forest, so they weren’t attempting forest expansion but rather examining the assumption that lots of forest helps suck carbon dioxide out of the air. What they found, at least for the Canadian forests, was a bag of mixed results in the past and a high probability (based on computer modeling) of those forests emitting more carbon than they take in for the immediate future.

“The forecast analysis prepared for the government… indicates there is a probability that forests would constitute a net source of greenhouse gas emissions,” a Canadian Environment Ministry spokesman told the Montreal Gazette. From the Canadian Forest Service’s own web page on the issue:

Each year, the managed forest becomes a sink or source depending mainly on the extent of the area affected by fire and insects. Projections therefore required assumptions about the area that could be affected by fire and insects based on scientific and historical information, as well as the current conditions of the forest. But because the extent of future fires or insect infestations cannot be predicted with certainty, the model was run hundreds of times using different scenarios of the future to estimate the likelihood of the managed forest being a sink or a source.

…the analysis showed that there was a greater than nine in ten chance of it being a source in 2008–2012.

I’m hoping that, at the very least, the monitoring provisions in the bill are worded properly to make sure we avoid paying for forests that are actually carbon sources.

written by Kyle \\ tags: canada, carbon, environmental, forest, legislation

Kelly pointed this out to me this week, while we were on our longest trip yet as a family of four. In my car. With french fries and goldfish on the floor.

written by Kyle \\ tags: Family, Humor, travel

In many ways, this week is the beginning of the end of summer for us. Kelly and her mom realized that today was the last day they had together before Kelly went back to work.

A little over a week ago, Candie departed to head back to Seattle. The week and a half that she was here was a super-concentrated funfest of her (and our) favorite things to do in Muskegon. We did mini-golf at Craigs Cruisers, went to the beach, spent a day at Michigan Adventure, went out for ice cream at Frosty O’s, and of course the numerous runs to Starbucks.

The weekend that Candie arrived also saw my parents visit, which is always good times for Owen. It’s also a nice break for Kelly and I, as (between both grandparents) there’s actually very little parenting that gets left up to us. We spent the weekend grilling, taking a walk at a local park (with a lovely view of the lake), and playing in the back yard.

The reason for the visit, the whole point, was that Sunday when Macy was baptized. For those unfamiliar with Reformed theology, it’s basically a baby dedication only with some dabbing of water. There’s also a confession of faith once a member decides to publicly declare their faith, which is baptism only without the water. We promised to raise Macy and model Christ to her and the congregation promised to be part of her life as well.

But I’m beginning to wander… the beginning of the end:

On Saturday we head to Detroit for a wedding and then come back on Sunday. On Monday we head out to Ann Arbor for three days at my company’s offices in order to meet my new manager. (I spend most of the time working remotely out of our home.) On Wednesday we’ll get back to Muskegon in the evening and on Friday BarCamp GR kicks off.

BarCamp GR is a local technology conference that I’ve helped organize for the past four years. As conferences go, it’s pretty laid back and we try to keep the organizing to a minimum but the week before is always a little hectic getting the final details nailed down.

That takes us into the last full week of August, which will be a little breather before September starts. September is also when Kelly goes back to work from her maternity leave and her fall classes (for her Masters of Science in Nursing) begin. September is, in my mind, officially the end of summer.

There will hopefully be some lazy, warm days in September and maybe even an Indian Summer in October so that we can live in denial. We’re also hoping to attend at least one more drive-in movie before the theater closes for the season. With that said, when it comes down to it, this is the beginning of the end.

written by Kyle

Owen recently had the chance to go toe-to-toe with an entire litter of labrador puppies. The scene was cute in motion.

written by Kyle \\ tags: cute, labrador, puppies, toddler

As Macy’s birthday was June 15th, we decided to celebrate Father’s Day a bit early this year to take advantage of having everyone around. Big brother Owen was particularly happy to have both sets of grandparents in one place.

written by Kyle \\ tags: Family, fathersday

I was trying to discretely snap a photo of a dressed-up Macy sleeping through the service. The photo itself didn’t turn out like I’d hoped, but I did catch someone else who was also checking Macy out.

Check out the original photo on Flickr to see who.

written by Kyle

These moments are the ones to remember when they’re awake at 2 AM and screaming.

written by Kyle