Whoa, Ten Years? Really?

I was working on another draft blog and happened to notice... it was ten years that I started this blog.

I don't have anything to write except WOW. That is a lot of me rambling on random things, talking about new jobs, my kids, complaining about the Betas, Open Complaint Letters to companies and lots and lots of posts about car projects. When I started my blog I was in the process of finishing up my project on my 1991 NX 2000. TEAM PLP!

Ten Years ago this was my post: Good Race Day and Mexican Food for Team PLP

Yeah I have been on memory lane lately... if you read my post yesterday about going to Iowa City... that was the summer before I started my blog. So I went and looked back at what I blogged about five years ago and nearly exactly five years ago I posted: It's Official

My blog the past five years has been slower than it used to be, but the post have gotten more important. New jobs, new baby boy, new house, new jobs...

So I guess here goes SALUD! To another ten years of blogging, and more big announcements, more photos, and probably more posts about my car not running... Ciao!

Beta Homeland Reflections

Its been two years since I was in Iowa City... I remember it was when Cruz was just a little man and we made it a family trip to Iowa. This trip I Facetimed with him in front of the Danforth Chapel, the site were our fraternity was founded. What was funny is that when we facetimed, in the background was the picture in our living room of the Danforth. Coincidence, I think not...maybe it was fate.

Cruz and I on Facetime

I have been in transition with the fraternity. It is now over a year that I have been the "Immediate Past National President". During this period I have been trying hard to stay out of conversations about what direction the fraternity has taken since I left. This year was the first year in nearly ten years that I didn't attend our summer leadership program... it hurt my heart not attend but I wanted to be sure I am giving space to the new board.

I am involved with the Sigma Lambda Beta Education Foundation and serve as a member of the Board of Trustees. It has been a role I also served on while on the fraternity's board, but now I can dedicate more time to the projects. I helped design and launch our new L.I.F.T. (Leadership Institute For Tomorrows Leaders) Endowment.The hope would be that someday, we have enough money that all our members could attend for FREE... lofty goal, but important goals are never easy.

Not normally a tank top guy... but no AC made me do it.

It was a good weekend... the weather was nice, and it was great Brothers coming together for our cause. I had some challenges on the trip... my AC recently went out in my Element... so it was to be a long hot ride. Then a big rock cracked my windshield... nothing was going to stop me from having a good Beta weekend. Shot out to Safelite and Liberty Mutual for getting it fixed for me while I was in Iowa!

I always get nostalgic or in Beta terms we call it "Neo Fever" when we feel like a brand new member all excited about all the little things in Iowa City. I took my nice camera for some shots around of the trip. I will get an album up soon when I get time. The chapel were our founders met, the campus and halls they walked when creating an organization that has now touched so many lives.

Like a Neo I popped my TeeKee on when I arrived!

I think this trip was important for me, a chance to talk fraternal business with long time friends and Brothers. It was a time to know what I am doing is making a difference, and a chance more importantly to refuel and engage again in this new phase of my volunteer involvement. It was good timing as Eddie Diaz a long time staff member is leaving the team and we had a little shin dig for him... what happens in Iowa City... stays mostly on Twitter but some just stays in the 319.

My TeeKee had never been to the Danforth.. there she is back home.

On that note... if any of you would love to give to a great cause... Our new LIFT Endowment was created to try and give more of our members an opportunity to attend out Leadership Institute. Right now cost is restrictive, and you could help... click here, make a profile or use your current one and make a gift.... L.I.F.T.

Mary Peterson on her famous porch...

Thank you Iowa City, thank you Mary Peterson, thank you fellow staff and other trustees... it was a great weekend. I needed that for this old Beta Soul.  Peace. /\B.

Daddy Daughter DIY Bench

If you didn't know, Novali and I like working on projects together. I think I have posted on here about the many projects that we do together. Well lately we have been working on a big project of redoing our breezeway. Heather wanted it painted, and new shelves, and maybe a bench... so I jumped at the opportunity to make a bench instead of buy one.

We embarked on the project, and started shopping for wood and ideas. We always try to find clever ways to use items and do something unorthodox, and save money along the way.

Well our first find was the wood to use... our main wood pieces for the shelves and top and bottom of the bench... pine stair treads. They were a good width, bull nosed, and only $7 each. The pine is soft, but these will be decorative shelves so not worried about them, and the bench will get some wear and tear, but it is a small bench for the kids so it will be fine. We spent another $20 on some trim pieces, pine board for shelves inside the bench and a fiberboard backing to finish the rear. Then we used some oval end caps for stairs to cut in half for feet... In total, with shelves, the wood came to just about $50.

Selecting the best boards for our project.

Novali and I set about designing it. How high would we make it? How many shelves? We looked online at bench height, but wanted a little shorter for Cruz. We tested the height of a step stool he uses and ended on that number. Novali did the math, ideal height, minus thickness of top and bottom, height of feet... bam size of the side and support sections. I like finding ways for her to use math in the real world...

What, you can use math in the real world?

Our custom feet...

Measure twice, cut once... well sometimes cut twice still

Sanding and more sanding.

The hard work thought was in the sanding and staining. We got some Minwax stain, so tack another $15 on the project, but a few bucks for a bag of foam brushes and we were off and rolling. Novali was good at the stain process, got less drips than I did on my side. It took a lot of coats to get the color we wanted, but it helped us develop a nice surface as we steel wooled it in between coats and got it looking really nice.

Starting to stain...

Layer after layer to get it darker...

We wanted a dark rich color...

Novali was a trooper, and even when I could tell she was tired of steel wool, or one more coat of stain (we did 4) she powered through. Here she is proud of our latest DIY, a bench and shelves for under $75 made of solid wood and loved with some elbow grease.

Our DIY Bench.

It was a fun summer project... we wrapped it up a couple weeks ago... yes luckily before the heat hit! I am finally around to posting pics. We just need to finish up the rest of the breezeway and I will post those photos.