We're still here!

What is the difference between being unemployed and employed? When I was unemployed I managed to post something to my blog almost every day. With full employment I seem to be averaging about two posts a year! Its not that I don't have things to say, I have plenty to say. As I mentioned in my post from way back in November 2014, it is that I have little left in the tank at the end of the day, week, or month, to actually say it. 

We are currently in the second week of our vacation at Rehoboth Beach. This would be the first full vacation that I have had since I started my job in August of 2013. That said, I have now done enough lying around to muster up the energy to catch up on a few things. To start with, the one post that I did manage to make to the blog back in May, I was unable to get the word out because my email server wasn't allowing my to send a email message to more that five or so people as the addressee. By the time I worked that problem out, I had forgotten that I updated the blog. That post was about sending Ed, our primary vehicle, up the great parking lot in the sky and replacing it with Walter, a 2014 Honda Odyssey. 

For the rest of my family update, I'll list things off the top of my head and tell you about them with plenty of links to family photos and such through out. Feel free to read the stuff that interests you and skip the others. Or, just skip the whole thing and go back to browsing Facebook, checking the latest baseball scores, or reading the news. I think 'The Donald' stuck his foot in his mouth again. You would think he would run out of feet at some point. He appears to be a human millipede. 

WORK. Now that I have been in my new job for two years a lot of people have asked what I do and the things that I find guarding the boarder from agricultural pests and the like. You would think that after two years I would not refer to it as a new job, but that is very much the case. Unlike the private sector, with public sector jobs it can take much longer to hit your stride. Back in Washington someone once told me that in the private sector you are pretty much given two weeks to get up to speed and then you are on your own. With the public sector, the get "up to speed" period is more like a year after which you are then put on a very short leash. I would have to agree with this statement. However, with my current agency, the size of our regulatory umbrella is so vast, that even after two years I feel like I'm only halfway there. Check out photos of my ramblings from the Port of Philadelphia here. 

THE BOYS VISIT PHL. One of the benefits of my job is that I am allowed to escort people in and out of the airport. Occasionally the airport will have an interesting display of arts or crafts. Back in November they had a display from the Philadelphia Model Ship Society. I also gave them a tour of other interesting things at the airport like the Lego Liberty Bell. We finished off the day with a cheesesteak and fries. See photos of a lot of really cool model ships here. 

EMILY. It is funny how Emily will never let her parents take a picture of her. However, since our phones and computers are all linked, I often find photos of her various and sundry hair styles that have been automatically uploaded to our family photo album. See the many faces of Emily here. 

CHARLIE. Another group of photos that I find from the kids are of Charlie. Poor little critter never gets a moment of peace. See the cute photos here. 

DRESSING UP or down. A favorite activity of some of the current teen and twenty-something generation is to dress up like a favorite animation character and go to a convention (called a con or comic con) to show it off. Some of these homemade costumes are truly spectacular. See them here. 

SOCCER! Again, Russell, Steve and Paddy, along with an occasional guest, head for the football pitch. We usually define the season as that time when we go scream obscenities at the opposing team. However, this year our home team, the Philadelphia Union, are playing so poorly that most of our obscenities are tossed in their direction. Paddy played indoor soccer over the winter then moved outside in the spring. In the middle of the outdoor soccer season he fell at practice and broke his collar bone! Ironically two weeks prior to breaking his collar bone, he was in the hospital due to an infection in the same arm and shoulder. Because he was in the hospital he was unable to attend a Union home game, thus giving William his opportunity to attend his first professional soccer game. In July, we had the rare opportunity to attend the Gold Cup final match between Jamaica and Mexico at Lincoln Field in Philly. We decided to support the Reggie Boyz, who were the clear underdogs. We also stepped up our tailgate actives a notch. We bought a new camp stove that has a grill and a burner. While our teams usually end up on the loosing end, our tailgates are winners every time. See photos of our season so far here. 

BIRTHDAYS, WEDDINGS, AND FUNERALS. Since the last update, William turned 14, Mary turned 49, Kenny turned 86, Russell turned 35 (remember I'm dyslexic), and Emily turned 17. Kevin and Rico got married, and sadly Uncle Willie, William's namesake, passed away. Just incase I don't update the blog for a while, Paddy turns 11 in September. See photos here. 

MISCELLANEOUS. These are miscellaneous photos that you will enjoy seeing. Click here. 

VACATION. We are currently on vacation which brings us up to date! Check out scenes from Rehoboth Beach here.