Life of Brian

2006

I seem to recall 2006 was an exceptionally rainy year.  This may have been brought on by our third daughter.  In 06 while sitting on our living room floor in our duplex, Mckenna, our soon to be third child, decided to kick Sarah's water bag, breaking it open.  This third child was also breach, so maybe she punched the water bag?  Despite a couple of procedures to get her to turn around, she just would not budge.  Because of this, we knew that a C section was in order rather than a regular birth.  So off to the hospital we went to have our beautiful third child extracted.  After thoroughly washing my hands and putting on the appropriate covers over my clothing and shoes, I was able to be in the operating room to witness the C section.  The incision was made and one of the nurses kept a close eye on me.  Supposedly, many fathers who witness this procedure tend to pass out.  I assured them that the sight of blood did not make me lightheaded.  Heck, I'd seen dead bodies already, and not all of them were in one piece.  The sight of blood never bothered me much anyways; however, it was different when the blood being viewed was from the woman I had vowed to spend my entire life with.  As I mentioned before, I was not the type of person to think about the "What If's" should something go wrong during the procedure.  The Dr. doing the operation had set some gauze near the incision to catch much of the blood.  One of these pieces fell off of Sarah and made a nice splat sound on the hospital floor.  When this happened, even the Dr. looked at me.  I guess it wasn't common for this to occur, they must have thought I was going to dive headfirst into the tile floor from the shock.  After deducing that I was staying coherent, the procedure continued.  I saw little Mckenna pulled out of the womb, her big hazel green eyes taking in her new world. Another healthy baby.  She was not nearly as large as Brianna.  She too was very calm and didn't scream as much as many of the newborns I got to see throughout the births of our three kids.  She seemed to be very alert almost from minute one of her life.  Sarah and I had gone through some very scary moments after Brianna's birth.  Not all of the placenta was removed after that birth and Sarah almost bled to death weeks after giving birth.  I am so thankful to one particular E.R. nurse at the hospital who came out into the waiting room, probably on her way to taking her break, who stopped and noticed how ghostly white Sarah was.  This was due to her blood loss.  We were told by the E.R. receptionist to sit and wait after checking in.  Thanks to this nurse, they took Sarah in right away and gave her a blood transfusion.  After Mckenna's birth, everything was fine.  She would be the last little human Sarah and I would bring into this world.

Somewhere around this year, I was promoted once more to Assistant Manager of the Ventura branch.  I really enjoyed my job and the thought of actually managing my own branch soon entered my head.  Two different branches were soon to be looking for a new branch manager.  One was in Red Bluff Ca. and the other was in Flagstaff Arizona.  The Flagstaff office was fairly small with only six trucks.  That's the one I wanted.  A nice small branch up in the pine trees of Flagstaff, where it snowed every winter and overall was quite a beautiful area.  I made my interest in the position known to my boss, I knew that it was a long shot due to the fact that I had not been assistant manager for very long.  Little did I know that there was a much larger obstacle in place, that in the long run, would make me quit Armored Transport altogether and start another occupation.  When it started looking like managing the Flagstaff office could have become reality, my wife informed me that we would not be moving.  Not only did she not want to move, but her mother also did not want us to move.  Sarah was very happy working at NHH, and although she could have transferred and gotten a really good job in Flagstaff as an accountant, she would have had to retest for the new state.  She was already making way more money than I was, and even if I'd been promoted to manager, my yearly salary wouldn't have been anywhere close to hers.  The Ventura branch had just gotten a new manager, so I knew there was no chance of me taking over that branch any time soon.  This made me decide to leave Armored Transport.  There was no point in staying if I knew I was never going to be able to promote.  Also, managing the Ventura office would have been weird.  I had come off the trucks at this branch and was friends with many of the guys still working them.  That scenario would not have been the best.  Your boss can never be your friend I had learned.  Even though I knew some of the policies were ridiculous for the guys on the trucks, having seen both sides of the fence, I still had to enforce the companies' rules.  In addition, the little mishap at K-Mart I'm sure, probably had the truck crews wondering what the heck they had promoted me into management for!  No, the best scenario would have been to manage a completely different branch.  When it was certain that I was stuck as assistant manager, it was time to move on.  

Some happenings in our world the year of 2006 included the execution of Saddam Hussein.  He was strung up by a noose and hung. Violence in Iraq was at an all-time high around this time with U.S. forces sustaining their highest monthly death toll in two years.  Pluto, yes, the planet, was demoted to a dwarf planet. North Korea would conduct their first nuclear test.  Iran announced that they had successfully enriched uranium defying the U.N. Security Council.  The Human Genome Project was completed.  Twitter was launched, and Google purchased YouTube.  The U.S. housing bubble burst in 06.  A total of 1,259,118.00 foreclosures were filed this year.  That amount was up 42 percent since 05.  Sydney Australia would experience its hottest New Years Day in history with the temp rising to 45 degrees Celsius.  This sparked brush fires and power outages.  Jan 16th, Liberia elected Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf as the first female head of state.  Nasa launched the New Horizons Probe to explore the newly demoted dwarf planet of Pluto.  In February Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot Harry Whittington in the face while hunting quail, no, not Dan, the actual bird.  February 12th, a powerful winter storm dumped 1 to 2 feet of snow from Washington D.C. all the way up to Boston Massachusetts.  Liquid water was discovered on Enceladus, the sixth largest moon of Saturn.  March 20th, a cyclone would destroy most of Australia's banana crop.  March 26th, Scotland bans smoking in nearly all enclosed public places.  April 2nd, over 60 tornados break out mainly in the state of Tennesse killing 29 people.  June 30th, Cirque du Soleil's acrobatic musical "Love" opens at the Mirage in Las Vegas.  I've seen this twice, it was very entertaining.  August 10th, Scottland Yard disrupts major terrorist plot to destroy aircraft flying from the United Kingdom to the United States.  All toiletries are banned from commercial aircraft.  

Movies in 06 included Poseidon, Over the Hedge, and Children of Men.  The Hills Have Eyes was also released, a foolishly good movie.  Top songs of the year were "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley, "SexyBack" by Justin Timberlake, and "To Little Too Late" by JoJo.  Popular T.V. shows included Dexter, The Street, Brotherhood and Sally Lockhart Mysteries.  Never watched any of those and had never heard of them.  

Gasoline in 06 averaged 2.33 a gallon.  Loaf of white bread a dollar and eight cents.  One year tuition at Harvard, $30,275.00.  Gallon of milk $3.08.  Movie ticket, $6.00.  In California, the median home price rose to $536,000.00.  Compared to the national median price of $185,000.00.  The federal minimum wage was at $5.15 per hour.  California's minimum wage was at $6.75 per hour.  The average price of a new car in 06 was $23,634.00.  The average sales tax in Ca was at 7.25%.  Districts, and other local government entities collected additional taxes above the 7.25%.

"I actually was not planning on being here tonight, but then MTV explained to me that Justin Timberlake is bringing sexy back, so here I am."

-Al Gore 2006 MTV Music Video Awards

Did Al Gore think he was sexy!?  That's funny right there.

Life of Brian

2005

Twenty years ago.  One more kid to go.  So much more to know.  Two thousand and five.  Was this a good year for you?  Anything extra ordinary happen?  Did any of you win the super lotto!  The most I've ever won picking numbers is ten bucks.  I don't even play the lotto anymore.  Sure, when it gets up to seventy quadbillion, I'll spend a buck or two, literally.  Buying scratch off's is so much more fun.  I've purchased my fair share, in fact, my parents and I would drive to a local store that sold these scratchers, buy one for each of us and if we won anything, we'd drive to the next location and buy some more with our winnings.  This was actually quite fun.  We'd never win more than twenty or thirty bucks, so basically, we got most of the enjoyment out of driving around and spending time together.  Every once in a gas tank we'd win something sizable and be able to put some cash back in our pockets.  Most outings we'd end up going to three sometimes four different stores after winning enough to buy another round of tickets.  But winning anything substantial, was rare.  It's a scam I tell you.  I do have friends who've won thousands off of scratchers.  My mom has won $500 on a single ticket.  But how much have those people spent before winning big?  Probably twice the amount of their winnings.  The Lottery knows what they are doing.  Yet, driving around our little town spending about ten bucks each was actually quite fun.  If we'd lose right off the bat, well, that was the end of that.

Sarah and I were in the thick of working.  Making car payments, paying rent, buying toys, diapers, formula, food, and sometimes we'd go out to eat.  We lived in a nice duplex.  I called it an apartment in my last post, but it was actually a duplex.  We had our first garage at this place which was super nice.  It allowed us to store even more junk.  Early in the year I had saved enough to purchase my first quad.  I think the MSRP was $5500.00.  I absolutely love riding.  My cousin Mike had quads, and he would let me ride them from time to time.  Pismo Beach had sand dunes, and you could ride out there.  One trip was all it took, and I was hooked.  The dunes were my drug.  I still ride to this day and any place with sand dunes is hands down my favorite type of riding.  I'd spend hours in that little garage of ours cleaning and shining up my quad.  I'll let you in on a little secret.  Pledge on plastic keeps it shiny for years to come.  Maybe you already knew this.  I still have this quad, and it still runs very well.  Our two little girls were happy and healthy.  With both of us working, Sarah and I were tremendously lucky to have her mother Linda and her Aunt Sharon watch over our kids while we were at work.  My mom also helped out when she could, but living two hours north made that a bit hard.  Sarah and I never had to hire a babysitter for any of our children!  For that, I am eternally thankful.  Ironically, our landlords last name was the same as mine.  He and I got along very well.  I'd help him do repairs around the duplex and we'd even actually go out to lunch a few times.  He loved to fly model airplanes and had four or five of them that he showed me at his home.  John Turner was a nice man, and a great landlord.  After the tragic event in the unit next to us, our old neighbor moved out and we got new neighbors.  A young couple close in age to Sarah and I moved in.  We'd become good friends with these neighbors, and they would live there beyond when we moved out and purchased our first home.  They too would raise little ones in that duplex, and we have pictures of our kids playing in a kiddy pool in the driveway.  The following ten years were very rewarding.  Looking back at these years It's hard to believe they went by so incredibly fast!  The age of 25 to 35 is a complete blur.  So much was going on, our lives were so busy, that the years literally flew by!

Some events that stand out in the world in the year 2005.  Hurricane Katrina would hit the southern United states, killing 1,836 people.  I remember watching news footage of the devastating flooding and all those poor people who were living in football stadiums sleeping on cots.   The first video to ever be uploaded to YouTube was called "Me at the zoo".  Saddam Hussein sat in front of an Iraqi judge to face punishment.  The United States Military found him in a hole in the ground.  The Gulf War lasted from 2003 to 2011.  A coalition force was established with several other countries sending troops.  The U.S. had between 192,000 and 466,000 personnel committed to this operation.  Four thousand five hundred and eight American soldiers gave their lives during the gulf war.  Over thirty-two thousand were wounded.  Up to forty-five thousand Iraqi's were killed.  A serial killer in the state of Kansas who was known as the BTK killer, would be arrested.  This man had been killing people since 1974.  He was finally caught after sending a floppy disk to investigators in which investigators were able to track back to his church computer.  This man was a boy scout leader, as well as a compliance officer in his local town.  Most knew him as an ordinary man, yet he had killed over ten people.  The state of Kansas did not have the death penalty during these years and so this man was sentenced to life in prison.

Condoleezza Rice was sworn in as the first Black female Secretary of State in Jan of 2005.  If she were to run for president of the United States, she'd absolutely have my vote.  She attended Stanford where she honed her reputation as an expert in Soviet affairs.  She would replace Colin Powell.  Martha Stewart was released from prison in March of 05.  She had lied about some stock investments.  The Olympic Park Bomber plead guilty to avoid the death penalty.  Prince Charles would finally wed his mistress, Camilla Parker Bowles.  This occurring eight years after Princess Dianna's fatal car crash.  In Atlanta Georgia, a man wanted for murder was finally arrested after spending three days perched atop a crane.  Danica Patrick would become the first woman to lead the Indy 500.  In May, former FBI assistant director W. Mark Felt would be officially named as "Deep Throat", the secret source who helped unravel the Watergate scandal.  Ford would produce the last Thunderbird ever made In July of 05.  

Average home prices in the U.S. in 2005 were $297,000.00.  The national average price of gasoline was $2.30 a gallon.  Car prices in 05 ranged as follows.  A Lincoln LX V6 cost $26,590.00.  On the lower end models, a Hyundai Accent cost $10,544.00.  I was driving a 1998 Toyota Tacoma 4x4.  I still see this truck roaming around Ojai.  I cannot imagine the number of miles it must have. 

Movies in 05 included Cinderella Man, Pride and Prejudice, and Lord of War.  Top songs in the charts included Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway" and Green Day's "American Idiot".   T.V. shows that were popular included Greys Anatomy, Criminal Minds, Prison Break and BONES.  

Two thousand and five would fly by.  I had the night supervisor job down.  Sarah was excelling at NHH, things were looking up and I must have won at least forty dollars on scratchers.  We'd add one more little human next year.  The last of our little family.  

"I do read, but it suits my image to appear dumb.  It's what the public likes."

-Paris Hilton

 Life of Brian

2004

Everyone has a moment in their lives they will never forget.  A moment they cannot forget.  For some, these moments are happy moments.  For others maybe these memories are filled with excitement.  Unfortunately for others, these moments are traumatic.  These memories I'm referring to etch scars into your brain, and your heart.  Scars never leave you, even the hidden ones can bring it all back as if it's happening in the present.  Two thousand and four was filled with two kinds of these moments.  

Sarah and I had a little girl soon to be three years old.  She was happy and healthy as could be.  We both loved her with all of our hearts, and she brought us unknown happiness every single day.  In November of 04, our first daughter would get a sister.  Brianna was born on a quiet afternoon.  She was a large baby.  I remember her weight was over the eight-pound mark.  When the nurses brought her out of the delivery room and placed her in the plastic bed tub so that she could be weighed and monitored, her chunky sumo wrestler leg actually hung out over the side of this unit.  All the other babies in those plastic bed tubs easily fit inside them.  Not Brianna.  She was calm as could be.  Amongst the crying from all the other newborns, Brianna was silent, as if she knew she could take any one of those other kids if the situation required.  Maybe her calmness simply runs in our family veins.  Kaylie was the same way.  Unlike Kaylie's stunning blue eyes, Brianna had big beautiful brown eyes.  Luckily, she was also healthy as could be.  Sarah and I were now the proud parents to two baby girls.  We could not have been more blessed.  

Not long into that year, after we had celebrated bringing a life into this world, sadly, our neighbor would have to say goodbye to the life she had just recently introduced to the world.  The day of this occurrence is one I will never forget.  Early one morning, Sarah and I were startled awake by the sound of screaming.  This screaming was like no other I had ever heard in my entire life.  I quickly got dressed.  When I ran outside, our neighbor was in the middle of the street.  She was filled with so much panic and fear that she looked as if she wasn't even in her own body.  Across the street kneeled a man over a little infant child.  It was our neighbor's child.  This man was carrying out CPR.  I walked over to the mother, gave her a hug, told her that she needed to take deep breaths and attempted to get her out of the middle of the street.  I had already gone up to the man doing CPR and touched the baby's foot.  It felt warm to the touch and the baby appeared to be simply sleeping.  I tried consoling our neighbor, telling her that everything that could be done for her child, was being done.  I did not want to tell her everything was going to be alright because honestly, I did not know this.  The fire department showed up, then the ambulance.  One of the firefighters was a female.  She had a hard time dealing with the scene being a mother herself.  There was no consoling my neighbor, I think in her heart she already knew.  They both loaded into the back of the ambulance and disappeared down the street, in route to the hospital.  The man giving CPR was shaking.  He was some form of a Dr. if I recall and he too, knew what the outcome was.  Her little child was gone, off to heaven after only six weeks on this planet.  Returning to my apartment, I could not really believe what I had just experienced.  We did not know for sure at that time that her child had passed.  Later we would discover that her little child had died from SIDS.  I remember thinking how lucky we were, staring at our two little girls.  Also, how quickly life can turn into misery.  I hear people say all the time to cherish every moment.  This day stamped that mantra into my brain like no other day yet lived.  I think about this day from time to time.  The sights and sounds still vivid, as if they are occurring in real time.  My eyes begin to water, just short of tears.  Life goes on, it has to.  Our neighbor has since given birth to her second child and although we do not have contact with her, every time I see a picture of her little girl on Facebook, it brings a smile to my face.  If by some chance our neighbor ever reads this, I 'd like her to know that Sarah and I will keep her in our hearts until we no longer breath the air on this planet.

"We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope."

-Martin Luther King Jr.