HUMAN YO-YO

It's puzzle time!  WooHoo!  See if you can guess what this is...

possibly my flexed bicep??

We arrived back home after Easter, and no real Griswald things happened to us.  

Monday morning I woke up to an aching knee.  I wasn't sure how I hurt it.  The bad news was that we had an install first thing.  I had the unfortunate luck to be the guy carting the end of the piece backwards, uphill.  It wasn't good on my knee.  But the countertop looks good with the copper sink.

looks modern and old at the same time

Tuesday we got the tops sealed for the out of town job my boss had brought back.  It turns out that going out of town was going to happen a lot in the near future.  

one more coat of sealer to go

I had to tend bar Tuesday night.  It wasn't real busy but being on my feet was bothering my sore knee.  I started remembering playing a new game up in Sioux City.  It's called hockey-football-basketball.  When I was trying to get a rebound Canyon came at me like a defensive tackle and checked me into the garage door.  I don't recall hurting my knee at the time but I think that may have sometihing to do with it.

Wednesday night small group was having a break from studies and just getting together for a game night.  Robyn was still exhausted from catering to over two dozen people at Easter and my knee was throbbing so we took the night off.

I miss my hot tub

Thursday we poured the big job from down south, in Oskaloosa.  It's such a big job we had to pour it in three batches.

like watching paint dry

Friday we flipped all the pieces onto carts for processing.  My knee was still bothering me.  I recall ramming my knee into a trailer hitch.  Amazingly it didn't even hurt at the time.  I'm wondering if that is the cause of my pain.

inlayed glass vein just below the cream

Saturday I decided to watch the Easter sermon that I missed the week before.  You may be surprised to know that I am such a geek, I have several different church web sites on my computer.  I watch video or listen to audio of sermons in my spare time.  

I ended up watching Point of Grace, Luthern Church of Hope (twice so Robyn could watch it, it's that good) and listening to a sermon from Lake Fork Baptist.  All were very good.

geek head quarters

Sunday was overcast.  All day seemed dreary.  After church the sky just got darker.  That was the day that several tornados hit Iowa.  Thank God we were not hit, but it did get very windy and it rained so hard I couldn't see the fence in my back yard.  I was a little concerned about the amount of rain.  I almost started building an ark.  Seriously.  So much rain came down so fast the sewers couldn't handle it.  Here is a pic I ran out and took of where my driveway meets the street.  Did I mention we have 8 inch curbs?

After only 40 minutes.  Imagine 40 days

 Monday we had another install, the one with the huge bar, firepit cap and bench.  My bad knee was still acting up but luckily we had 4 guys for this one.  It was a tough squeeze getting into the backyard, however the real challange was getting all the pieces set.  The home owner built all the bases himself and I don't mean to be critical but I've been in carnival funhouses with floors that were more level.

another awesome install

Monday after work Chris and I went over to my sister Debbie's.  She had sent me a text earlier in the day telling me she was struggling with her kitchen sink draining.   She was having a bad couple of weeks.

First, everytime she flushed her toilet it somehow sucked all the water out of her shower's p-trap.  We got that taken care of.  Next her car started making bad noises.  She had to take it in and get a rental.  Then her dehumidifier went on the fritz and with the heavy rains she is getting alot of moisture in her basement.  Now her sink wouldn't drain.  And I thought I was a Griswald.

We solved the problem of the sink not draining.  If you're squeemish skip this next pic..

never stuff a hamster down your drain

Tuesday Chris and I went south about an hour to Chariton Iowa for yet another install.  This was a two piece countertop, and the bigger of the pieces weighed an easy 300 pounds.  It was a tough install with my trick knee.  I didn't template this job and it was close to not fitting, but it is another job well done.

purtty

Wednesday we got the pieces for the Oskaloosa job sealed and we will install them Monday.   

now you can see the glass inlayed vein

Then we had to go to the country house because the client decided she wanted a glossy finish on her vanity instead of matte.  We had to plastic everything off and sand first, then apply the gloss.  While Chris was spraying the finish I snapped a couple more pics to show you the front staircase..

looking up...

..and looking down

Thursday I had to run out to Altoona to grab a piece of steel we need to install the Oskaloosa job.  On my way back I saw what I thought was the largest landscaping rock ever.  It turned out to be the answer to the puzzle at the beginning of this post.  It is a giant potato to comemerate 75 years in business for Idaho Potatoes.  I asked what is was made of.  Interestingly enough, it's a concrete spray on material.

you want fries with that?

I went in the shop to eat my lunch when up on the roof there arose such a clatter that I climbed through the hatch to see what was the matter.

Santa's geese, Honker and Waddle on the roof

After lunch I ran out to the country house to take down all the plastic and clean up.  The client's inital wish was for the countertop to not out shine the vessel bowl, but then she changed her mind.  Now I think they look perfect together..

A match made in heaven

When I got back to the shop, I was sent about 45 miles north to Gilbert Iowa to template a bathroom.  It is an incredibly odd shape but we know I love a challange

Friday I began the task of building the forms for the Gilbert job.  Being on my legs all day was killing my knee.  Along with the odd configuration the client is a collector of sea shells so she wants to incorperate that somehow.  We just so happen to have a rubber edge mold that looks like a coral reef.

getting 'er done

see shells?

Lately, Robyn and I have had the inkling to move to Arizona.  We would wait for Canyon to graduate but there is a desire growing in us to go there, however we haven't talked about it in more than a week.

  

While I was working on the Gilbert job I found myself thinking about Arizona. (working and thinking, I call that multi-tasking)  We have prayed about the idea but so far we aren't sure if it's us or God.  The move to Arizona is very strong in me, so I was asking God if he wanted just me to go.  Surely He wouldn't want me to leave my family.  Then I thought that if Robyn came to me and said she thought God was telling her to go to Arizona, I would drop everything and go.

Just then she sent me a text.  It said "I have been praying all morning about Arizona and I can't get it out of my mind.".  

Wow!

I told her that I was thinking of the same thing.  I have asked our pastor to pray to God what plans he may have for us.  I didn't mention Arizona.  I have asked that he let me know if God lays anything on his heart or mind.  We will see if it amounts to anything.  Who knows, maybe there is a good knee doctor down there.

You may have been wondering why I titled this post 'human yo-yo'.

First I went down to Oskaloosa then back up to the shop.  Then down to Chariton and back up to the shop.  Then up to Gilbert and back down to the shop.  Monday I go back down to Oskaloosa and back to the shop.

Getting the picture?

Going down to Arizona would be the ultimate yo.

Peace

Dan