Somewhat Sad Sentiment & A Few Current Thoughts

I officially don't really like IE's newest version.
Wists won't work with it.
oooohh say that baby 3x fast!
I really like the new stuff I've discovered with Google such as the home page & toolbar capabilities though...

took down the Christmas tree & all the other decor today. The top of the piano and mantle are looking rather bare. I got a couple of really cool shots of ornaments on the tree though.

Dad & I went out for a few hours. We stopped at Starbucks; people watching in SS is very fun. We headed over to the hot dog shop and did some more people watching around the campuses. Next came 5th Ave and the surrounding neighborhoods. Dad can ride down any given street over there & point out every third house as one he's painted! It made for some really neat convo about the history of the houses, architecture, what styles we both liked and little stories about several houses Dad had worked on. The whole time we had Casting Crowns Lifesong and later the Savior cd playing.

I hadnt been on an estimate with him for years, so the fact that he had one this afternoon was great. It was really neat to get a glimpse of how my dad works with his customers and conducts his business [always is!]. He deserves appreciation for the hard work that he does. I dont think I always realize the volume of information he processes daily. Phone numbers, addresses, dates, colors, prices--everything. It's the neatest thing to watch him walk through rooms. He has his silver bid case that he's used for twenty-five years, a pen and a sheet of white paper. He knows the dimensions of a room just by looking. He knows exactly what to look for when he walks into a room--cracks, baseboards, wavy walls. He had all the answers to the customers questions & asked exactly the right questions himself. He jots down simple notes, comes home, and from those draws up the estimate price and time the job will take.

The way that he completes jobs and gets things done is an inspiration since that is an area I struggle in. He reaches for a higher level of professionalism, quality and ethics in a professional that is usually not highly regarded. He doesnt just paint walls. He has a creative side that gets to come to light through pulling together the architecture and history of houses into color choices.

Owning your own business and running it successfully isnt an easy task. Gee, dealing with/having to please people everyday isnt an easy thing. It's a cool thing to think about...