Chris Parker

Merry Christmas Ethan!!!

rekrapsirhc — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 22:52:27 +0000

Best Present in 2008 http://www.facebook.com/v/1074490663436

“If you could ask God for anything in the world, what would it be?”

rekrapsirhc — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 03:59:20 +0000

We posed this question to high school students studying the book of Esther in the Old Testament and put their answers into this video.

He really didn’t like it…

rekrapsirhc — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 03:48:41 +0000

I’m not a huge fan of spanking. I can say that it’s my least favorite form of correction, however, unlike the politicians/media/schools/CPS/etc., I do think it’s something that should be in the arseonal of discipline. (Do you see where this is going yet?)

Ethan kicked his brother, because he wouldn’t share. We talked about it. He got the idea from a Hello Kitty video that he had seen for the first time. Bubye, Hello Kitty. Hello sit in a chair for 10 minutes and listen to mom’s lecture.

A week later he kicked his brother again, because his brother wasn’t listening. We talked about this at a greater length and pointed out that he has NEVER been kicked by anyone outside of soccer. He certainly hasn’t been kicked by any friends or cousins because he didn’t listen or wouldn’t share. He got a swat on the butt from his mother that day and another “talk” from dad that night. We escalated things by saying that he would get a spanking from dad if he chose to do it again, mom would call dad at work to let him know.

Another week later, today, I get a phone call saying that Ethan kicked his brother. Anxiety kills Ethan, which suspense was part of the plan in saying that dad would be the one to spank him – not that I’m going to be tough, but to add anxiety/suspense to the situation, as he’d typically ask to be punished immediately to get it over with. (i.e., “No videos tomorrow,” results in, “How about I not watch any videos today or tomorrow?” Which is fine with us!)

So I get the call, get home coincidently a half hour later. I meet up with the fam at soccer practice for a good practice (tonight was passing skills – didn’t go over too well with the 5 year olds). We get home and within 10 minutes Angie takes Eli for a walk while Ethan and I have “the talk.” Our talk was actually redundant of the prior talks honing in on the reprocussions of a reoccurance.

I about gave in when he asked if I would just spank him “this hard” as he tapped his forefinger against the back of his hand. I replied with a firm “No” which was met with a “why not?” I told him, “that’s not a spanking and I don’t think you’ll remember that kind of punishment.” At this time grace entered my mind, but I had to remind myself that we operated on that M.O. the first two incidences. So we proceeded with the spanking.

I figured one good spank would be enough, but he didn’t wince. I really didn’t want to hurt him, but I knew it would have to hurt some for him to respect the punishment and avoid it’s threat in the future. So I gave another spank. Still nothing. I gave another…and decided I should be done.

He stood up straight and said with an unwaivering look (which was a blend of scowl and dismay), “One would have been enough dad.” I thought about giving in. ”Stay strong,” I told myself. I told him again what I had said before, that it hurt me to know that someone had kicked my son, and that the person who hurt my son should be punished. I also upped the anty and said that if he chose to kick Eli again, the punishment would be five spankings, at which his face now changed for the first time with widening eyes.

I opened my arms to him and he came to me. Ahhh. Relief. I was able to endure a spanking. I may have actually had more anxiety than he did. I was worried about my reaction if he broke down crying. What if I spanked him too hard? What if I didn’t spank him hard enough? (This as I remembered the time my mom last spanked me because I laughed at her the whole time.) What if I got misty eyed? What if he wouldn’t reciprocate a consolation hug?

Ethan gave me a good hug, good enough for just have gotten spanked, and within minutes Angie and Eli were home and Ethan was racing around the house bringing to me things he was proud of. I’m really glad that’s over and I hope not to receive another phone call. I didn’t like it either!

ER Visit

rekrapsirhc — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 05:18:48 +0000

I wasnt’ sure what was happening, but I thought death could be an option, so I prayed for my soul in the ER last night.

A routine day – some time at work and then off to clean up after some tenants at a rental. I thought maybe some dehydration so i stopped at the gas station for a Gatorade. My wonderful MIL was watching the kids for the afternoon and offered to watch them longer so I could take my wife out for dinner for her birthday. I thought Flannigans sounded great, but she picked Outback. My 20 oz Prime Rib arrived at room temp on a sizzling plate. After sending it back to the kitchen, my dinner was comped. On our way home I felt wiped out. Food poisoning? Nah.

I was in bed at 10 and sleeping by 11. I went to sleep with a heavy feeling in my gut (lower than my stomach), so when I woke up at 12 feeling like a baseball had been implanted behind my bellybutton, I knew something was wrong. My temp was 101 and I called the 24/7 nurseline who told me to go to the ER. Before I left I woke Angie to let her know I was leaving. That’s when I had the best puke of my life ever. I know it’s gross, but I got rid of *almost* everything in my stomach with a great projectile vomit including the splashing of toilet water on the walls and in my face – but I didn’t care because it felt good! I puked so hard and so fast I was spitting blood for the next few minutes, but I could smile. (In the meantime Angie begins spraying Lysol everywhere from the bathroom to the driveway!)

So, feeling like I could puke again, I took the 24/7 lady’s advice and went to the ER. I was feeling jovial when I left, but naucious with now a 102. By the time I got there I didn’t have energy for jokes. (It had taken me a few extra minutes to get out the door because I realized I was wearing navy sweatpants with black socks – oops, don’t want the nurses to lose focus of what’s important.)

So they checked me in and the Dr. said he didn’t think I was going to lose my appendix (which I was worried about since Angie and HS BFF Chris Brzezinski both went to the ER much later than they should have with their appendix). I was being treated for nausea, feaver and vomiting while they were running tests. I thought it was going to be a slow death, and I was anxious that they couldn’t tell me what it was (the lady who checked me in said “Hernia. We see it all the time.” but she wasnt’ a nurse. So I prayed for my soul and made my nurse promise me two things: (1) Get the number for my mom and dad out of my cell phone. If I die, I want the hospital to call them – Angie shouldn’t have to do that. But call Angie first. (2) Since I’m dying before Angie I want to make sure that “Waiting on a Woman” plays at my funeral. The viewing can be somber, but the funeral should be fun.

After that I was out cold. (Hospital beds suck – especially the ones in the ER. You’d think with all the cash they get they could get a good Serta or Simmons to keep everyone cumfy.) They woke me up every so often to see how I was doing and then said my test results were satisfactory and go home and rest for a couple days. Dehydration and viral were their best guesses. Whatever.

So I got home at 5, slept until 10. Slept again from 12-4 and then 5-9. Now It’s 1AM and I’m thinking about eating for the first time since Outback. (I made Angie throw away the 16 oz of Prime Rib that I couldn’t eat just in case.) So far today I’ve eaten a half row of Saltines and two 7ups. Blah. I’m sick of being sick, but glad to be alive. That sucked.

He Cried For An Hour

rekrapsirhc — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 02:18:06 +0000

I sold my Nighthawk tonight. We’d talked about it. Ethan sat on what’s going to be the new bike. We talked about how it sold on eBay. Several times over the last week Ethan has said, “Dad, I do NOT want you to sell your bike.” Several times he’s heard us talk about delaying the purchase of the Vulcan and has said, “Good, now you don’t have to sell your blue bike.” Tonight before the guy showed up to buy it I took Ethan out for a final ride. The guy pulled in as we were pulling out so I made it a quick two minute ride. Ethan was getting down quietly when the guy said he needed to modify his trailer wiring and we could go out for a few more minutes until he was ready. Ethan was so happy to be riding “big” on the back. When we returned I helped him get his helmet off and I turned to engage in a formal introduction with my buyer. I thought Ethan had fallen when I heard him start crying. I excused myself to see what the fuss was, only to find out that he was crying because the buyer was going for his test ride. While the buyers wife waited, we could hear Ethan inside sobbing. When the buyer returned, Ethan was still crying and the guy sincerely offered to leave the bike if it was going to be that big of a deal. Ethan cried while the bike was loaded and cried for another half hour after he left. We thought he was crying because of how much he was going to miss the “blue motorcycle.” After Angie got him calmed down we found out it had more to do with how loud the “red motorcycle” is. I guess it scared him when we fired it up at my friend’s house. Angie asked if we could make it quieter…NOPE! He’ll get used to it! Look for pics this summer of the family on the new bike! If for some reason it doesn’t come, I’ll be crying like Ethan did today!!!

Bittersweet Day at Rent-A-Center

rekrapsirhc — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 02:40:00 +0000

Wow, this was one of my most strenuous days at Rent-A-Center. Our schedule was light, we’ve had a great week on sales, everyone’s been paying their bills, but today was the day. By all accounts today was a day where we could coast and take a breather. I’ve had my resignation letter typed up for a few days as I anticipated my move to Jack’s Wholesale Windows (need a window replaced?), but I’ve kept putting it in my desk drawer for the next day. It’s been exciting, the possibilities that await me, but as it’s become time to move forward, that’s meant leaving behind something great. When I took over the store it was under-performing and a less than average Rent-A-Center. Over the last three years we’ve had excellent growth, received numerous awards and recognition, closed down a competitor (we’re close to shutting down another!), promoted five people into management (big in rent-to-own), won the respect of our customer base, and changed from “the store to steal from” to “the store to rent from.” I’ve had a LOT of fun doing it! I’ve sat in my office several times this week with the door closed spending a few solitary moments wondering if leaving all of this is the right thing to do. It’s taken a lot to build my store. I’ve had several coworkers comment that I shouldn’t be calling it “my store” or “my merchandise” or “my guys,” but these employees weren’t there when we stripped out the bad customers and replaced them with good customers. They weren’t there to win customers from competitors one by one. They weren’t there for the long nights and early mornings as we worked to clean up the store one piece of inventory at a time and sift through countless boxes of paperwork as a result of mergers. These were the employees that didn’t appreciate the work of the employees that went before them. These were also the employees that couldn’t hack rent-to-own. It’s a grueling job. I’ve met many wonderful people, both customers and coworkers (bosses too!), who pushed me and the business forward. All of this makes it so tough to leave. So I do see them as “my employees,” “my customers,” and “my store.” My wife has said that if I didn’t love my job so much it would be a lot easier to leave Rent-A-Center. So turning in my resignation today was one of the toughest things I’ve done at Rent-A-Center in the last four years. Thanks to Rent-A-Center for giving me the opportunity to succeed. We did it!

A Time For Change…

rekrapsirhc — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 03:20:40 +0000

As many of you know, I have been a store manager for Rent-A-Center for three years. Working around retail hours can be very draining and my kids know nothing other than their father working a 55 hour workweek. Tomorrow I put in my resignation with Rent-A-Center to pursue a sales position with Jack’s Wholesale Windows. (Need new windows?) I’ll likely send you a letter at some point once I get settled in with the company, however, the nice part of this job is they provide “hot leads” from individuals who call us. (AKA, no telemarketing!) The trick could be insurance. Eli had pretty serious seizures for 9 months which makes him nearly impossible to insure. We’re praying for a smooth transition and rates that aren’t outrageous. If you’re a friend of mine that prays I would appreciate you doing so. The position is 100% commission based which is scary and intriguing at the same time because my entrepreneurial spirit has challenged me to invest in myself. This gives me a great opportunity. Jack’s just opened their fourth store, this one in Fort Wayne, and they have a very successful track record. It’s a welcomed change since my projected workweek is 32-40 hours. This gives me time to catch up on our rentals and spend time with the boys, and Angie. I trust that I will live up to Jack’s expectations and that Jack’s will live up to mine. With that said…do your windows need replaced?!?

eBay Rocks!

rekrapsirhc — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 10:52:07 +0000

I sold my bike last night on eBay. I bought the bike a year ago for $1200 and put about $200 into it. So when I went to sell it this spring I figured $1200 was still a fair price, until I looked at eBay. People were getting $1300 for bikes like mine that needed work before they could be ridden. My eyes got big when I saw what working bikes went for. I did my homework, made a good looking auction and sold my bike on eBay for $2500! Wow! I doubled my money on a motorcycle that had a couple thousand more miles than when I bought it! eBay rocks!

The day when things change… (Father’s Day)

rekrapsirhc — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 03:32:58 +0000

When Eli was a baby I used to take him on a walk through downtown Roanoke while Angie read Ethan bedtime stories. This worked out well since Ethan didn’t get much “mommy time” during the day with a baby in the house. It also worked out for me since I didn’t get too much baby time with Eli (and if I was in charge for more than 30 minutes it put me in charge of the dirty diaper too!).

Last fall when Eli was 2, I took him on walks, but he didn’t fall asleep and my back was killing me after 10 blocks. Tonight I took him on the normal route along Main Street, from First to Fifth. This started when we were working on flipping a house two years ago and I’d walk back at night to admire my work from the street. Tonight we said goodnight to all things in Roanoke: the flags, the fish in Alice’s pond, the streetlights, the trees, Caroll’s delivery trucks, the creek, etc. Only after we’ve said goodnight to all things outdoors will he tuck his head in my neck and begin to relax.

Tonight he fell asleep with his head on my shoulder – no pacifier. This was a delight and pleasant suprise. As we turned back towards town I usually cradle him sideways and let him rest in my arms instead of my shoulder. As I walked and looked at his face in the streetlights/moonlight I noticed that his baby chub is starting to disappear with summer activities and age 3 agressively approaching. His body no longer folds within the bounds of my arms and his legs dangle from the knee as we walk. His cheeks are no longer plush, but slimming into a boyhood face.

Tonight things changed. My two year old is on the verge of 3 and appeared as a young child more than a toddler. I guess I need to face the fact that I’m growing up and aging. I was surprised a few weeks ago when my 5 year old stood at the office door 20 minutes past bedtime talking about how he couldn’t go to sleep. My mind reeled back to my own boyhood memories of lying in bed, trying to fall asleep to the muggy summer breeze. My mind was racing at all hours with the activities of today and tomorrow. As Ethan stands in the door, this is a moment he could remember as an adult. And as he rests his chin on the door handle, I realize just how big he’s grown.

I guess my boys are growing up. I got clipped when Eli was 1, so I guess this is the end of our family, unless we decide to adopt. My family won’t grow, only age. My boys will grow, and I’ll watch in awe.

As I page through the friends of facebook, my mind gets stuck…in high school…in college…as a newlywed…in my career…as a new father… But I still can’t conceive the mindset of being a Dad. I still have the mindset of my own boyhood, but I can’t conceptualize fatherhood from the perspective from my children’s perspective. They look to me as their father! Wow/ouch! There’s so many more people that are responsible and deserving… I can’t get my mind around what my five year old said as I left his bedroom tonight, “I’ll see you on Father’s Day dad!” He was giving me the traditional goodnight thumbs up as I left the room.

Saturday’s are so busy at my store (as are most other days I work) that I may not see him awake tomorrow. Although he’s excited about Father’s day, and overlooked Saturday, Sunday may very well be the next day I see him. My boys are growing up…with or without me. So many things in life consume me…my time. I have to remember that I want my boys’ memories to be of a father that took time, not a father at work. Memories of a father who helped the 5 year old assemble a Peter Pan sword and pull crawdads out of a creek. Memories of a dad who waited for his two year old to say goodnight to ALL THINGS in Roanoke before falling asleep in his father’s arms.

I hope I don’t let them down. I just can’t get my mind around it all. Things are changing so fast!!!

Balancing Act

rekrapsirhc — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 03:16:20 +0000

Some of you know that Angie and I have several rental properties. Right now we have a triplex, a duplex, and a single family. We also have a house that we’re flipping (plus our own). We usually keep everyone on annual leases to minimize surprises and request that people rent summer to summer. Well, quite often we have tenants renew, however, right now it seems as though everyone is moving out. We have seven units to maintain and wow is it coming fast.

The house that we’re flipping is going slowly. The realtorthat we have is rather good in our community, but even with an assistant she’s swamped. It seems like she’s not following through as she should be. We’ve had some interest, but I’m starting to think that she lacks the ability to close the sale, however, she wouldn’t be top in the county if she couldn’t. Regardless, it’s sitting empty.

With our duplex, the upstairs tenant and downstairs tenant fell in love. Yeah, I told her not to do it! Anyway, he’s in the reserves and got called out, so we let him out of his lease to serve our country. Well, she got ancy to buy a house and her parents discouraged her from buying the duplex (which is also for sale), so they got a place in the country… The new/replacement tenant upstairs is also moving out to find something different. So it’s going to be sitting empty.

In our triplex, we have a 3-year tenant on the top who’s mother got laid off of work, so he’s moving in with her to help pay her house note. The middle tenant is moving in with his brother, and the anchor tenant is moving…somewhere. The 3-year tenant called back to say that he’s not going to move at this time. Now we went from 3 vacancies down to two.

We a have a single family house that we sold to a guy last fall on land contract. He got suprise custody of his two kids and said that there’s all kinds of stuff wrong with the place so he wants out of his contract. He said that the furnace and sewer don’t work so he’s moving out. I don’t buy it because he didn’t tell me until April that the furnace had a problem. Anyway, despite the arguments over who’s responsible for what, he’s moved out to find a bigger place for his new family.

So, we’re in a big rush to find tenants. Do you know of anyone who wants to live in a good house near Fort Wayne??? I’ll pay finders fees! Just kidding! (Kind of…email me if you know anyone and I’ll pay you cash!)

Yeah…we’re in crunch. I think we’ll survive just fine. It’s like investing in the stock market. If real estate was a sure thing I suppose everyone would play the safe bets. But like the stock market, you can make quick cash (i.e., Flip This House), or you can make your money over the long term (minimizing the spikes up and down). The reality is that regardless of the unemployment rate, price of crude oil, or interest rate adjustments by the Feds, people still need a place to live. The stock market dropped 400 points, oil is at $138 ($2.50/gal for crude oil), and the unemployment rate is spiking. People still need a place to live.

It’s a balancing act. Right now we feel like the clown spinning seven plates on seven sticks and it looks like we’re going to drop six plates. I think we’ll pull it off though. We haven’t failed yet and even if we do, we’ve had a great run in real estate. If something tanks we’ll make another shot at it. I’m looking forward to success over new adventures. I read a quote the the other day to the effect of, “If you start planning what you’ll say when you fail, you’ve already failed.” We’re stressing, but we’re executing our plan for success.