If you don't personally know any gamers, then you probably don't know what a big night tonight is to gamers across the country. It's like the Superbowl party for gaming geeks. Ha! Get it? Superbowl party for gaming geeks! Because gaming geeks don't watch the Superbowl. Or any sporting event, for that matter.

Well, it's ruined when you have to explain the joke.



Anyway, Blizzard has released the second expansion pack to their golden goose of a game World of Warcraft. Called "Wrath of the Lich King," this expansion keeps the addicts coming back for more. Just when you thought you could get out from under the thumb of the man and regain a sense or normalcy, they release more features and upgrades to keep you running in that hamster wheel.

After even the initial release of the game about this time four years ago, the game immediately became quite profitable for Blizzard. The franchise was built around a fantastical world, and after building a loyal following for ten years, it's not surprising that this game took off the way it did. It now boasts more than 11 million monthly subscribers from all over the world. It has definitely set the standard for MMORPGs and has become the game to beat.

And the game to copy. There are numerous facsimiles, but even offering lower or no subscription rates, none have come close to dethroning WoW.

Kevin and I started playing WoW a couple of years ago, and after putting about a year into it, I got out and stayed off for a while. Then we got back into it some time back, and now, it's starting to wear off for me again. I don't think I'll be getting the game any time soon, or renewing my subscription when it expires in January. Not for a while, anyway.

Who knows? I might get back into it after another year off from it. It's a good thing my characters won't get permanently deleted.

So, if you were driving by Best Buy tonight and it looked like they were maybe having a little soiree, that was just the midnight release of the expansion pack. The real parties are at the gaming centers and basement LAN parties across the country.

Posted: 12:17 AM | 0 Comments

Okay. So maybe "frightful" might not be just the mot juste but it's probably close. It had to start some time. There had to be that first one. It was bound to come sooner or later. I'm writing, of course, of that dreaded four-letter word: S-N-O-W. Well, it did come today. The first snowfall.



And the second. And the third. And maybe the fourth one as well. All rolled into a giant blizzard that's sweeping across the upper midwest, including all of South Dakota. Early this morning, I-90 was closed in the western half of the state and there were already many accounts of the severity of the white-out.

More than 30 inches of snow. Wind gusts upwards of 65 miles per hour. So on and so forth. If you really want to see the dump of snow in all its glorious color, you only have to check out the local news network's web site. It's quite a magnificent sight.

My sympathies to my West River peeps.

Of course, it won't be long before we get our fair share of snow. I'm certainly not looking forward to shoveling any of it, and certainly not three wide driveways' worth of it. I might be able to get away with shovelling just two, though. I knew I should've bought that snowblower last spring when they were on sale. Now I'll end up paying a premium for one, or stress my back scooping it every other week for the foreseeable future.

Anyway, to those of you who are living closer to the equator where any precipitation flows down drains rather than crystallizes before entering the lower atmosphere, then enjoy any warmth you can squeeze out of a concrete pillar. You won't get any sympathies from me.

It's days like this when I'm glad we're going to hot-and-humid Malaysia right in the dead of winter.

Posted: 09:39 PM | 1 Comments

When you become a spouse for the first time, they tell you that your life will never be the same again. Then when you become a parent for the first time, they tell you that your life will never be the same. Again. And you know what? You can try to believe them as much as you want, but you don't really know for sure until those things actually happen to you and your life actually changes.



Due to some extraneous circumstances at work, I've had to spend some extra hours at work. On the one hand, it feels empowering to be an important part of something so significant. I mean, this is nothing that I would've been a part of at my previous place of employment.

But on the other larger hand, I'm missing time with my girls... all three of them. On Friday night, I almost didn't make it to my anniversary dinner date with Theresa. I got out of work just in time to take her out for a bite. A movie was out of the question after dinner, but that just gave me another excuse to take her out again the next day.

Then, I'm missing valuable time with Audrey and Eliza, both of whom are old enough to miss me, and know when I'm not home when I'm supposed to be. Audrey got upset today when she found out that they wouldn't be picking me up after work. At this age, every day is a growth milestone, and the more time I spend at the office, the more I'm going to miss their chatter, cuteness, and cuddling.

I know these extended hours won't last, so there's a light at the end of this tunnel. But, in the meantime, I'm just missing my babies.

Posted: 11:03 PM | 0 Comments

One of the biggest things that has happened in the last week has been the rescheduling of our flight. For those of you who don't know, Theresa and I will be travelling to Malaysia with her mom and our girls. For those of you who really don't know. I'm originally from Malaysia. But that's another story for another time.



Originally, our flight was to arrive at midnight, early on the day before the Chinese New Year. We were going to spend the night at the airport hotel and then take the first flight out to Penang, closer to my hometown of Alor Setar and to Sungai Petani, where we'd be spending the New Year. We'd arrive with enough time to take advantage of the sales and maybe get a nice outfit to commemorate the occasion.

Well, with airlines cutting the number of flights across the board, ours was affected as well. We would've missed our connecting flight in Seoul, Korea so we had to be booked on a different flight. So, after a few calls to Travelocity to get our trip rescheduled, we finally got shuffled around. And what a mess of a shuffle too.

Instead of flying from Sioux Falls to Chicago to Seoul to Kuala Lumpur, we're getting diverted. So, we're flying from Chicago to JFK in New York with a good ten-hour layover there. Then we take the red eye to Seoul and wait another ten hours or so before we fly on to KL. By the time we arrive there, we would've lost almost a full day getting rerouted and waiting at airports. It's all very execrable, although I know it's not entirely the airline's fault.

So, we're going to try to make the best of it. Maybe we'll try to get out in the Big Apple and do something fun. A friend recommended that if we only did one thing in New York City that we go to Ground Zero. I know the thought of it is quite morbid, but it might be worth a look. I'll probably bring a book or three, too.

If you have any suggestions, I'm all ears.

Posted: 09:30 PM | 2 Comments

One of the geekiest things I've done so far was what I like to call a scientific experiment. Last Saturday, while in the midst of an allied conquest of the world with my bro-in-law, we hypothesized a way of continuing our hostile bid for world domination while on our short drive from Brookings back to Sioux Falls.



In order for us to play cooperatively, we had to set up a local area network. Of course, it's not quite so easy as running ethernet cables to connect our notebooks when you consider that we were each in separate vehicles. So, the next best step and the logical solution was to go wireless instead.

Here's where the experiment was theorized. And fortunately, this is Kevin's bailiwick.

If we could create a wireless network, and we conveniently had an extra wireless router on hand, perhaps we could play then. The challenge, of course, was to keep both vehicles within the 400+ feet of the IEEE 802.11g range. Going down the interstate at 75 miles per hour, we thought that as long as we could keep both vans within eyesight, we should be fine.

So, we set out on our trip. After a bumpy start to our experiment, we were able to get off the ground and before you knew it, we were gaming over this local mobile wireless network going down I-29. The Doppler effect was a concern, but we didn't notice any lagging that affected our gameplay.

So, that really made the trip go by quite quickly. And we know for next time, if we ever had to do that again. Of course, we couldn't get on the Internet but this opens the door for countless "LAN in a Van" events. Intriguing, don't you think?

Posted: 08:41 PM | 0 Comments

Now, this is really just ridiculous. How crazy is this? A Nebraska state legislator has sued God. First of all, a state legislator? Really? And secondly, God? Um, really?!



This very interesting article chronicles Senator Ernie Chambers's quest to sue God for making terroristic threats, inspiring fear, and causing destruction.

The judge wisely threw the case out, not because it's blatantly stoopid, but because God was not properly served notice of the lawsuit that was being brought against Him. Either way, I'm glad that the case got dismissed, although I'd really like to see this case gain some momentum just for the sheer entertainment value that any court proceedings might provide.

What the Senator argues now, is that since the courts threw out the case on the basis that God was not properly served, they acknowledge the existence of God. Consequently, and by default, they also acknowledge that by virtue of His being, He is also all knowing. Therefore, He already knows of the suit that's being brought against Him.

That train of logic is actually sound.

But just that last part.

The part about God terrorizing Senator Chambers's constituents is downright crazy. To actually believe that God waylaid His own people also goes against the very nature of God. If the senator can admit that God has certain traits just by existing, namely being omniscient, then he should so concede that God is also loving and only wants good things for His creation.

The question has been asked countless times through the ages. Why do bad things happen to good people? Well, don't be so quick to blame God. We live in a fallen world, a junkyard compared to the Eden that God created for Adam and Eve. The ruler of this world is Satan whose sole purpose in this lifetime is to steal, kill, and destroy. He knows he's going down at the end of the age and he's going to take as many with him as he can.

Of course, for those who love Him, God can turn those negative circumstances into something that will ultimately bring glory to His name. And thank God for His strength to persevere.

As far as this lawsuit, Senator Chambers has not decided yet if he will appeal the courts' decision. Either way, I think this is an interesting case to follow.

Posted: 10:49 PM | 0 Comments

If you haven't heard yet, there is a safe haven law in Nebraska which allows unprepared parents to drop off unwanted newborns at hospitals without fear of any legal retribution. This is not a new concept, as many states in the U.S. have similar laws. Even South Dakota has safe haven legislation.

What's unique about Nebraska's version of the law is that there isn't a cap on the age of the child that can be dropped off. While good may have been intended, it has inadvertently made it also quite otiose.



What's happening in Nebraska now is that parents and guardians are dropping off their almost-legally-adult children. Of the about two dozen children who have been dropped off at hospitals under the umbrella of this safe haven law, only a small handful are actually under the age of four. All others are much older children.

The big story that got a lot of attention a few weeks ago was when a frustrated father of 10 dropped off all but one of his children. After losing his wife to a brain aneurysm, he was overwhelmed and did not see any way out. So he dropped off his youngest nine children, aged 1 to 17. Wow.

Then there's the story that just broke about the second out-of-state drop-off. A Detroit mother drove 12 hours to leave her 13-year-old son in Omaha. A week before, Iowan grandparents dropped off their 14-year-old charge also in Omaha.

Obviously, it's not working the way the lawmakers intended. It won't be long before some more specific rules are added to this broad law.

Posted: 11:17 PM | 0 Comments

You've probably heard about Linux as an alternative operating system, but have you ever thought about using it yourself? With every new computer that I've bought (not that I have all that many, mind you), each older model gets relegated to collecting dust or serving files.



So, I decided to take one that has some decent specs, and installed Ubuntu on it. For Linux aficionados, Ubuntu may not be the die-hard's cup of tea. But for someone who's looking for an alternative operating system, it's worth a shot. The latest version, called Intrepid Ibex, will be released at the end of the month.

There are quite a few cool things that you can do with it. There are a lot of videos on Ubuntu that will showcase the many features and plug-ins you can get for it. Some of them are really quite spectacular.

If you have a spare computer laying around that you're not doing much with, or if you want to invest in an ultra mobile PC, Ubuntu might be the lightweight operating system for it.

Posted: 10:57 PM | 0 Comments

Hey everyone - I'm SO excited cause in just 2 weeks, Audrey will be THREE!!! Can you believe that?! I sat down to design her birthday invites late last night and finished up during "Kai-Lan" this morning :) ha ha....

Here it is!

Of course, I smudged out the detail info :) I can't wait to go get these printed and sent out later today!

Also, just a reminder that Christmas is only a Month away!!! Can you believe that?! I'm designing Christmas Cards and would love the opportunity to work with you for a custom design!!! Be sure to check out my site - MADE DIGITAL !

Posted: 12:19 PM | 2 Comments

Last year, I heard from a friend about this weekend to remember conference that is for marriages... whether couples needed help, or just wanted to go and get "refreshed". Well, the conference was just weeks away and I knew that we wouldn't be able to afford it, so I wrote down on my calendar to look into being a group coordinator. May this last year, just a few months before we moved, I signed up and became a group coordinator. This gave our friends, family and us a great discount rate - which made it more affordable to us.

This last weekend was the date of the conference and ML and I did indeed have the opportunity to attend! I was SOOO excited and am so glad that we had the opportunity to attend! It started Friday night. When we got there, they handed us booklets and a pen, which we used all weekend. After the Friday night session we had the chance to go out to Applebee's with my brother and his wife. (while my mom watched our girls, Audrey & Eliza, and also Jeremy and Michele's newest little one, Essy - whom my daughters simply adore!) When we got home, all the girls were in bed, sound asleep. When ML and I went up to go to bed, there was a present and card on our bed from my parents... a marriage book and cash. How awesome is that? and a blessing indeed!

Saturday the conference went all day - although we did come home for lunch to see the girls, give my mom a tiny break and for Michele and I to nurse our little ones. Saturday night, they ended at quarter to 5 so that couples could have a "date night". ML and I went out to a movie "Fireproof" (I kept hearing great things about this movie and it is indeed a fabulous movie that I highly recommend!!!) and then we went out to dinner at a nicer resturant we wouldn't take our girls out to :) which is where we shared our "love letters" that we wrote during one of the sessions at the conference. And then back to the hotel to our King Suite (which my parents paid for - THANK YOU! - don't I have amazing parents?)

The conference started Sunday morning at 9am, so we had plenty of time to eat a great continental breakfast and grab starbucks before we went to the conference. The conference ended with the couples standing up and stating their vows to one another - reminding me of our wedding day 6 years ago, I could picture my hair up, my beautifully manicured hands and my gorgeous white dress. But our "Weekend to Remember" didn't end there, ML and I called my mom to let her know we'd be coming home and she said the girls were both almost asleep, so ML and I ended up going out for lunch too! :) OH and not only that, but my mom did the girls' laundry while I was gone! Can you BELIEVE that?! holy cow... like watching the girls, the marriage book, cash and hotel room weren't enough?!?! LOL You are SUCH a blessing Mom & Dad!!!

Honestly our weekend was definitely a Weekend to Remember - and I now see why they titled the conference that AND why I had heard such great things about this conference! I'm SO thankful that we were able to attend and plan to use our group code for years to come... let me know if you want the group code to save money, because you can use mine too!! :) Then you can have a Weekend to Remember with your spouse as well! :)

Posted: 04:06 PM | 2 Comments

Wow... it's weird even typing "President Obama" into the subject line there! Anyhow... I decided how can I not put on here one of the most important events of this time right now? So I am going to say... I went and voted yesterday, with both girls in our wonderful stroller eating the homemade sugar cookies we had made the night before. I didn't have to wait in line, the girls behaved and I didn't make a mistake on my ballot! yay!

Last night I waited in anticipation... who was the next President of the United States of America?! The moment I turned on my TV and saw Obama was winning, I just kinda knew... it was going to be him.

Although that is disappointing for me (and honestly a bit scary as well), I have complete respect for him as our new President and honestly hopes that he proves me wrong! :) AND I am proud of our country and how far we have come. I don't get how people can look at someone and think differently about them simply because of the color of their skin? (although that could be a whole OTHER post! LOL)

All I can do now is continue to pray for our country... which honestly, we all should be doing anyways, no matter who is holding the presidency.

God Bless America!

Posted: 02:40 PM | 5 Comments

That's right, Yesterday, November 2, 2008, ML and I celebrated six years of marriage! :) A little hard to believe at some times!

Friday night we went out LATE to a nice italian resturant, which was very nice - we hadn't been there before and it is excellent! would def. go there again :)

Saturday afternoon we went out to a movie - Changeling - together. What a good movie, although I hated the ending LOL.

Next weekend we are continuing to celebrate by going to the Weekend to Remember conference here and getting a hotel room even. My wonderful mother will be taking care of our kids - how nice!!! Can't wait to go - I've heard great things about this conference!!!

ML - I love you even more than the day we met and my love continues to grow for you with each passing day. (K) I couldn't have chosen a better husband to spend this wonderful journey of life with! XOXO

Posted: 09:22 AM | 4 Comments

You know how you kinda go to bed dreading the next day because there's nothing fun going on and it's just same old same old??? Well, thanks to a fabulous new friend I have who invited the girls and I to join her and her daughter, I didn't have to dread that same old same old today!!! :)

Late last night I was asked to join her and her daughter to the park and zoo... sounded like a LOT more fun than staying home all morning and I needed the van anyways (we only have 1 vehicle) because ML and I had chiro appts right before lunchtime.

WELL, we went to the park first and the girls all had great fun sliding and in the swings, and before long, the zoo opened and we had a blast running (literally for my friend and her daughter who is a busy little girl! LOL) through the zoo and seeing all different kinds of animals! We even fed some of the goats and ducks! Audrey LOVED that - even tonight she was talking about that!

ML had text'd me to let me know he wasn't going to be able to make the chiro appt, so I rescheduled and my friend, her daughter, the girls and I all went out for lunch!!! Even better because we went to the most fabulous kid friendly place ever - Pizza Hut! yay! :) I LOVE Pizza Hut! AND it's even better when you have a free lunch buffet card ;) hee hee.

Anyways - Even though ML had to work late and I had to teach piano with the girls in the playroom while I taught - It wasn't so bad because I had so much fun this morning with a fabulous new friend and her daughter!

Thanks for such an amazing time this morning, and a much needed time out, Amy!!! :)

Posted: 09:36 PM | 2 Comments

We received Eliza's results regarding celiac disease. 3 months ago we had to get her tested for this as to her GI's recommendation and it came back with weird results, so they wanted us to redo the test... one screaming blood draw later and we find out that her test is normal!! Praise God - no celiac disease here! :) Now if we can just find out why she has some of these digestive issues!

Posted: 05:28 PM | 2 Comments

Audrey's allergy test was this morning. Good news or Bad news first??? I'll do bad news so I end on a positive note!

First, Audrey showed the Dr. her awful skin because of her eczema and he prescribed more cream for us to use when it breaks out really badly. Then they had her take her shirt off and lay on her stomach while they did the skin test on her back. She did amazingly well! Didn't even cry - I think she was just more scared because she didn't know what was going on or what they were going to do.

Test Results -

Bad News: Audrey is STILL allergic to peanuts... not only that, but it's worse than we originally thought. We've only had blood tests done, but today we did skin prick test done and the hive she got was pretty big. She won't re-act if she's just in the same room as peanut products, but if she gets them on her skin, she will react and it's best to wash her off with soap and water. She has never had a peanut or peanut butter before, and as of now, will not have them ever. We still can believe for God's complete healing though - after all, God is bigger and more powerful than a stupid test right? :P

Good News: I had her tested for Tree Nuts, Fish and Shellfish and those all came back as negative!! :) YAY! Even though she's tested negative for Tree Nuts, we'll still stay cautious with those as many times they are processed (in the same facility) as peanuts.

I think today was so awful because I had HUGE hopes that she was outgrowing it because of the recent blood test results and then the skin test shows that it's actually worse than we thought! I know there could be many other things much worse than this that she could have, so I'm thankful it's "just peanuts" however, still disappointed, which I think is okay for me to feel that way right now.

Our allergist said not to even get her retested for many many years.... we'll see about that.

So for now, No peanuts/peanut products/may contains peanuts/manufactured in the same facility for us!!!

Posted: 04:11 PM | 6 Comments

October 18th, Eliza turned 15 months! We had her check up yesterday... she got 2 shots and a blood draw (to retest for celiac) She did pretty good with the shots, but I could hear her screaming while I was waiting outside with Audrey during the blood draw. :( Poor girl!

She really is growing up so quickly!
Height 31-1/2 inches
Weight 21 pounds 15-1/2 ounces

She's thinning out (has always been long and skinny) now that she's SO active and only will eat if she gets to feed herself.

She is doing everything she should be doing at this age and more - so that's neat! She knows how to say her name and also says mama, dada, tickle, apple, bye bye, hi, and arf for dog... and knows MANY body parts including her nose, eyes, ears, tongue, head, hands, feet, etc....

She nurses only 2-3 times a day and sleeps through the night from about 8/8:30 to 7 most nights.

We've learned she's VERY strong willed and stubborn. I thought Audrey was, but wow... Eliza already is learning to throw tantrums - at 15 months?! I don't think Audrey did that until 18-24 months?! Eliza is also very sweet, shy and flirts giving smiles to strangers she likes - it's so cute! She is also total girly girl - loving purses, dolls, and pretties. The first thing people say when they see her is "Look at those beautiful big eyes!!!" or something about her eyes. I have to agree, her eyes are gorgeous. And her smile is the sunshine of my cloudy days. That's my Sweet Eliza!

Posted: 08:45 AM | 1 Comments