Musings- Wal-Mart

I'm not sure if it's the shady business practices, the poor customer service, or the general uncleanliness that keeps me feeding the beast that is Wal-Mart. Oh, I remember. It's my um... er...frugality.

Here are some pictures from recent outings:

The carts were so far out into the lot, that it was almost impossible to drive through the lane. (And heck yes that is my sweet ride in the background)



A common Sunday afternoon sight. Chicken anyone?

I got to bare-hand a toilet seat down to the customer service desk to make a return today. It was great walking in with that bad boy. The packaging had a handle at the top so I got to carry it in like a plumber's attache case. There were quite a few stares and I saw some smirks from the peanut gallery in the McDonald's area. But, I nabbed $6 of store credit for my return. Dip that in your ketchup Greasy McGee.

The trip was topped off by an extended check out session. I wanted to pay with my new $6 Wal-Mart credit card, then cash, then my debit card. My poor cashier had a very hard time getting the Wal-Mart card to read. It really wasn't her fault. She tried all kinds of stuff. I especially enjoyed watching her wrap a plastic bag over the card and then try to run it through the scanner.

She finally had to call her manager. By this time the lady behind me in line just sat down to rest in the aisle. The manager, who looked young enough to be the cashier's son, came over, put a key in the register, punched two buttons, and gave the cashier a dirty look. I felt bad for being such a nuisance, but a $6 toilet seat return is a $6 toilet seat return, you know?

Some other choice photos from the last excursion to the big W:

No cheapo crackers, No macaroni & cheese, No strawberry pop-tarts




No cookie dough for the Mrs., No green bag chips for lunch

I just thought this was funny. Nice work whoever you are.

Going to Wal-Mart is like gas station coffee, you know it's going to be bad, but it's so cheap you can't help yourself. And, I mean, where else are you going to get fishing lures, garlic bread, an eye exam, Pepto Bismol, and a movie rental, all while getting the oil changed in your car and enjoying a Big Mac?

I know where I'll be next weekend. You?

What is keeping you going?

My frazzled edges are turning a crispy golden brown. Beyond the sheer, undeserved grace of God's will, these are a few things keeping me going right now:

1. Strong coffee


2. Re-runs of "The Office"


3. Escaping into Google Reader


Drop a comment about what's putting gas in your tank.

New photos from today

I have been a little behind with new photos. I just put up a few new ones from our trip downtown, and our afternoon today. After you click the link below you can look at the pictures on the page or click the Slideshow button near the top right. Enjoy!

My Flickr photos

About 14 weeks

The newest baby Stortz will be here in about 14 weeks. I know most pregnancies usually time track with how far along they are, and not how far they have to go. But, for the sake of my wonderful wife, I am trying to keep it positive and it sounds better to say 14 weeks left, than 26 weeks along. Hmmm. 14 weeks is still a long time when you are pregnant. Maybe 26 weeks along does sound better... anyway.

We had our second ultrasound on Monday. The first ultrasound a few weeks ago revealed some cysts in the baby's brain that needed to be checked out further. It sounded very serious, but they assured us that is was probably nothing to worry about. And, thank you Lord, the second ultrasound proved that to be true. Everything looks healthy and on track.

We also decided to find out the baby's gender, albeit a little reluctantly for me. I thought it would be a fun surprise to not find out. It turns out I am a glaring minority on this one. Apparently there are clothes to get, accessories to buy, and rooms to plan. Not a big deal, though. We were having such a hard time picking out a name that it was nice to narrow it down a bit. We are expecting a boy and settling into the name Titus.

It was a lot of fun getting to tell the other kids. Zeke has been spot on about his brother and sister and his new brother was no exception. He knew it was going to be a boy and was not surprised. Selah's a bit confused and still seems to think that there is a baby growing in her tummy. But Eli wins the prize for best quote. When asked "What if the new baby is a girl?" He responds-

"If it's a girl, I quit!"

God bless that honesty.

Joyless appreciation?

I know my mood lately has been less than upbeat. I have had so much on my mind lately. Life has been going by at such a breakneck pace and it's hard for me to take it all in sometimes. I feel like a '78 Pinto getting lapped in a NASCAR world.

One thing I keep going over is the relationship between joy and thankfulness. Although I feel I have been losing some of my joy, I still feel very thankful. I so appreciate all that I have been given- salvation, my wife, my children and family, my health, my home and life, and even my job...sort of.

I am thankful for it all. I know I am. For whatever reason, it just has not given me much joy lately. It's a wierd feeling. At first thought, these two ideas should have a positive correlation. As one goes up, so does the other. You would think. I guess I'm just not sure.

Thankfulness is not listed as a fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5, although joy makes the number 2 spot. After some examination, I can see a relationship between joy and hope according to Romans 12:12 and Romans 15:13. I haven't come across a similar relationship between joy and thankfulness yet. Should thankfulness inspire joy? Here are some things I have found out about joy for sure:

-Jesus had it
-Paul had it
-fruit of the Spirit
-you can lose it
-something we should always be full of
-can be filled with it by God
-things can give it to you
-it can be complete
-you can do do things with joy

I know I need to get some joy back. I guess I'm just in my annual winter slump. Joy and thankfulness...what are your thoughts?