Numb the Pain...

I woke up on Tuesday morning looking forward to a visit with the dentist.
Yes, I know this sounds like loads of fun. The reason? I like having complete strangers poke and scratch my teeth with sharp metal objects. Not really. And come to think of it , I don't think a single human being (with access to good dental care,) has ever woken up and shouted aloud
"Wohoo, today I'm going to the dentist!" While I was lying in the chair having my teeth drilled and filled, I got to thinking. Which insane human being came up with this crazy idea?
Who suddenly said, " Aha, I know how to fix holes in teeth, I will construct a drill and drill them out, and then I shall fill the holes with, well, something solid." Who was the first volunteer dental patient?
"Excuse me sir, you look like your teeth hurt, I know just how to fix that"
"How?"
"Well its very simple you see, I am going to use this drill I have constructed, and then drill your teeth out"
"Great"
Crazy.

I also re-discovered the effects of Novacaine on Tuesday.
So for fun, I took a few pictures of myself desperately trying to smile after receiving about 6 shots in my mouth.


I swear, this is not an exaggeration.
Worst, after arriving home, I volunteered to go pick up the pizza Marci ordered for dinner.
I thought, what the heck, I'm going to see how the guys in our local pizza shop like my new face.
And that evening I pronounced it "pppftttthhheethzzaa" not "pizza"

So brush you teeth tonight.

Or you may end up looking like this.

Sean.

Bridge to Tear-a-bithia

So a few nights ago, I happened to record the movie "Bridge to Tarabithia" on the DVR (fancy term for a "tivo" like device)

Marci and I settled in to the couch, and curled up with a nice warm blanket to watch the film.

I was enjoying every minute of it, taken in completely by the sweet story of two middle school kids and their growing friendship. After 45 minutes, I found myself completely emotionally invested in the wonderful imaginary world I was seeing on our new TV.

To say that the young lady that producers had cast in the film was endearing, would be an understatement. One could easily feel why Jess, the main character, falls in love with her.

Marci kept saying "she is adorable"

So their story moves from, a simple friendship, to innocent love. Needles to say that this is the kind of movie that is simply heartwarming.

And then it hits you. (WARNING: SPOILER CONTENT BELOW!!!)

They kill the girl off. BAM. Completely unexpected.

WHAT??!! Yes, that is correct. She hits her head, falls in a river and drowns.

Nice.

And now you, just like Jess are left sitting on your couch with a broken heart.

I fought back 1 tear, 2 tears, 6 tears. And then I saw Marci crying.

And then I cried.

Like a little girl.

So my wife and I were sitting in our living room, sharing tissues, wiping our eyes and holding hands.

I spoke with a good friend of mine today, who also saw this movie. And he cried too.

So now I don't feel so bad anymore.

So I challenge any man, to sit through this movie and not cry. You cant do it.

So why do we cry? I have no clue.

But here is a website doing some research on crying. Maybe you can help them out.

Sean.

www.crying-survey.co.uk/

Phoenix

The sun was high but the temperature was not. I thought Phoenix, Arizona was supposed to be warm. But when my mom and I arrived there the day after Christmas, it was only about 50-something. That didn't bother us too much because we were there to see my sister, my new brother-in-law and my crazy nephews. My sister didn't tell the boys we were coming. So when she pulled up to the curb at the airport, the 7-year-old sees my mom and starts yelling "Momma!" They were so excited to see us, and we were thrilled to finally hug them. It's not always easy having family across the country, especially with the boys growing up so fast.

We spent a lovely 5 days with them in their new house. My mom and I took the boys with us as we did some sightseeing. If you ever head out that way, I highly recommend a trip to Sedona. It's breathtaking. My photos do not do it justice. The rocks are just red and amazing. The variety cactuses (you don't have to say "cacti" anymore) were neat to see. The architecture of the homes and buildings was interesting since it's so different than back east. The southwest flare is everywhere. I really enjoyed Old Town Scottsdale as well and it's quaint cowboy-esque and southwestern buildings and shops.

Our vacation ended quickly and I already miss the boys. But it's back to reality.

Click here to see the photos from the trip . . . Phoenix

Christmas Letter

Dear Family and Friends,

It's hard to believe that just a year ago we spent the holidays in Northern Ireland with Sean's family and now it's another Christmas season. The year went by so quickly. In March, Sean completed his first full year at Cummins Power Systems. It's very challenging but has wonderful opportunities for him and he enjoys it tremendously. The job has a few perks for which we are thankful. One of them being a trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico in May. Ah, the good life! In July we spent about 5 days camping in the Poconos with Marci’s parents, cousins, aunts and uncles. It was so nice to get away and relax for a while. We made a huge decision this year to have a house built in Kissel Hill Commons in Lancaster. At the end of August, we packed up and moved in. We love the space and have enjoyed painting and decorating, making it our own. In October Marci celebrated her 10th year college reunion. It was great to be back on Messiah College's campus and see old friends. She’s now in her eighth year at Brecht Elementary in Manheim Township and still teaching second grade. She’s taken on some roles involving mentoring other teachers in technology projects. Both of us have been busy with our church, Lancaster County Bible Church. Sean has been playing electric guitar two weekends a month and Marci is part of the vocal ensemble for one of those weekends. Recently, Sean was asked to switch one of those weekends to our new Harrisburg satellite campus. It's been a great opportunity to serve. In November, the Steeles (including Mom and Dad) headed out to San Jose, California to visit Glen and Amy. We had our Thanksgiving dinner in their lovely home and enjoyed visiting local tourist spots. Finally, Marci is looking forward to traveling with her mom to see her sister in Phoenix. Lori, Michael and the boys moved there in May and have since gotten married and bought a new home. We miss them terribly, so we're heading out that way on December 26.

That's our year in a nutshell. These and more fun details can be found at our blog http://www.seanandmarci.blogspot.com. There are even pictures for those of you who need them. We wish you a wonderful Christmas and pray God's blessings for you all.

Love,
Sean and Marci

Ahhh . . .

Ahh, I sit here finally relaxed. I made it through a few crazy weeks of working (that means children going slightly crazy because Santa is soon coming), planning a little party, Christmas shopping, wrapping the gifts, typing a Christmas letter to be emailed because I just don't do cards, and taking care of Sean through nosebleeds, vomit and a sinus infection. But I've survived and now it's time for a little R and R. While Sean plays all 8 (yes, I did say 8!) Christmas Eve services, I plan to have some by-myself-time. I probably will throw in a little food shopping and laundry and packing for my trip to see my sister, brother-in-law and nephews in Phoenix. But other than that I plan to sit on my toosh and read a book, drink hot chocolate and be lazy. Ahhh . . . !

It's Christmas Tree Time of the Year

Because of the freezing cold rain, Sean and I deviated from what I had hoped would be a tradition of going out and cutting our own Christmas tree at a local tree farm. Instead we visited Stauffers and, again because of the bone chilling drizzle, very quickly chose our tree, had the guys wrap that netting stuff around it and load it into our car. This year we were able to get a taller one because we have the space for it. So with the tip of the tree dangling out of trunk and the trunk precariously tied down, we headed home with the heater blowing full force. Once we arrived home, Sean wasn't so interested in putting on the lights, so that became my job. However, he whole-heartedly hung the ornaments. Here is the finished product.

So, the Christmas spirit has inched its way into the Steele house. The decorating is complete. Maybe now we should consider some Christmas shopping!

Thankful

I am so thankful that we were able to go to San Jose for Thanksgiving. Glen and Amy opened Hotel Steele for the 6 Steele's and our friend Steve. Sean and I had a very smooth trip out to California on Wednesday and stayed until Monday morning, when we took a very early flight back home. The days included wandering around Los Gatos, eating a very yummy turkey, a visit to Trader Joes so I could get my favorite chocolate truffles, snacking and drinking tea, a day in San Francisco, a little wine tasting at several local wineries, the Body Worlds exhibit at the San Jose Tech Museum, and dinner at the Cheesecake Factory near Santana Row. Besides all of the tourist-y activities, we enjoyed family (and Steve) time back at house, while the men rocked at Guitar Hero. Amy and I made a valiant attempt, but were booed off by the cyber-fans on the game. As it always is, vacations must come to an end. Sadly, Sean and I made the trek back home with ease. It wasn't until we got our car and started the drive home from the Baltimore airport that we experienced any delays. We hit rush hour traffic on the beltway. Welcome back to reality!

Thanks, Glen and Amy, for a wonderful time.

Click here for some photos of our trip . . . Thanksgiving Vacation

Painting Again

After a little hiatus from the painting, we began again. Our brilliant white walls were causing us to feel as if we lived in an institution. Sean suggested we spend this weekend painting. Here we go again. I had Friday off of work, so I managed to do the entire lower level. That includes dining room, entry way, hallway and part of the stairs. On Saturday, Sean joined in and we completed the upstairs hallway. This was a bit treacherous since the one wall is two stories tall. I made Sean take care of that. It was his idea to paint and not hire someone. I have to say, he did a good job. We finished around 4:00 Saturday afternoon. The painting prompted a decorating binge so we went out and bought a rug for the entryway and Sean created a little "area" on our landing. Next on the agenda, the red study. I can't wait.


Some snapshots of Sean . . .

Planes, trains and cranes?

So this past week I had the opportunity to go on a little adventure. And since people are always asking me what I do for a living, this little story will help clear things up.

In a nutshell, I sell Cummins industrial diesel engines. Big ones, small ones, new ones, reconditioned ones, for everything from road paving equipment, agricultural machines, military equipment, power generators, cranes, forklifts, dump trucks, mining equipment, logging equipment, hydraulic pump equipment etc etc etc.

A few weeks ago, one of our customers asked me if it would be possible to re-power (in simple terms, replace the engine) in a container stacker. That machine looks like this:


The job of this equipment is to run around a rail yard, and unload containers off of trains, and onto and army of waiting trucks.

Cool, isn't it.

That's the neat part of what I get to do, one day I'm in a rail yard, the next day I'm in a factory. One day I found myself in the bottom of an open pit coal mine, standing in the bucket of a huge shovel.

Well, the only issue with this project is that the machine is located out in Columbus, Ohio - a 6 hour drive from home.

"That's no problem" our customer, Keith told me.
"We'll just fly out on my plane"
"Your plane?"
"Yes" he replied, "I have three of them, you know"

Next thing I know, Wednesday morning I am standing outside a hangar at Lancaster Airport, ready to board.

Here is his airplane:

Sweeeeeet.

So we flew, first class, all the way to Ohio in just under 2 hours. Flying in a small plane is much more fun. You really feel like you can reach out and touch the clouds.Mike (our resident engineer) came along for the trip, here we are sitting in the back seat.


The flight back was even better, we flew out in between these beautiful, huge, puffy, cumulus clouds. They were like giant castles in the sky.


Anyway, here are a few more pictures of the Crane. Mike and I had to climb up to the top of the thing to take a look at their electronic setup. This is the view from up above, where the driver sits - not for those afraid of heights!!!


Here is the engine compartment, this is what we are going to take out and replace with a shiny new Cummins.

Anyway, so there is a day in my job. Here is the shameless plug for our corporate website:

www.cummins.com

Big thanks to Keith for being a great guy, and a class act.

Sean.

A Little Jazz Anyone?

Last evening Sean and I joined our friends Brian and Aimee and headed to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Cyrus Chestnut, a jazz pianist, performed with two other men. One played an upright bass and the other, a small drum kit. Tables were spread out for people to sit and enjoy the music. We chose to sit on the grand staircase that lead to the second floor. So with wine and drinks in hand we sat back and listened to a fantastic performance. Later, when we were walking through the museum and taking in some exhibits, Mr. Chestnut walked by. If it wasn't for Sean stopping him to shake his hand and compliment his performance, the other three of us would never have noticed such a great performer walking by. Here's a clip I found of him on YouTube.