Did You Hear About My Christmas Present?

When Archie Brown was a boy he drove fast and loved the feel of a powerful and responsive automobile. For years, as a father he toned down his driving practices, in part at least because he could not afford the kind of cars of which he dreamed.

Now he is about to purchase an Audi and he wants to make sure it has enough air induction to really run at peak performance. He is going to order and install an audi turbo. He has already determined that TurboChargerPros.com has what he needs at a very attractive price! He will give this to himself as a Christmas Present! Merry Christ, Archie!

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Did You Hear About OU & Tech?

Archie Brown watched the Oklahoma and Texas Tech game with a lot of interest Saturday night. He expected the Sooners to win, but he had no idea that the Red Raiders would disintegrate in Norman. The final score was 65-21. So much for the Red Raiders in the BCS championship!

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Did You Hear About Our Dilemma?

Archie and Ronda Brown are getting older, nearing retirement age and are facing a few things that seem urgent and overwhelming. Ronda's mother is ill, hospitalized and facing a nursing home when whe is released. Ronda is having to go over there quite often, twenty or so miles away. The Browns are also raising two grandsons, 9 and 7, and are worn out at the end of every day. Ronda's work is getting more demanding and she wants to find a way out, but the economy is so bad, she is worried that if she doesn't continue to work, they will be in financial trouble.

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Did You Hear About Thanksgiving?

Archie Brown and his wife, Ronda, were thinking last night about the things for which they have to give thanks, but that they normally take for granted. Archie came up with one that both agreed fit the category. They both grew up in homes with one bathroom for six people. The fact they now have two bathrooms for four people makes life more comfortable and for which they should be grateful.

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Did You Know About Every Dime?

With crunch on the economy, many folks are really going to have to scramble to be able to make Christmas as special as they would like to. Archie Brown is one of those guys. He came across Every Dime, which is one place people with such concerns should investigate. Every Dime is dedicated to helping folks like Archie to find coupons for some of the very best shops, cash back offers from credit cards as well as special offers from banks.

Archie appreciates the site because he believes every dime matters these days!

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Did You Know About Gas Prices?

Last Friday Archie Brown's wife called to let him know she had just bought gasoline for $3.14. That is about fiftten cents less than they had seen it the previous day. But later in that day Archie bought gas for $2.99. Now, one week later, he paid $2.69 per gallon. That is a significant drop, but not nearly as much as the drop in the cost of crude oil. The big companies are not passing along the savings as fast as they did the increases earlier in the year!

Archie is shocked!

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Did You Hear About the Boys Coming Home?

Archie Brown's grandsons that live with him have spent the summer in Singapore. They will be returning home on Thursday, in the company of their aunt, Archie's middle daughter. Archie and his wife, Ronda, are looking forward to the reunion. They want to hear all the stories of the things the boys ate and the sights they have seen. The clock seems to have stopped moving!

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Did You Hear About Our Little Retreat?

Archie Brown is looking forward to next Monday. He and his wife, Ronda, have decided to take three days off from work and go away for a time of retreat and relaxation in the Texas Hill Country. They will check into a resort, and stay in fourth story suite with a balcony overlooking a beautiful vista. They are both needing a little down time. They plan to spend part of their retreat the way Jesus did when he was exhausted, in prayer. They are ready for that break!

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Did You Hear About My Card Collection?

Archie Brown is a long time collector of sports memorbilia. When he was a kid he had lots of baseball cards, especially focusing on his beloved Brooklyn Dodgers. Upon graduation from high school, Archie gave his collection to his little brother, who later gave the cards to a neighbor boy when he went away to college.

When Archie began collecting again in 1984, he quickly amassed a large number of cards. He loved to trade new rookie cards from packs of cards for older cards, like the ones he had as a boy. Archie now has sets of cards from 1952 to the present, and his collection takes up a whole room in his home.

Archie has other items than just cards, he has a basketball signed by Akeem Olajuwan, before he added the H to his first name. He has a bat signed by Hank Aaron and Sadaharu Oh, the Japanese home run king. He has a program from Mickey Mantle’s funeral. Archie loves to show off his collection and discuss the hobby of collecting, almost as much as he likes to collect new items.

One of the places Archie visits to expand his collection is the Shopwiki baseball card buyer’s guide. There he can get tips on where and how to find cards he wants, as well as products help him protect his investments.

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Roy Is Back, and So Am I!

My summer travels are over so I am back to pull for the Astros with my full attention. And that coincides with the return of Roy Oswalt from the disabled list. That should make my job much more palatable. Roy pitched five innings last night and was able to get the win over the Reds. That makes him 20 and 1

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Did You Hear About the Microwave Prophecy?

Archie Brown had never heard of microwaves in the fall of 1967. But at the county fair his wife and he were going through the exhibits hall and there was a lady demonstrating the speed of cooking in one of the new ovens. She said, in the future, every home in America will have a microwave oven!” The Browns rolled our eyes at the prediction.

For their tenth anniversary, Archie wanted to give Ronda a special gift. He went to our local Sears store and wandered around looking for the right thing. When he came to the microwaves, Arch knew that was what he wanted to give her. Ronda was floored, but she said. “It cost too much, and I will never use it.”

That oven lasted for twenty years and was probably the most used appliance in their home, with the possible exception of the television. When it finally broke, Archie's wife went the store that afternoon and found a replacement before dark. And the prophecy we heard at the county fair 40 years ago turned out to be pretty accurate, there are microwaves in almost every home!

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Did You Hear About My Worst Mistake?

Archie Brown was challenged to write a piece about his worst mistake. Here is what he wrote for the challenge.

I could tell about the time when I was 12 years old and lied to my dad about someone stealing my gym clothes, but that is probably not the worst mistake I have made. I could tell you about a time when my daughter was two and I was explaining to her when she should not do what she had just done ever again. I held her by both arms and spoke very sternly to her. The next day I saw where there were bruises on the inside to both of her arms where I had been holding her attention. But I don't want to you about that.

So I think I will tell you about them long ago. I had bought a doughnut shop, the same one which had worked as a high-school boy. The first year-and-a-half of the business, we did very well. Then the union workers of the chemical plant in our community went on strike. I was invited to cross the picket line and take doughnuts in to the salaried personnel that were running the plant during the strike. I was promised I would be guaranteed to sell hundred dozen doughnuts a day for the duration of the strike. I declined to take the offer, for couple of reasons.

First, I had grown up in a union home it and it would've gone against my conscience to cross a picket line, even though by that time my dad was salaried and in the plant. Second, I was fairly certain that the strike would not last for long and I did not want to alienate friends and customers if I crossed the picket line.

But the strike lasted for 13 weeks. Those union workers had a very hard time it recouping from the strike. We found out that donuts are a luxury, if you don't have money you don't buy doughnuts.

I could have made enough money during the strike to a pay off my business loans and would have been able to weather any storms after the strike. But because the decision I made not to cross the picket line, my business fell off by a more than 65%. We worked very hard for more than a year to try to make a comeback. But it was not to be and we the lost business. In some ways that was a mistake. But that decision led to other decisions that took me back to school, tio getting my degrees, and led to my life in ministry, rather than rolling in the dough.

I guess I was meant to be a holy man and not a hole-y man.

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Did You Hear About the OLD TIMER Blog?

Archie Brown has begun a new blog, called Old Timer. It is going to focus mostly on the baseball season, primarily the Houston Astros and their success and setbacks. There will be some posts about other important activities, such as his grandsons' soccer and baseball teams, NBA playoffs and personal recreational events. GO take a look and leave record of your passing!

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Did You Hear About The Price of Gold?

Just like almost everybody else, Archie Brown had become concerned about the slipping value of the dollar in the world market. He has also taken notice of the price of gold, which is at an all time high. Of course, gold has throughout history been held in high value, because of its rarity and its beauty. Gold holds a great fascination in men and women everywhere.

Archie is thinking it is time he get in touch with Monex, to see about making an investment in precious metals. Monex is a leader in the precious metals investment field, and Archie trusts them to help him make a wise decision about his purchase!

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Did You Hear About the New Blogger Book Club Forming?

A good friend of Archie Brown's has decided to put together a
Book Club gathering of bloggers each month. She will post a book for any one who is interested in participating to read by the 25th of the month. Then each participant will post his or her report on the book on their own blog, with a link to the book club site. My friend will include links back to the various posts so that the participants can peruse the other posted reports.

The book to be read for the month of April is To Kill A Mockingbird. Archie has not not read it since high school, so he will pick up a copy at the library and give it a reread.

The whole idea sounds like fun to Arch, and of course, the more the merrier!

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Did You Hear About My Brother's Birthday?

Archie Brown's brother, Mickey, is an avid sportsman and gun owner. He has a collection of weapons and takes pride in his skill with them. Mickey's birthday is coming up, so Arch is planning on getting him one of the Blackhawk holsters. Blackhawks are among the best holsters made and provide unparalleled technology.

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Did You Hear About My Grandson's Track Meet?

Archie Brown called his wife, Ronda, just after noon to ask her if she wanted to go watch their grandson's track meet in the afternoon and evening. The boy is a freshman and just began running track this spring. He runs the mile and the two mile races. All his meets have been out of town till today, so Ronda said she would like to go but wondered what they would do about supper. Archie replied, "We're going to a track meet so I guess we will eat on the run!"

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Did You Hear About Waking Up WIth The Flu?

Archie Brown woke up feeling really lousy, haveing come down with the flu on the afternoon before. He went into the office to grab a few things to take home on the chance he might feel like getting some things done. But he did not want to go see the doctor, so he went by and got OTC medicine to relieve the symptoms. And then he went to bed!

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Did You Hear About How a Good Day Turned Bad?

Easter Sunday was going a long very nicely for Archie Brown and his family. They had enjoyed a fine time at worship services and had a wonderful meal. Archie sat down to watch a bit of March Madness. At about two in the afternoon he began to feel a bit bad and by night fall, he was suffering from the flu!

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Did You Hear About When I Lost My Pocket Knife?

Archie Brown recently lost his pocket knife and was devastated because he had carried it for more than thirty years. It was a Buck Brand with a wood handle, single locking blade. Arch felt like he was helpless, since he had used the knife for all sorts of jobs.

Archie went to the local department store to find a replacement. But he was not satisfied with the selection, so he went online to see what he could find. He went to KillerBlade.com and was amazed at the wide range of their stock. They have folding knives, hunting knives, throwing knives and even machetes.

They offer wonderful prices and great customer service, as well as top quality knives and excellent brand names. Archie is hoping that soon his new knife will arrive and restore the world to the proper order.

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Did You Hear About Our Cruise Stop At St. Thomas?

Archie and Ronda Brown and their grandsons made a stop on their recent cruise at the USVI St. Thomas. It was the Brown's Favorite day of the week, because they were met at the dock by long time friends who live on the island. They visited in the home of their friends, visited places of local interest and generally had a wonderful day.

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Did You Hear About Our Cruise Stop in San Juan?

The first stop of the Carnival Victory, the boat Archie and Ronda Brown took for their recent cruise, was San Juan, Puerto Rico. They debarked, taking the boys into town. Archie had been to San Juan before, so he knew two things to do that would please the boys. First they went to the Castillo de Crostobal, a huge castle and fort that overlooks the sea. After the boys finished exploring the place, the Browns took them to the square where they caught a horse drawn carriage for a ride through the city. It was a nice visit.

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Did You Hear About Our Early Flight to Miami?

The cruise that Archie and Ronda Brown took, along with their 7 & 8 year old grandsons, set sail from Miami. The Brown's had to catch a plane from Houston at 6 am in order to get to Miami in time to catch the boat. That meant they had to get up at four, get dressed and drive an hour to the airport. But it was worth it!

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Did You Hear About Teresa Chaulk?

Archie Brown was reading a recent web release about a lady who was named to be superintendent of a school district in Wyoming. The release was by Capella University. They were very proud of the fact that the lady, Teresa Chaulk, is a part of one of Capella's online degree programs. Chaulk is pursuing a PhD and is an example of the kind of training that is available through the completely online institution. The quality of the education offered, as well as the convenience of receiving the education via one's computer allows folks like Teresa Chaulk to maintain a career and advance her skills at the same time!

This post was based on information provided by Blogitive

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