Gimme a break!

Gimme a break!
Originally uploaded by Jeppedy.

"Hey!  Pipe down over there!

 Easy for you ladies to say it isn't about the gifts.  All I

got was some lousy wood!  Wasn't even that nice stuff like hickory

or oak.  Just this crappy ole pine stuff.  Bogus, man.  Completely

Bogus."

Red-headed step children

Red-headed step children
Originally uploaded by Jeppedy.

Say Mom, did you hear about the party

at the Rieman's?  From what I've heard, they had really nice tissue

paper.  What are we, chopped chicken liver?"  "Well,

maybe they just ran out, Jill.  You know, you shouldn't focus so much

on the material things of life..."  "You're talkin' to the

hand, Ma.  Talkin' to the hand."

Was this before the alcohol?

Was this before the alcohol?
Originally uploaded by Jeppedy.

Hmm, it leaves one to wonder whether

this was before or after the libations started flowing.  Is there

some deep dark secret this family has been hiding.  Or, perhaps repressing,

too painful a thought to accept.  It's not just a river in Egypt,

you know!

That's one Motley crew...

That's one Motley crew...
Originally uploaded by Jeppedy.

Sure, they're having run and all, but

inside, this family is hurting.  If they aren't yet, they will be

the next morning!!  The garbage men the next day just couldn't fathom

what the party was like will all those empty bottles at the curb.  "Perhaps

it was a subdivision-wide party?", Fred proposed.  "Yeah,

no one family could drink that much on their own...  Could they??",

George responded, not quite convinced.

Trouble a'brewing...

Trouble a'brewing...
Originally uploaded by Jeppedy.

"I am Sooo lucky to be included

in a family that uses such Fiiiiine tissue paper."



Wait, what do you mean "I don't

measure up"?  Oh, you aren't saying that yourself, you say you

heard someone say that?  Who in the world would say that at Christmas?

 Who could be so rude??!?!?



Never mind, I know who it was...  Sure,

he has some nice kids and a beautiful wife, but do we have to invite *him*

to these parties??

We're just happy to be with the family...

We're just happy to be with the family...
Originally uploaded by Jeppedy.

Showing the true spirit of Christmas,

Keenan remarks to an agreeing Nathan, "Boy, what's with all the hang-ups

about the Paper?  Isn't this Christmas thing about Jesus and love

for each other?"  "Yup", Nathan said, "adults...

They just don't get it sometimes...  It's not about the presents."

Fw: I can't believe he got such nice Tissue Paper!

Fw: I can't believe he got such nice Tissue Paper!
Originally uploaded by Jeppedy.

"Upon seeing the very nice tissue

paper Ryan Herr got, many in attendance were known to have whispered under

their breath 'Gee, they didn't give me tissue paper that nice!!'"

 It was the beginning of the end for cordial family relations in that

house that day...

Now that's what I call NICE tissue paper...

Now that's what I call NICE tissue paper...
Originally uploaded by Jeppedy.

"Mom and Dad, Look!!  I got

tissue paper!!  Not just that cheapo Walgreen's stuff you guys use.

 Oh no, this is QUALITY tissue paper.  These people know how

to do us Christmas gifts!!"  If you look closely, you can actually

see Brennan in the middle of saying "Cooooooool Ryan!  How do

I get me somea'dat?"

No fun being had here...

No fun being had here...
Originally uploaded by Jeppedy.

As you can tell, Christmas with the

Rieman's seemed to be enjoyed by all.  All the kids played nice together

(the adults were another story).  The food was great and it was a

really nice Christmas gathering.  Yup, Christmas is a great time of

year.

A Child's Trust...

There was a song in church today that really made me think on a number of levels. The refrain said "As a child rests in his mother's arms so do I trust in you."
At first, I thought about that feeling of holding my child. I remember rocking each of my children back to sleep in the middle of the night when they as infants woke up crying. I recall how each melted against me as I snuggled them and struggled to croak out a lullaby at 3 am... Even now, with Nathan at 6 years, when I bring him sleeping out of the car after a late-night return home, he knows that in my arms he is completely safe.
Now, I ask you. Do any of us feel that safe, protected and wholly cared for by Jesus? Why not, I wonder? Have we become conditioned to not trust that much anymore, or do we feel Christ just won't be there for us?

Oh, that's a camera moment!

Oh, that's a camera moment!
Originally uploaded by Jeppedy.

Aren't they just adorable? How cute! We were watching Jill and Jonathan's wedding video and the kids started dancing to the reception music...

Oh, that's a camera moment!

Oh, that's a camera moment!
Originally uploaded by Jeppedy.

Aren't they just adorable? How cute! We were watching Jill and Jonathan's wedding video and the kids started dancing to the reception music...

Christmas at the Wilson's

Christmas at the Wilson's
Originally uploaded by Jeppedy.

It's all about family, isn't it?

The Boyz...

The Boyz...
Originally uploaded by Jeppedy.

Sure, it was a while ago, but they're still darned cute!

Jeff and Lynne Herr - A Personal View

Say, I don't know if any of you have seen my home Web Site yet. It has not been updated in a long time, but it still has some info and pics on it. Stop by and take a look!

Read more at theherrs.com/

There goes the baby...

Well, we're potty training Danny. More accurately, Lynne is training him. It's hard to train him from Chicago! If only he would be more reasonable about it... :-)
Wow. All 3 out of diapers. I won't miss it, but I'll miss them being young. They are so big so fast. Thank heavens for photos.

What a great time!

I've got to tell you. I took a few days off in a row around the Thanksgiving holiday and it felt GREAT!! The Circus was a blast, Thanksgiving (both times) was really enjoyable, I even got in a little Christmas shopping. I have to be careful. I could get used to spending my time where it really matters... Well, Christmas season is here and I get a week off following this coming week. Definitely something to look forward to.

Circus circus!

Well, here we are at the circus! It's at the Hammond Civic Center. We've brought the Boyz, along with Grandma and Grandpa. We also brought my cousin Emily. We got here early to get good seats, which we did. But, that also means a long wait. LONG wait. But, everyone is behaving well... Except Grandpa! (Just Kidding!) Let's get the show on the road! I love family outtings. Man, being a Dad is really cool!!

-Jeffrey

Had me, then you lost me...

Some times in your life with kids, you think you are right on the verge of really teaching them a life lesson, in a big or small way. Tonight was one of those nights, but not at all...
So I was telling my middle boy, Ryan, a goodnight story loosely patterned after The Velveteen Rabbit. Only, this story was about a Vanilla Ice Cream Cone that no one wanted to eat. Clever, huh? I figured he'd never see the obvious plagiarism!
So, I finish this story about how every one of us has something special about us. Something that makes us unique and valuable. As I finish, Ryan says "Dad, that reminds me of somethin'. " Well, at first I thought he would tell me a story about a kid at school, perhaps about something he does well. If not that ideal, maybe just something about how it was the same as Velveteen Rabbit. But alas, it was not to be.
Ryan says to me, at the height of my enthusiasm and anticipation "Yep. It reminds me that I like vanilla ice cream. Chocolate, too!"
Well. You win some, you lose some. At the very least, it shows he was Listening at all...

CD's - Ancient Artifact?

So, how long do you think it will be before CDs become obsolete? MP3s are everywhere. Every radio, CD player, even car radios play MP3s now. I can choose from thousands of songs to download to my palm to play on my way to work through my car stereo.
Who wants every song on an album anyway? Downloads only cost under a buck. Technology, isn't it great!

Do you have enough?

Tis a wise man who knows when he has "enough". Sure, we could all have more, but do we need it? I have a nice house, a car, toys for my kids, a TV.
More important, I have food, heat and A/C, nice clothes.
And most importantly, a loving wife who brings so much to our relationship, kids who love me deeply and keep me on my toes, family that is always there to support me, friends to turn to and share with.
Yes truly, I have enough. I have far more than enough. I am blessed by God with an abundance I am thankful for every single day.
Yes, a wise man knows when he has enough...

Welcome to my Blog!

Welcome to my new Blog! You may actually find this Blog interesting. I will jot some notes on interesting comments I've heard, thoughts that seemed unique, quotes that struck a chord with me... I don't think they'll be amazingly profound.
But, something that caught me interest may just catch yours, too.
I hope you enjoy reading my new Blog. -Jeffrey