The Seiler File

Buying Local

2009-06-29T21:03:00.007-05:00

As promised from my tease in my last post, a story about buying local.

So about 6-8 weeks ago, Denise came home devastated because a baguette fell out of her ring. We headed down to Zales that weekend since that is where I bought the ring, 6 years earlier. After finding out that this was no longer under warranty because we failed to bring it in every three months or whatever their policy is, the manager quoted me a price of $360 to replace the baguette and tighten down all the other claws or backets or whatever its called! I was expecting this to cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $150, so I left ring still in hand, dejected and disappointed that I couldn't get the ring fixed at this time.

About a week later, my mom suggested I go over to Cedar Park Jewelry after seeing their ad in Community Impact Newspaper. I spoke to Denise's manager at work to find out who handled that account, hoping to use their name as a reference in getting a good deal. It turned out to be the other girl that teams with Denise to handle the Leander/Cedar Park paper that works with CP Jewelry, but at least I still could use the connection.

I walked in and spoke with George, the owner, who was as nice as could be. After talking a bit, I mentioned my connection to the paper and he raved on and on about what a good job they do. He told me, he could fix the ring as good as new for $125 and have it ready in two days! Needless to say, I left the ring with him and walked out happy that I chose local over the big national chains, something I think we all need to do more of.

Two days later, George himself called me back and said it was ready to pick up. When I got there that afternoon, the work he did was as good as advertised. It looked just like a bought it 6 years earlier!

So came the task of keeping this a secret until this past weekend so I could give this to her as an 5 year anniversary gift. I felt kind of weird giving her something she already had as a gift, but I figured with that, plus a weekend stay in Fredericksburg, I'd make out ok. I had almost a month to keep this a secret and it went great until last week. She suddenly thought of Cedar Park Jewelry too and wanted to take it up there to have them check it out. She panicked when she couldn't find the ring, I just played it off that I didn't know where it was and always tried to find something else to occupy her attention. Friday morning she started searching in our bedroom closet, where I hid it amongst my clothes. I got her out of there before she started going through my section. Later on that morning she called me while I was at work, she had to go up to the Jewelry store to drop some paperwork off and she wanted to bring the ring up there. I told her "let's just wait until after this weekend to see how we were looking money-wise." I could tell she was disappointed.

Finally Friday evening, after we settled in Fredericksburg, I pulled out the "new" ring and she was so happy to have it back and so relieved to know she hadn't lost it. So the morale of the story....BUY LOCAL, help the economy of your neighborhood not the pocketbooks of corporate America.

its been awhile

2009-06-16T09:43:00.004-05:00

Well its been way too long since I have written anything. Life has been so busy lately that priorities have become well....priority. This time of the year is always jam packed with things to do and not enough time to do it all. It started a few years ago with weddings and pageants and while those are all done with it hasn't gotten any easier. These days its filled with work, injuries, and weekend getaways. Here is what you missed out on:

May 23-25: Memorial Day weekend
May 29-31: Denise took a trip to Dallas with Jaden while I got a quiet weekend and also attended a few birthday parties.
June 3-7: I took a trip to San Fran to visit my great friends, Ryan and Bryn. We've been lucky enough to see each other usually about once a year even though we life so far a part. This was an impromptu trip thanks to Southwest having a great special. I made great use of it and had a blast. I even got lucky enough to get bumped on my flight out there, taking an hour later flight in exchange for $287 worth of travel vouchers so we can take another trip somewhere soon!
June 13: Round Rock Express game!
June 20: we are going to Burnet for a family reunion on my mom's side. We are definitely closer to my dad's side of the family, but for one weekend a year we hang out with the Dickens clan for a good time. Complete with BBQ, swimming, and laughs. If you want to hear good ol' country folk, this is the event for you.
June 26-28: Denise and I will be celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary and taking a "romantic" trip to Fredericksburg sans Jaden, who will be spending the weekend with nana and papa. We booked a bed & breakfast out there and will enjoy a weekend away.
July 4th: we got a bevy of options that we will be looking into. If it were me, I'd pick staying in town and enjoying time with friends, bbq, and fireworks.

So all this in addition to life has made for an exciting summer. Denise had a disaster with a chiropractor, my dad found out the pain he's been dealing with for a few months is actually two herniated discs in his lower back and is scheduled for surgery next week. We found out that Jaden might be allergic to peanuts. And work has been interesting. We now have 2 weeks left in the quarter and we have yet to receive a quota which is both shocking and not shocking knowing how Sony works. This is all while I have taken on a new territory that was left in shambles and a trainwreck by the guy before me.

Ok well that shall do it for now... I do have an awesome story about buying local but that has to wait a few more weeks for reasons that I can't discuss now...

playtime!

2009-04-22T11:25:00.004-05:00

Easter weekend

2009-04-17T14:31:00.007-05:00

I haven't had much lately to discuss, so sorry for the delay. We had a great Easter. Friday night we spent celebrating my brother's 23rd birthday with a crawfish boil. Saturday we did Easter with Denise's family and that night we headed over to the County Line for her brother's (Jeff) 40th birthday. Sunday after church we headed over to my parents for an Easter egg hunt and lunch over there. I was definitely grateful we were able to split this all up over the weekend, usually we try to fit this all in in one day and it doesn't end pretty!

Here is video of the Easter fesitivies at the Terry household. Video from the Seiler's to follow soon!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpLTS7Hh5CU

And Easter at the Seiler's

Jaden's Haircut

2009-03-31T21:40:00.005-05:00

We decided to give a haircut to Jaden last night. It suddenly became shorter than we expected! His previous haircuts were a little difficult, he'd either cry or try to grab the clippers, or they would scare him. This time he was great. He thought the buzzer tickled his neck and stood still for the most part.

Baking

2009-03-11T10:26:00.004-05:00

So Denise got this wondeful idea to bake a cake the other night. She always has been a good cook. She decided on this colorful "funfetti" cake that is always delicious. But unfortunately a minor error at the beginning brought bigger consequences. She put the mixture into a square glass dish instead of the rectangular dish it asked for on the box. When she took it out of the oven, the outsides were done but the insides were pretty mushy. We decided to move it to the proper dish and try to keep cooking it.

it actually turned out pretty good. Because we cooked it longer, the outsides were pretty crispy but the insides were perfect, just not in traditional "cake" form. I still enjoyed it.

From the weekend...

2009-03-03T15:11:00.005-06:00

10 things I have learned since becoming a dad

2009-03-02T15:57:00.003-06:00

1. Everyone tells you how quickly it goes by, but you have no idea how quick until you get there. Time flies by!
2. The greatest thrill is watching them learn, explore, and discover something. Whether it be their his fingers, a ball, or to crawl. And those "firsts" are 10x cooler than you can imagine.
3. When getting him undressed for a bath and setting him in the tub always make sure his "tail" is facing away from you!
4. Its a chore to go anywhere, you always have to plan ahead and schedule your time, especially around naps. Don't forget: foods, diapers, bottles, clothes, you could go on and on.
5. No matter what, your kid is always going to get scared by someone and its embarrassing and funny at the same time. Hopefully its not a grandparent or something like that, because that is no fun!
6. The Video Monitor is the coolest thing ever, so much peace!
7. There's always competition. Between cousins and friends, it always seems there is pressure to make sure Jaden is progressing along.
8. Dinner time is fun if you can get past the mess. Watching them learn new foods (especially early on) is classic camcorder moments. But it always ends up in a mess and bibs are utterly pointless!
9. Every day I say something that I know my dad said 25 years ago. And Denise always calls me out on it!
10. The best feeling, bar none, is hugs!

A few pictures from the weekend

2009-02-23T10:21:00.005-06:00

Giving a kiss to his cousin, Erica

Playing with Uncle Chris

having lunch

standing tall!

one final thought

2009-02-16T20:03:00.007-06:00

I can't write about Eric without also discussing Ryan while I am at it. I met Ryan through his roommate and cousin, Dempsey, who coincidentally enough stood right next to Eric and I doing Tech Band roll call. We definitely all had some great times together and think fondly on all of them. After one year in Lubbock he met his future wife, Bryn, only he met her back in his hometown of the bay area, California. He spent the next year still in Lubbock but you could tell his heart was definitely with her in Cali. He made the decision to move back home to further pursue this relationship. I met Bryn a couple of times before he left Lubbock and you could instantly tell his attraction to her. She is not only beautiful but so much fun to be around. She has a contagious laugh and a heart of gold. In fact because of the powers of instant messaging at work, she and I have really developed a friendship, rather than the typical "friends wife" relationship.

I am probably closer in friendship to Ryan than anyone else over the past 10 years. They were gracious enough to let Denise and me visit July 4th weekend, 2003. They were there (and videotaped!) when I asked Denise to marry me. Ryan flew out to our wedding and served as a groomsman. We flew out, Denise pregnant with Jaden, to Cali for their wedding back in 2007. Bryn was able to join Ryan on a trip back out here this past year to meet Jaden for the first time. I remember each of these moments as if they were yesterday. So much fun!

Bryn recently gave birth to their first child, Ellie, just a month ago. I am so excited for them and eager to meet baby Ellie. Unlike here where 99% of our friends have kids already, they were one of the first in their group. I know it'll be a challenge for them but I have no doubt that Ellie will turn into a adorable daughter. I can't wait to see how the three of them grow as a family and the cool things they get to experience.

It's truly been an honor to have their friendship and I am proud of them. I pray that as both Ryan and Eric both expand their families, that they can have the joy that they both deserve. I hope that we can continue to have the occasional visit. I cherish not only the visits but just the conversations we have through phone, email, and IM. I can't wait to see how they grow. How cool would it be for in 5-10 years to get all of us together and let the kids play!

That's enough heart to hearts for today.

other thoughts on the weekend

2009-02-16T19:25:00.006-06:00

So anyways, here is part two of my thoughts on this weekend...

First off I have to say something about Denise. She's managed to stick by me for five years of marriage so far and I am forever grateful and blessed to have her. I am in awe of her and am so proud of what she's accomplished, especially over the past 2 years. This may sound weird but I find her more amazing and breathtaking now than I did 5 years ago.

Which brings me to my next thought. I definitely need to take a moment and congratulate my good friend, Eric. Valentine's evening he had the pleasure of asking his beautiful love, Tessa, to marry him while visiting New York City, which she obviously accepted. I can't wait to hear the details of the trip and proposal.

Eric is one of my closest friends. I met him on the band field the first week of college in Lubbock. We stood next to each other for roll call, as we both were freshman trumpet players. A few months later we both ended up needing roommates in our dorm so he moved in. We ended up living with each other for 3 years along with our buddy, Jason. As you can bet we definitely had some great moments during that time.

Eric and I haven't always seen eye to eye, we even went over four years without talking to each other. But we have this incredible bond because of Texas Tech. Within 10 minutes of talking again after four years, we were back into discussions on a variety of sports. He's probably has one of the biggest hearts of any guy I have ever met. He'll literally doing anything for his friends and family. I have the utmost respect for him. I am glad he decided to join the club. He was the last of the four of us that always hung out in college to marry, actually he was the first but we'll skip over that subject like it never happened! We'll say he was the last to marry happily. He'll have some catching up to do since other three of us already are each on kid #1.

I don't know a lot about his fiancee Tessa, but what I do know is how much he loves her. She is a lovely girl who stole his heart. She is a lot of fun to hang out with, so easygoing and has a lot of laughter. She is a brilliant photographer and an even better friend. I am so proud of each of them.

Congrats to the happy couple!

Valentine's Weekend

2009-02-16T19:03:00.006-06:00

As most of you might know, I am not the most romantic or mushy guy in the world. So I always view Valentine's Day in that stereotypical guys fashion. I don't go buy flowers because they usually die before you get them home. What I usually do is go get some steak and lobster from HEB and make dinner at home. This year though, Denise vetoed me on that one. Which is fine by me because I was ready for a night out.

So Monday I called Tokyo Steakhouse in Round Rock to get reservations, got them at 6pm for Saturday night! Then Friday I ordered a box of Tiff's Treats Cookies to her office. I ordered three dozen so all the girls at her office could have a cookie. Definitely beats flowers, right?!

So Saturday came, I called up there to confirm them, starting to doubt myself, and of course they come back that they don't take reservations. Obviously I was furious and spoke to a manager to no avail. We got there anyways, at 5:30, after dropping Jaden off at his papa and nanas (my parents). We ended up waiting for an hour and a half then just our luck, we get stuck sitting with a table of single High School girls who decided to go out to dinner, complete with the one girl who has to be the center of attention. She was everyone's best friend but as soon as she got up to go to the restroom, everyone started talking crap about her, straight out of Mean Girls!

Sunday was a great day. My parents and sister and her husband and daughter came over for lunch. Not only was it Nicole's birthday, but she is also expecting a little boy come May and it was a good time to start giving her some of the items we have collected that Jaden no longer uses. We got her boxes of clothes, toys, and infant swings, chairs, and the sort. I was definitely glad to get it out of the closets and attic and they were glad to have that stuff taken care of, it'll save them a lot of money.

After they left, Denise and I spent the rest of the day doing a scrub down of the house. We have some friends and family visiting next weekend, so it was definitely needed.

I have more thoughts but I think I will make this two posts...

Teri Hatcher throwing down!

2009-02-09T12:05:00.000-06:00

2009-02-06T13:35:00.002-06:00

A newly released police video shows Mississippi basketball coach Andy Kennedy pleading with an officer before his arrest on an assault charge.

"I'm begging you ... this is a major deal, man," Kennedy told police.

He added: "This is going to be a national incident, sir."

Kennedy was arrested in downtown Cincinnati on Dec. 18 after a taxi driver said Kennedy hit him and used racial slurs.

On the video broadcast by WLWT-TV in Cincinnati, an officer warned Kennedy to do what police say.

"You turn on me one more time, I'm going to start making some more charges. Do you understand me?" an unidentified police officer told Kennedy.

Kennedy told an officer that he was formerly the University of Cincinnati head coach and was in town to play "Louisville and Rick Pitino" on national television.

Kennedy also told police on the video that he had a verbal altercation about how many people could ride in the cab, and that it "makes no sense" to arrest him.

In response to his pleas, an officer said: "You think we've never arrested somebody that's made national media? ... We deal with the Bengals all the time." -espn.com

Reading more into the story, here are the pending lawsuits:

Coach against cabdriver for defamation of character
Coach against witness valet for defamation of character
Coach's wife against cab driver for loss of consortium, basically meaning that this all has affected their marriage.
Cab driver against the coach and wife claiming distress from the frivolous lawsuits
Witness Valet aginst the coach and wife also claiming distress from the frivolous lawsuits

I don't know if words can express how stupid this is. If you want to watch the video, it is here...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxg1mVW3_cY

Jaden walking

2009-02-06T09:00:00.001-06:00

Jaden blowing bubbles

2009-02-06T08:57:00.002-06:00

Stimulus Plan

2009-02-05T11:21:00.004-06:00

There are over 18,000 projects the US Conference of Mayors submitted to the US Government for consideration as part as the stimulus plan being pitched by Congress and the Administration, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The stimulus bill the House approved last week provides an array of tax cuts and a heavy dose of spending for new roads and bridges, public safety, expanded jobless benefits, food aid, wider broadband service and renovations for schools and public housing. Congress has said funds will be distributed to local governments through existing federal programs, either directly or through the states. Though the House approved an $819 billion bill, the final cost will depend on the Senate's vote and on compromises the House and Senate make.

Although the bulk of proposals are roads, sewers and similar projects, here are a few other items on the list:

Boynton Beach, FL., is looking for $4.5 million for an "eco park" featuring butterfly gardens and gopher tortoises.
Virginia Beach, VA is wanting $1.8 Million to replace the tennis courts.
Shreveport, LA wants 8 new Harley's for their police force and $6 million for 3 different aquatic centers complete, of course with water slides.
Chula Vista, CA would like to build a dog park
San Bernadino, Calif., wants $1.1 million for park improvements, including a skateboard ramp and two "splash-park installations."
Austin, TX, could use $886,000 to build a 36-hole "disc golf" course, for frisbee tossing. It would be "environmentally and financially sustainable."
Las Vegas, NV feels that the need more lights, so they asked for neon signs.

Now, yes, of course all this will create jobs in construction and maintenance, but how many jobs is the city of Austin going to create for a disc golf course?! What ever happened to spending money on infrastructure, schools, health care, technology. I am still under the belief that those options provide more jobs than a dog park would while also creating a better tomorrow!

Going to the Dentist

2009-02-04T10:08:00.002-06:00

This is way too funny. This kid got the good stuff! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txqiwrbYGrs

File # 0001

2009-02-04T08:50:00.007-06:00

Palin rocking the boots this week!
Those calling it the best Super Bowl ever are ridiculous. Outside of the interception at the end of the first half, no one remembers any other play in the first three quarters. It was the best fourth quarter ever in the Super Bowl.
I got hooked into American Idol only 2 seasons ago. Thusfar this season I really don't see anyone that as stood out. I missed half the show last night, the first night of Hollywood week, and don't care what happened. Maybe I am over it?
They were talking on one of the radio shows this morning on the ongoing problem of panhandlers in the Austin area. It seems that they have spread out and now cover nearly every intersection not only in Austin but the burbs too. Apparently Austin is a haven for the homeless because of our lack of ordinances are willingness to give. Here's an idea: stop giving them money and food, maybe they will go get a job!
Obama is expected to announce today that any executives of companies that receive bailout money will have their pay capped at $500k. Under the president's plan, companies that want to pay their executives more than $500,000 will have to do so through stocks that cannot be sold until the companies pay back the money they borrow from the government. How much do you want to bet that they find another loop hole on this one?!
Today is National Signing Day for high school prospects to declare what college team they want to play for. Its kind of like the NFL draft for the college level. Although it is interesting to watch at times, does an 17-18 year old kid deserve this much press?
I know I say "interesting" too much. Denise always tries to correct me on that.
The NBA is bringing back the game of H-O-R-S-E to the all-star game this year. That should be fun to watch.
Yesterday was the "day the music died." Pour one out for Buddy, Richie, and the Bopper.
A buddy sent me this link to one of the worst droughts I have ever seen. Just imagine what that's going to look like come summer time.

About me

2009-02-03T20:39:00.005-06:00

Most of ya'll know who I am so this will be short! I was born and raised in Leander, TX which is definitely rare these days. I loved the personality and charm that Austin had 15 years ago, now it seems like its just like every large city. We got too big for our britches!

Denise and I will be celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary this June, its hard to believe 5 years has already happened. A little over a year ago we welcomed our first son, Jaden, who amazes me every day. Being a dad is so cool and is a privilege. To have others compliment me on my son is a thrill, its incredibly gratifying to know that you can shape and mold him to become the man you still hope to be. I hope if I can teach him one thing in life its the respect and honor its been to love his mother, and if he can show the same thing to his mom and one day his wife, he'll be a step a head of a lot of people.

About this blog

2009-02-03T16:00:00.005-06:00

Hello everyone,
To tell you the truth I don't know why I am writing this blog. I think its sort of silly, yet at the same time I can't help but read the ones my friends do. At this time I don't know if this is really for our friends and family or if its more for us to reflect on the happenings in our life. Or maybe its for Jaden...who knows what sort of technology will be around 15 years from now, if blogs will be like journals or baby books. Maybe he'll have the opportunity to look at this.

Chances are most, if not all of these posts will come from me, Jeff. As un-techy as I am, I am still probably 1 million times more savvy than Denise in this aspect...no offense to her! I really didn't use the internet until college, and once on I was there hours and hours each day. Once I graduated I went through a period without internet access at our home or at work so I rarely if ever got on. Now, once again, I am probably on it too much!

I don't consider myself of a writer, but really its something I should enjoy. Its funny that I am in sales now because its not something I enjoy as much as I thought it would. I started in it really young working for my dad. I had retail sales jobs all throughout high school and college, so it was an easy transistion for me into the real world. I always thought I'd end up as an Account Executive calling on clients out in the field, not in a cube, behind a desk. maybe someday I will get there. Really if I could go back, I'd probably do something in mass comm. As you probably know about me, I am definitely a sports nut. I enjoy the stories and analysis. I don't consider myself so much a fan (other than my beloved Red Raiders, Cowboys, and Spurs) but more of an analyst. I can't tell you how many times I have said or written something to a friend about something and not an hour later the subject is on espn.com or some other site.

Anyways...I really don't want this to turn into just about sports. Although I am sure it will be covered a lot here since its a passion of mine, I also hope to have commentary on family, marriage, friends, history, current events, etc. Really anything that piques my interest. And hopefully this will pique yours.