customer service that is.  This is my new mug from Liquid Planet.  If you are looking for a new coffee mug, please purchase one of these.  Why you may ask?  Here is the email exchange.

Me:  This may go in a stupid customer blog and I am okay with that. 1. I have the french press mug and it is awesome, thanks. 2. I was working and needed to mix some gas for a power tool. The only “cup” available at the time was my french press coffee mug. I used it to mix the gas and now the mug stinks. Is there anything I can do to clean it? Thanks.

Liquid Planet: Hello John,  Thank you for checking with us. Which style and color of Planetary Design French Press Mug do you have?  Thank You.

Me: This one Double shot

Liquid Planet: Hello John, Thank you for getting back to me so quickly.  We really don’t think you should use your mug anymore. We would be happy to send you a Double Shot mug from our gently used bin, free of charge. Right now we have a Black, Red, or Mocha Double Shot that you can choose from. Also I will need you shipping address.

Needless to say, I was very appreciative for a free mug when I did something quite idiotic.  The Mocha-colored mug pictured came today and enjoyed my first cup of coffee in it tonight.  Thanks Liquid Planet.

lowlights:  lack of sleep.

on my to-do list:  continue planning for the Fall.  Tacoma Rainiers game.  The Canzler wedding.  Daddy-daughter date with Lily, Mike and Kyra.

procrastinating about:  another week gone by with no procrastination.

books I’m reading:  Read Hooked by Matt Richtel.  I am currently reading Rainbow Six by Tom Clancy.

music I’m listening:  haven’t had much time to listen to music this week.

anecdote:  During the summer the youth ministry I lead goes Geocaching every Thursday afternoon.  We had a great time this last week and three of the students who hadn’t found caches on their own were able to be the first finders of the caches we were looking for.  They were very excited.  Then on Sunday afternoon the youth staff hung out together for some food and games.  I won croquet twice and ladder ball once.  If anyone wants to play obscure games with me, let me know.

lowlights:  my niece is still struggling.

on my to-do list:  continue to adjust to having a family of four.  Monthly reports.  Begin planning for the fall.

procrastinating about:  thankfully not a lot on the to-do list and trying to keep it that way until the youth ministry year starts again.

books I’m reading:  Prey by Micheal Crichton.

music I’m listening to:  discovered the NPR app for the iPod Touch, so I can now listen to All Blues on Saturday and Sunday nights without having to fire up the fm radio.

anecdote of the week:  This past week was Lily’s first at VBS.  The theme was High Seas Expedition.  Part of the week was a catch phrase relating to the Bible lesson.  After saying the phrase of the day the students shouted, “Let’s go!”  The first catch phrase was “God’s Word is true.”  I was praying with Lily the night of the first day and said, “Thank you that God’s Word is true.”  In the middle of my prayer Lily shouted, “Let’s go!”

Link – via neatorama

highlights:  Witnessing the birth of my second daughter, Johanna Elaine.  Service Project with youth at the Gateways Foundation.  Being a geek/nerd and setting up my Google calendar to wirelessly sync with my iPod Touch.  Daughter #1 going to VBS for the first time.  Jesus in July with Megan and Mike.  Playing some great softball games.  Having a wonderful sister.

lowlights:  Jesus in July only having three participants including myself.

on my to-do list:  start getting ready Youth Ministry stuff for the fall

procrastinating about:  I was off last week for Johanna’s birth, so nothing has been on the to-do list very long.

books I’m reading:  Angels & Demons.

music I’m listening too:  I created a custom Pandora channel with famous Gretsch guitar players.  So far I have Brian Setzer, Chet Atkins and a band called The Living End.  If you have any other suggestions of who to add, let me know.  I have also borrowed some Muse cds from the library and am enjoying them very much.

anecdote of the week:  The birth of a child is an amazing thing.  On Monday the 19th Nichole and I drove to Good Samaritan Hospital too early in the morning and checked in at about 5:30 am.  Nichole was all prepped, we prayed and off she went in to the OR.  I joined her a few minutes later and after some of the doctor’s handiwork, Johanna Elaine Gruber was brought in to the world at 7:47 am.  Nichole and I both started crying the minute we heard her start crying.  She weighed a healthy 8 lbs. 14 oz. and it has been a joyous week that she has been a part of our family.

Click here for the hilarity.

lowlights:  nobody showing up Jesus in July.  Losing the one out three softball games I was able to attend.

on my to-do list:  be at the birth of my second child.  Get everything done on my to-do list before the aforementioned second child comes.

books I’m reading:  lately I have only have had time to read the Bible.

music I’m listening to:  Brendan Benson Pandora channel

anecdote of the week:  Lily went to the Little Gym last week for four days.  The theme was Pirates and all the activities were sprinkled with pirate seasoning.  She had a great time and it must have had an impression on her as one night last week she blocked her door as Nichole and I were trying to get into the room and said in her best pirate voice, “Aargh mateys, you can’t get into the room without a password.”

One of our favorite activities around here is geocaching.  We are sitting at a milestone in our geocaching career, and are one away from logging 200 finds.  In this blog post, entitled That’s a Geocache?, the lackeys show some examples of high level difficulty caches that are being utilized by people to hide geocaches.  I have seen some very tricky ones like this and am looking forward to possibly hiding my own caches in the future.

For most, the evolution of the geocache container begins with a sturdy great-great-great-grandfather geocache.  It’s the iconic metal ammo can. But in one decade of geocaching, the geocache family tree branched off into dozens of directions.

Link – via Latitude 47

Pic – via absoblogginlutely