Just wanted to give a shout out to all Lions Fans! We finally won! For those of you who don’t know I’m a HUGE football fan! I love the NFL and I’m an avid watcher every Sunday afternoon. Ask my kids about Sunday football and nachos in our house…BIG tradition! Well even though we had to listen to the radio for our Lions game this week, due to the fact that the Lions game did not sell out which I think is Bullshit! WE WON! The Lions finally pulled it off after 20 games! Yes, we went the entire NFL professional season last year without a win…WE DID IT! Let’s hope this is the start to an awesome season for the Detroit Lions and the fans that have been extremely dedicated to a team that really hasn’t deserved it.  To all the Lions Fans…we WILL DO IT! Yeah! GO Lions…Stafford keep it up and Hanson we love you…our Lonesome kicker that always pulls it off! It’s finally a good day in Michigan!

Chad has started to tweet Boiled Over so he has been going through random posts, tweeting them and making new friends. Well this morning it was my turn to give Twitter a try…

I wanted to give people a sense of what we are all about so of course I went straight to the About Us page. That led me into the posts I wrote about clearing the sidewalks, which are my most passionate posts. As we were looking through a post I wrote in December of 2007 we clicked on a video link I had placed from the local news station. We were surprised that we could still watch it and it had been a while so we did.

The reporter was interviewing a Township board member about businesses not clearing the sidewalks and how it was a reoccurring problem then

 BAMMM…

“The Accident”

On the video were scenes from the morning our son was killed. There it was right in our face  

Footage of his bike under the SUV

We honestly don’t remember those scenes being in the video or we would prepared ourselves…but it reminds us that even as life moves on that horrific morning will never go away.

The video is a good one, it helped keep at least 50% of the sidewalks clear last year. The Township still doesn’t issue tickets nor do they issue the reminder Mr. Morrison speaks of. This video Bridgeport Businesses Asked to Clear Snow of Sidewalks gives parents like us some type of ammunition against government run institutions that can legally neglect their responsibilities of enforcing codes that can lead to killing kids.

We have many supporters that agree our son would have never been riding his bike in the road if he had a clear sidewalk to travel on…

The Township won’t admit their mistake and they won’t enforce the code. They have spit in our face and in the face of any parent that has lost a child due to the same circumstances. Just because they’re “the government” it doesn’t give them the right to neglect public safety due to the cost of issuing a ticket which actually brings in revenue.

It gets worse…The State Police Post on the side of the road where our son was hit by the car… Well lest just say that we had to call the Township Supervisor last year because they were not shoveling their sidewalks. Every year on the anniversary at the time of Dustin’s accident a group of us go to the cross on the side of the road and light a candle as a tribute to his memory. Last year there was 10 inches of snow across the sidewalk leading to his cross.

So even the State Government could give a shit about the safety of kids riding their bikes to school. That Really Makes Me Boil Over!

Hello everyone. I came onto Boiled Over today to express my feelings about a company’s loyalty towards an employee that has worked for many years. Yes I am speaking about myself. My name is Chad I’m the screamer you see when you log into my wife’s and my blog. That’s me aright. I am the Ironworker you probably have read about so many times on this blog. I have worked for the same company for almost thirteen years. I have worked many hours and sweated blood for my employer. I have even bled for this company. I’ve had my arm literally ripped open and even cut the top of my thumb off. I never miss work and I am one of the best Ironworkers in the company. So I’ve been told.

There is always a slow time of year for us Ironworkers but it’s never affected my job. Usually when everyone is laid off I’m still working. Well guess what, I’m laid off. Some of you might be thinking this guy has a big head. That’s not the case. I have a work ethic that I stick by and that is when you are at work you give110% every day. Right now my employer has about 12 people working none of witch has been employed longer then 5 years. I say to myself where is the loyalty of an employer that I’ve worked for so long for.

I’ve tried to call him but he does not return my calls. I’ve called all the foremen in this company and they don’t have a bad thing to say about me at all. Now at this time my wife and I are struggling to pay the bills and might lose our house. I’ve started to work at home like my wife does. It’s a bit trying but I’m getting use to it. I have been learning a lot about working at home because I have my wife to help coach me. It’s not really my passion. I would rather be up high on the iron than sitting behind a desk. I guess I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do. Plus I make much more money on the iron. I’m not sure if this will save our financial dilemma but we are trying. Stacey is much more advanced then I but she’s been doing this work at home for the 13 years I’ve been an Ironworker.

I don’t know, I guess I was feeling a bit like my avatar looks and wanted to Boil Over. Stacey has made up an e-book that might help a lot of people that are going through the same things I am. It’s called The Guide to Earning a Weekly Paycheck Working at Home on the Internet. I think it is an awesome program and I am now using this while I’m working at home. Anybody that is interested in working from home should check this out.

I’m still stuck on the whole loyalty issue but I’m getting over it. I’m also making money at home and hopefully I’ll make enough that I won’t have to work on the iron again. After all it is probably the most dangerous job in the world. Feel free to comment or send this off to a friend now I must get back to work. Stacey is now my boss and she a whole lot better looking than my old boss lol.

We were not going to plant a garden this year due to the fact that Chad was going out of state to work and I didn’t think I had enough time to maintain it. It would be our first garden ever, something we always wanted to do and something that this year would help tremendously with the food bill.

We called our Dad and let him know not to bring the rototiller over. We could not even afford to buy the vegetable plants we needed nor did we have the time to dedicate to a garden. Well…Dad and Mom being great parents, brought it over anyway with a box of starter plants for us.

So Chad tilled away through our lawn and we planted our wonderful vegetables adding to the collection the weekend before he left. (only ended up costing $20 for way more vegetables than we will need)

The weeds began to grow and grow and grow…oh boy I had to get in the garden or we would lose everything. I decided that I would work in the early morning and late night since Chad was out of state and find time for the garden during the day. (the benefits of working at home)

So for the last week I have spent 2-3 hours a day in the garden trying to weed. I say trying because remember I said we tilled the yard…well it looked like I planted my garden in the middle of a jungle. The grass was growing back faster than I ever expected. This forced me to spend more time on keeping it clear.

That is when I realized that weeding wasn’t so bad…It pulled me away from the stress of work, the stress of life and granted me with a great tan. Everyday I put my MP3 player on, head for the garden and reflect on what matters in life…MY FAMILY!

As I pull the weeds I look at the amazing beauty of nature as my plants grow and produce food that we love. (we have a pumpkin & some peppers starting already!) I think of my life, what it has become and how far we have traveled to get there. I think of the simple things that many miss out on, things that we should all spend a little more time enjoying.

Especially this week as the world lost two wonderful people, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. Both of which hit very close to home for me. Farrah lost a battle to cancer, my mother in law has terminal cancer. Michael seen an untimely, unexpected death, just like our son, who was taken form us in an instant. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all their friends and family.

If it wasn’t for my garden… I would have lost my salvation, my reflection, and my appreciation for what life has given me.

Now I’m off to pull some weeds, relax and listen to John Rich singing about Shuttin Detroit Down.

This post is dedicated to my husband, a union Ironworker. He recently had to leave home to work, like so many other Ironworkers around the nation. They always go where the work is.

Ironworking is a tough trade and when I say they are a breed of their own that’s no lie. They get up early, travel many miles, they’re tough and dedicated. They look death in the eye every single day with beams dangling over their head or releasing their harness to make that impossible connection. It’s a brotherhood like no other, they have each others backs and when jobs are scarce they do what they can to help their fellow brother.

To all the Ironworkers and their family our hearts are with you. I know the feeling of watching your husband leave every morning wondering if the job will be safe. Will he come home in one piece or come home at all? That’s the life of a Ironworkers wife.

Dedicated to Every Hard Working Ironworker out there…

Early dawn starts the day
Miles to go he’s on his way
Callused hands connecting beams
Spudding holes, fulfilling dreams
Welding, bolting, sweating blood
He belongs to a brotherhood
Only the best
Will pass the test
Walking where others will not go
Fear is one thing he will never show
Like an eagle perched high on a tree
He climbs the column and dreams to be free
Free of the worries and stress of his life
Waiting to retire with his wife
He loves his trade
And softly I prayed…

Lord,
Keep him safe on the beam up high
God Bless the Ironworkers in the sky.

I miss you honey…Please be safe!