Welcome Nathan Thomas Hynds

We are pleased to announce that our second son, Nathan Thomas Hynds, was born at 11:09 a.m. on May 21, 2011, weighing 8 lbs., 4 oz. and 21 inches long.  It was a very fast delivery (he was born less than two hours after we arrived at the hospital), and both he and Angie are doing well.

Here are a few pictures of his first week.  There are many more on my Facebook page as well.  Our larger family is doing very well!

Yard Waste Quiz Time!

Here's today's multiple-choice question.

Over the past three weeks, how many bags of yard waste have I taken to the curb?

A) 2
B) 7
C) 17
D) 34

The first person with the correct answer wins fame and fortune!

I'll Take "Words That Noah Mispronounces" for $400, Alex

Okay, here's your clue:

When Noah says misagotti, he is really saying this word.

The first person to chime in with the correct answer wins a gold star!

Stan's Idle Hour

During our recent trip to Florida with Bill and Linda, we took a visit to Stan’s Idle Hour in Goodland on New Year’s Eve. It is a quirky waterside restaurant, complete with a gift shop, and has become quite the tourist attraction. Every year, Stan’s hosts the annual Goodland Mullet Festival.


I can’t remember what I ate, but I thnk it was fried catfish.  Anyway, I thought it was good, but the best part of the trip had to be the gift shop. They sell a lot of wigs there. I took the opportunity to do my best Guy Fieri impersonation in this shot.  Notice the sunglasses on the back of my head.

Bill and Linda also tried on several wigs, but I decided to leave those pictures out of the blog for several reasons. Let’s just say that the 2012 Austin Family calendar will have some great pictures.

If you are in Southwest Florida, a meal at Stan’s is worth the trip. You will remember the experience even more than the food.

Adventures in Self-Defense

Today was Professional Development Day at Richland.  The theme for the day was about student and employee safety.  For one of the breakout sessions, we had one of six choices.  I chose the one about self-defense, mainly because there was going to be a martial arts instructor there, and I wanted to learn what to do if a student were to go after me in a classroom.  However, he wasn't able to make it, so the entire presentation was from the Police Department, and I discovered that it was mainly about what to do if you are attacked in public.

Well, I was expecting the presentation to be about what to do if you are randomly attacked in a classroom, but instead it was about things such as how to use pepper spray to fend off an attacker, and taking preventive steps such as storing your purse in a car.  I then turned around and found that I was the only man in the room, with about 12 other women present.

On the plus side, I learned that it's best to leave my purse at home and take only my ID and a debit card when shopping, and to leave it in a money clip in my pocket so that thieves don't try to steal my purse.

In the end, it was not one of my prouder moments in my time at Richland.

Thank you!

I'd like to offer a BIG thank-you to Angie's aunt Jenny for coming down and helping paint all day, to Hannah Osborne for watching Noah today, and to my parents for picking Noah up and staying with him for a few hours while we finished. I'd also like to thank Angie and Jenny for painting all day while I just put up painter's tape. They don't care for taping, and I don't mind getting out of painting, so it's all good. We would be up to our necks in housework if it weren't for all of our friends and family!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day, everybody.  One of the happiest days of my life was the day that I met Angie.  She is the most wonderful wife, and such a great mother.  I am so happy and blessed to have her in my life.  We will be celebrating five years of marriage later this year, which is so exciting.  I love you, Angie.