If only dogs could talk...

Have you ever been sitting around zoned out or maybe watching tv and then along comes your doggie to rest his or her head on your lap.... you look over at them and their in such humbleness while they look at you with them big heart warming eyes. It's almost like their saying please hold me or hang out with me for a little while....

I was taking a little break from school work the other night and as a commercial came on, I felt something on my leg. As I look over, it was Jack with his jaws resting on my leg. Jack is around 13 years old and our little guy is showing some age. The poor ole fella will almost tear your heart out if you watch him long enough. He is almost completely deaf and has arthritis in his hind legs. Since we've moved in this house with hard wood floors, he has been slipping and sliding all over the place trying to stay up on all four legs. I tell you what though.... that dog has the heart of a lion. In a way it's like his structure is giving out on him. Now don't read into this wrong, I'm not sending out a letter saying Jack is on his last wing.... oh no, what I'm saying is the poor guy is just really slowing down. I'm going to be honest, I have really gotten attached to this dog... because I love dogs and this is no ordinary dog... he belongs to Shelly and since we are married, that makes him our bundle of joy. Just like your dog is no ordinary dog but special all because it's your dog or whatever kind of animal you like. You know.... the part that gets me is the way dogs beg for our attention, the way they're always ready to play and how they're always ready to be loved on. We can treat them so harsh yet the moment they make eye contact with us, their tail will start wagging like nothing was ever said. What I love to see is how they turn their heads sideways when you make funny noises....If only dogs could talk..... wouldn't you love to know what they would say. Scientist can study all they want but to me you really don't know 100% how they think because we are not dogs. We can train them to do special things but they're still dogs. You may have control for a moment but after you leave em alone, they could be thinking... that big dummy has no idea... we'll never know will we.

So as I felt Jack-a-Roni rest his head on my leg, I gave him some good loving as he flops down and rolls over...wanting that belly rubbed.. he might be saying ...sucker....... as I go about my way but guess what... I'm proud to be a sucker for that little bundle of joy. If you love dogs like I do .... well then I'm sure you know exactly what I mean.

Our little fella is resting with his santa stuffy.

Website finished

I am pleased to announce my website is now up and running. The site is called http://www.designsbybunn.com/ so drop everything you're doing and go check it out. For now it will just be a site with some of my photos on display. I plan to add more photos to each gallery as time goes on.
I am really excited about my website and hope this will be the beginning of many good things to come. I'm looking forward to learning everything my mind will allow me to learn about web design and video editing. To me, it's all about helping people and being able to touch someones life. That is what I call satisfaction and it's something money will never be able to buy.

Great job David, Thanks so much. If you would like to see some other work from David Ingram, you can check out his site at http://www.oceangraphix.com/

Google

Have you ever tried to Google yourself. Well I have. Since I spend the majority of my time at my computer I thought I'd try it and see what happens. Looks like I'm the guitarist in a Christian rock band, give drum lessons to all ages and even a photographer. Sounds good to me.

Shell's Kitchen

Well Shelly is finished with the kitchen and boy does it look good. Now the kitchen has a nice warm cozy feeling to it. Shell bell done all the work except the counter tops. She took all the door handles and cabinet hinges off, painted the cabinet doors, applied drywall compound on the walls, sanded and painted the walls. In the mist of this work being done, she bought new appliances for the kitchen. New stove, dish washer, trash can, and even a dadburn new sink. That chic of mine is something special let me tell you. She has completely painted every wall inside this house. What a woman!!! This was something she really enjoyed doing. Believe it or not, I even asked if there was anything I could do to help an all she said was just stay outta my way.... I want to do this. I was tickled pink... I don't like doing any kind of work like that anyways.



One thing she always wanted in our house was a fireplace. I almost think she would go without the bedroom just for a fireplace! Unfortunately, this house did not have one. So that girl went out and bought one. It's actually pretty neat... it's a portable fireplace and has some type of gel in a small bucket that you place behind the logs. It even pops like a real fireplace. Overall I think Shell Bell did an outstanding job. Now that everything is done we can sit back and enjoy coziness of our new kitchen. Here's how it looks.

The old kitchen

Shelly had to hire an electrician to come in and do some rewiring so our new stove would work. If you need any electrical work done this guy is the man for the job. He does an outstanding job and also takes time to think about what he is doing. He will not be satisfied until it looks the best that it can look. He is very knowledgeable about the work he does and is just an all around good guy. We had some good laughs over this photo. You see, Rick was in the rewiring process when I took this shot... and I needed the flash to fire so I could get the best quality of picture. Once the flash went off he sort of jumped a little. After a few chuckles he said since he was working with wires he thought he may have set off an electrical charge or something. I would imagine if I was working with electric wires and a flash went off unexpected, it would startle me a little too. Fantastic job Rick. We will definitely be calling you again if we need anything.

The old dish washer





Here the new stove and the new dish washer is all set up with the new counter tops.

The new kitchen

The dadburn new sink

What's that smell

Last night Shell melt and I went to walmart and I noticed something I guess I've really never payed any attention to. Have you ever noticed how anytime you or others buy deodorant, shampoo, cologne or anything that has an aroma to it, we go by how it smells. I know I do. Especially with cologne.... why in the world would we wear something that stinks although it's the newest brand to hit the floors. Deodorant is the same way. Them pits will get a little funky if you don't use some deodorant... so why not buy something that smells good. I just thinks it's kinda funny how we almost always go by the scent. I have even compared the smell between dish detergents.....now to me there is nothing that cuts grease like dawn but it's gotta smell good. Last but not least we have absolutely got to have some good smelling shampoo. How flattering is it when people say...you smell good.... Heck I even buy shampoo that smells good and all I have is a little peach fuzz on my noggin.

Try this... next time you're in walmart or wherever you shop, pay a little more attention when you pass by the shampoo and deodorant asle. I bet you will see someone sniffing whatever it is they are about to purchase. It's almost worth hanging out waiting on someone so you can see them smell it lol.... It's so funny to see.

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving... I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and got there share of turkey and dressing, ham, sweet potato pies and whatever else you tend to have on Thanksgiving. I know I did. This year for Thanksgiving, Shell bell and I went over to good ole Lilesville and had our dinner with mom. My brother Mike and his wife Lisa was there and also my cousin Chris. My sister Kathy had to work but called to tell everyone how thankful she was to be a part of the family. We had a good time even though all we done was eat, sat around and talked. What else could you ask for! We had good cooking, (thanks mom) and good fellowship. If you think about it, that's what makes Thanksgiving so special. It is a time for families to come together and spend a little time out of our busy schedules. It is exactly what it is... a time of thanks. It's a shame we can't be like this year round. Before I close this out, I would to talk about a few things since this is Thanksgiving.

You know we as Americans really do have a lot to be thankful for. From our freedom to the couches we have in our homes. I think we all take what we have for granted from time to time. Think about it... we have heat in the winter, food in the refrigerator or restaurants on every corner, warm water and a nice cozy bed to sleep in and so on... you could go on and on with the luxury's we have. It doesn't even have to be material items either. Let me challenge you to take a minute and think about all you have... whether it's your vehicle or your families your girl friend or your job... just think about all you have and how blessed you are.

As for myself... I am thankful for my life, even in the weary times and the bad times, I am thankful. My wife, mother and the rest of my family and friends... I have so much to be thankful for. I think we all do.

Happy Thanks giving to all.

Sunset in Lilesville

November

November is here.... holy molly. It seems like it was just yesterday when June was around. You know... I have heard it before and I'm sure you have to... that time flies when you're out of school or having fun....boy they weren't kidding. It seems like yesterday when I graduated high school. I'm even shocked that I have turned 32 years old. It seems like it was only yesterday when I was 25. Oh well... before I get carried away on something else, lets begin with the November story.

November is the time of month when everything starts to come to life... or at least it seems that way to me. What I'm talking about, are all the Christmas lights and Christmas trees in peoples homes when you're driving by or Christmas lights on the side of telephone poles in all the towns. Such an enjoyable time for me. I start thinking about cozy fireplaces snapping and popping.... turkey and dressing and families getting together and just the overall feeling you get when this time of year is around. Now that I think about it, November is kind of like jumping a ramp. With Christmas being the pinnacle of the month, the New years celebration would be like the landing.
Either way you look at it, November is the prelude to December. With Christmas music playing on several radio stations and Thanksgiving at the end of November, I couldn't think of a better way to jump into December.

My space

Around the end of October I was contacted by one of my cousins that lives in Florida and to make a long story short, I noticed she had a my space signature. After that, I began to tell her how I made an account but never had enough interest to keep up with it. Well, she talked me into firing the ole my space page back up so we could send messages.... and the moment I done that, something amazing happened. Since I have reopened my space, I have come in contact with all my friends I use to hang around when I lived back in Lilesville. I have to say..... that was a huge blessing she talked me into. I still don't log on to my space that much but I will sign in just to send and read messages. I have heard good and bad about my space but you know, it's really what you make out of it. Since then I have took a little pride with my space and decided to make it look good for my viewers. If you like you can check it out at www.myspace.com/designsbybunn

I have some photos posted and you can also listen to some jammin music by Breaking Benjamin while you're there.

How to pay off your house in 2 years

A few months ago, I heard something on the radio that got me to thinking. It was a guy talking about how to pay off your house in 2 years no matter how much you owe. After hearing this I was kinda scratching my head because he never got around to telling the "big secret" on paying off your house in 2 years. This kinda bull crap has me shaking my head every time I hear stuff like this. I mean... really how stupid can you be. Lets say you bought a house around 250,000. Ok now, if you pull out your calculator and do some figuring on how much the monthly payment would be on a house that cost that much, you will find that you need to have really good income coming in. Ok.... that's just on making the monthly payments. I'm not even gonna get into the expense of gas to commute, food etc. What I am getting at is just how in the cotton-picking world are you gonna pay off your house in 2 years and still buy what you need to survive. Think about it a little bit. There is no magic trick (that I know of) that will pay off your house in 2 years, however.... I do believe there are people out there that can help you get out of credit card debt and other smaller debts that can easily occur but paying off your house in 2 years has me a little stumped. Lets be realistic here shall we, if you want to pay off your house in 2 years then you need to be able to come up with a huge sum of money so your payment on the 24th month will pay off the remaining balance. If you don't like that idea then you can figure up how much your payment would be each month for 2 years and pay it off that way. I can't think of any other way. I think it's kinda funny really, these radio commericals will get close to the point of the "big secret" and then say... if you act know and pay by credit, you will receive 10% off and get the "it's easy to stay out of debt " book free of charge. Oh and they will probably throw in something like" Mr. so-n-so has received numerous awards for helping people with there finances" so don't wait. Then following that.... some super fast voice is blurting out something that you are not suppose to understand and then there you go... you are now able to order your copy of how to pay off you house in 2 years while you have to charge your credit card to get this so called lecture on how you spend your money. It doesn't sound like your getting out of debt when you have to charge your card to purchase a tape recording or DVD of someone saying.... you just have to be smart with you money... you have to ask yourself .... do I really need this. Let me say this again, there are people out there that can help you chop your debt down. I'm not knocking that at all. What I am knocking is the fruit cake out there that thinks he can help you pay off your house in 2 years when your income in 2 years doesn't come close to the price of your house. Maybe I'm the stupid one.... but I really don't think so. If you know how then please... by all means, let me know. I'll be all ears.

November colors

I got to school a little early the other day so I decided this was the best time to take a few photos of the trees that surrounded the buildings. While I was out getting some really cool shots I was approached by a security guard asking if I got any shots of the buildings. Since the answer to that question was "yes" I had to delete them while he watched. It's a shame how every time you have a camera in your hands and you' re around buildings people start getting .... as the security guard says... "sensitive"... but I would rather delete them and be on good terms then argue about it and possibly lose my camera. I mean after all.... he was a security guard with authority. I hated to delete them because they turned out really good. The building I was shooting had a nice reflection in the pond.... but hey...you win some, you lose some. Here are a few other pictures I was able to keep.

Looking Back 87/07

Before this year is over, I would like to mention something sort of unique to me. It was this year.... 20 years ago....that someone I miss dearly would do something that forever changed my life.

It was 1987 and I was over at a friends house when I got the call that I believe has put me where I am today. At the time I was kinda interested in BMX bicycles and the freestyle tricks you could do with these bikes. Freestyle BMX was very popular at this time but I really didn't care about popularity. What I cared about was my longing for this image, I could only dream of.
Saturday morning around 11am.... Dad called me and said it was time to come home. I wanted to hang out a little longer but as he proceeded to tell me his thoughts of taking me to the Honda shop to get my first dirt bike.... you better believe I was burning rubber to get home after I heard those words. I think it only took me about 5 minutes to get home... heck I probably even set the world record for pedaling a bicycle during that time but I could've cared less about anything except getting to the Honda shop. I don't know what sparked Dad into buying me a dirt bike but he basically formatted my life that day. So we headed up and came back with a brand new 1987 Honda XR 100. The first thing I done when I got home was cut a trail around the house.
After the first 2 bikes broke from torture, I had to give it a little rest but after I was out of high school, I bought another bike and I've had one ever since.

As I look back into the yesteryear's, I can remember going to sleep at night with my mind flooded with thoughts of riding a dirt bike. Wondering if I would ever get to ride a wheelie, jump a hill or whatever I wanted to do on two wheels. It's amazing isn't it... how someone can drastically change your life forever... all by putting his thoughts into action. That phone call in 1987 will be one I never forget.

In honor of Dad, I chose to run the number 87.... which comes from 1987. The year that forever changed my life.

My 1987 XR 100

Here is me and my brand new 1987 XR 100. It is kinda funny to look at this picture because I can see how the times have changed. Check out my white socks with red stripes. At least my red stripe socks matched my bike!!!!

Bugs Bunny - Cotton Eye Joe

This is so hilarious. It's only 2 mins and 12 sec so take a little time to watch this.

Mid Term

Well mid terms is over and I'm just tickled pink. I have a lot of weight off my shoulders for know but guess what...end of quarter is only 4 weeks away. Hopefully it will not be quite as bad since I pretty much know what I need to do. It's just the fine tuning that will have to be done. I feel like I have done pretty good for making a come back after 15 years of being out of school. I received an A in my design class... A- in typography and a B+ in computer applications. So far my GPA is estimated at 3.7 . Not bad at all. I was looking over my schedule and it looks as if I will start getting into more interesting classes this next quarter. Along with those new classes will be new instructors, new projects and more exams. It's like this.... Imagine a huge mountain in front of you... one you can barely see to the top. There I am standing at the foot of the mountain.

Even though the load gets heavy sometimes, I am really enjoying myself. To be someone that is obsessed with learning... I can honestly say.... I'm in the right place.

Tran-Siberian Orchestra

A few years ago, I heard a tune on the radio that captured my attention. I knew this was a Christmas tune and just like most all radio stations do, they never said the name of the group when I was listening. I was bound to find out sooner or later who this group was. After Shelly and I started dating I happen to hear this song and begin telling her how I wanted to find out who the group was. Kinda hard to call the radio station and ask who the artist is when you have no idea what to ask. I just knew it was a Christmas tune. So when Shelly heard this tune... it struck something within her and thought she knew who the group was. Turns out she worked with a lady that had their CD. I say tune because there are no words, just music. It was the coolest Christmas tune I had ever heard and I had to know who the artist was. It's music you can listen to over and over again. At least for me it is. It's not rock... even though there is some guitar soloing, it's not classical and it's not the Charlotte symphony orchestra. It is the Tran-Siberian Orchestra . After finding this out I quickly became the owner of nearly all of their albums and all I can say is WOW.... Like I said, I can listen to this stuff over and over again. After Shelly and I married, she came home with a gift that has forever changed the way I feel about Christmas music. It's not that I didn't like Christmas music but I got kinda tired of hearing the same ole song by different singers. Let me put it to this way. Tran-Siberian Orchestra is just my kinda of style. So we headed out to the old coliseum on Hwy 74 and waited for the group to come alive. Let me tell you something... after that night, I thought to myself that every living soul needs to see this show. It was amazing.... or breathtaking... which ever one you prefer. Both Shelly and I were sitting there with our jaws about to hit the floor. The whole show is so awesome. Out of all the concerts I've been to ... this one is the greatest by a long shot. The light show itself will blow you away. I can't even begin to tell you how you really need to make plans to see them. They are only in concert 2 months out of the whole year. If you miss them, you have to wait till next year and to be honest... I would be scared to take that chance. So here is the deal, Shelly and I are going... that is a 110% fact. If you would like to go, let us know so we can get tickets for you. This year it will be Friday Dec. 21st and the show starts at 8 pm. I'm telling you, this is something you really don't want to miss. The show usually last a few hours and the price per ticket is $45 unless something has changed. So there you go, we will be ordering tickets in a few weeks. If this is something you would like to do then give me a call or shoot me an email. bunnmx87@yahoo.com



Just in case you haven't heard of them... here are a few you-tube videos I found. It may sound a little funny since some of these people downloaded the video from their camcorder. Enjoy

Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Wizards in Winter

Tran-Siberian Orchestra - Requiem (The Fifth) - LIVE

Check out the lights!!!

transiberian orchestra - carol of the bells

The tune I kept hearing on the radio.

Anniversary #2

This year for our second anniversary Shelly and I decided to head out to Gatlinburg for a weekend. I can't believe it's been 2 years!!! We rented a cozy cabin in the mountains with a fire place and a hot tub. It was a great getaway but neither one of us realized how busy it would be this time of year. We didn't really get to do a lot of what we set out to do because the traffic was so bad. We headed out to cades cove but traffic was backed up so far they had signs flashing that the loop was around a 4 hour wait and if I am correct, the loop is only around 12 miles. We decided to just cut our losses this trip and plan another weekend to head out. I was able to get a few shots but nothing like I wanted to get. I could have used all the space on both memory cards while we were over there.

Anniversary pics

Things I hate doing that take less than 3 minutes

Yes it's true, there are some things I really don't like to do but I never spend any more than 3 minutes doing them.

1. Making the bed. Since I'm the last one to get up, it's my duty to make the bed but boy I tell you... to me it's like a waste of seconds!!!! You're gonna get right back into bed that night so why make it. Seriously, it takes me about 30 seconds to do this but I still think it is a waste of time... it takes seconds to make minutes and that is time!!!!
2. Putting up the dishes after they have been washed. We even have a dish washer but the way I see it is why don't we just keep the dishes in the dish washer. Seems like a good plan to me since you can reach into the dish washer and get your plate!!!!
3. Taking the trash down to the road. We have a truck that comes and gets the trash every Wednesday morning and a huge trash can that holds a weeks worth of trash very easily. All I have to do is role the trash can to the end of the road and the rest is history until that night when I bring the trash can back to the house. I think what I'm gonna do is make a trash chute that folds up under the house. When we have trash that needs to go out... there is gonna be a button you mash and the chute unfolds out to the road and you throw the trash in the chute and it slides to the end of the road. Hey... role your eyes if you want to... when you see how cool it works, you're gonna want one for yourself!!!!

The Hi-Beam theory

Why is it that when you are driving down a dark country road with your low beam lights on, you hardly ever have any oncoming traffic but just as soon as you hit the hi beams... a dadgum car will be coming around the next corner. It really trips me out... I mean... there have been times when I do it just for fun and it always works. I can drive for 30 minutes straight and never see anybody... but as soon as I turn my hi beam lights on a car pops out of nowhere. It's amazing how that works. Hey I just thought of something.... if you read on down a few stories, you will find one that says... Alone on 742. I think I just found the missing link to that story. I should have turned my hi beam lights on. Good grief... I can't believe I didn't think about it that night.

Bunn Cookout #2

On Saturday Oct 21st, us Bunns got together for another fine day of feast and fellowship. This time around was more like the old days of Bunn cookouts. We had to bring in tables and chairs from elsewhere just so everybody could have a place to sit. You see there is a large amount of Bunns running around this place we call earth and getting them all together is a battle itself. There are a couple of things that always happen when we get together and one of them is just plain ole good laughing. I'm talking about the kind of laughing that has your stomach hurting. There is always something funny to be told and if there isn't then we talk about the same old things and they seem to be just as funny. I dunno how it works but it does. The other is our conversations. They always turn to crap. Now I'm not going into details about that one, I'll leave it up to you to figure out. All in all, we just have a good time when we have our little cookouts. I remember when the ole Pearl F Bunn was around for these cookouts.... He would always do something that made that day spectacular or he could do something that would have you rolling in laughter. In fact, I remember it so well that I decided to take action on something I thought he would do for a good laugh. So if you are ever looking for a good laugh and some good eating... then look no further.... A Bunn cookout is what you need. Oh and as far as the laughing goes...you would be surprised how bubba teeth and a pair of blue and white stripe shorts with plastic butt cheeks hanging out will make tears come out from laughing so hard...

Cookout Photos

The Great October

Ahh....October is finally here (and gone by now). As much as I love the summer, it's Oct-Dec that earns my favorite time of the year award. There are many reasons why these 3 months are my favorite but lets just take this one month at a time.

When I was in high school and in the process of ordering my class ring, I chose October instead of June. We all know that the vast majority of students order their month of birth but the only reason I wanted October was for aesthetic reasons. I just liked the color for October better than June. Another simple reason I love October is the leaves on the trees are starting to turn colors.

The haunted houses and the hay bale rides have been a lot of fun too. I can remember when I was a little fella ...going on hay bale rides out in the country where there are people hiding in the woods.... talk about making you jump out of your skin....they wood scare the crap out of you. Just going down some of those dark roads was spooky all by itself.

The biggest and most important reason I love October is because this month was the time of year when I met my wife Shelly. I can remember going out to eat and then watching scary movies on TV. We were also married in October (29th) which gives even more meaning to why this is one of my favorite months.

Last but not least, October is when I started back to school. You know, the more I think about it, October is kinda like a reminder of events to me. Once Halloween is over you really start to see Thanksgiving and Christmas come to life. Now that..... my friend...... is by far.. my most favorite time of the year..... but hey.... like I said, one month at a time.

With that said, be on the lookout for the November story. Till then.