The Catch

Big Cookie

Elaine baked this big cookie for the Super Bowl

Brian and Eric Wedge

Here is Brian seated next to Cleveland Indians Manager Eric Wedge at a Akron Children's Hospital Foundation event.

Super Bowl Shopping Pro Football Hall of Fame

Elaine and I went to Canton to shop for the Super Bowl. Here we are at the Pro Football Hall of Fame


Here we are in the Shop getting our stuff for the big game next week


This Lazy Boy is sweet. This was at the furniture store that we visited later, see below


So, we have our shirts and Terrible Towel. We are ready for the Big Game!

Saturday, We Went to Oz

Well, not really. We went to Canton and met Ryan and Brian at the furniture store. These were some of the decorative items you could buy for your home



And, we helped Ryan and Brian pick out a lovely sofa

Super Bowl Tee Shirts

Today



Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow
Isaiah 1:18

Steelers Going to The Super Bowl


Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

Steelers Dick LeBeau celebrates with Lawrence Timmons after beating the Ravens yesterday at Heinz Field.

Brrrrrr



And here is Atwood Lake frozen over

Pittsburgh Steeler 2008 Defense


Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

The photos of the Steelers defense and defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau were taken and compiled by Post-Gazette photographer Peter Diana.

Happy New Year

Christmas Eve 2008


Christmas Eve 2008 from Marshall Karp on Vimeo

Click here to watch the HD version.

We opened our presents tonight as we will be at Bruce and Lois' house tomorrow. My isn't God good to us?





Christmas Eve 2008

Merry Christmas

Happy Birthday Brian

We went to visit Brian, Ryan, and Licorice on Saturday to celebrate Brian's birthday.


Licorice did not like his Christmas elf hat and would work it off. By the way, Licorice's new nickname is Houdini. He escaped from his cage twice during the day and Ryan and Brian are still strategizing what to do next to keep him locked in.


Also, Brian and I made a quick trip to Lois and Bruce's house and here is their Christmas Palm Tree. Unusual, yes but it made me think how nice it would be to be on Grand Cayman Island celebrating the holidays.

Christmas Shopping in Amish Country

Elaine and I went to Sugarcreek to do some Christmas shopping. We ate dinner at the Dutch Valley Restaurant, which was beautifully decorated for the season.

Biggest Full Moon Friday Night

Moon closest to the earth all year

December 7, 2008: My Father's Day

My mother and father went to the annual Pearl Harbor luncheon at Brackenridge, Pa. There were six Pearl Harbor Veterans who attended. My father knows them, but none were stationed at Hickam Air Base with him. Some speeches were given. This is always a very solemn occasion.

December 7, 1941



My father was in the military during World War II and stationed at Hickam Air Base. This is his incredible eyewitness testimony of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Here is the link to the Hot Air Blog and the comments when I originally posted it two years ago.

http://hotair.com/archives/2006/11/11/happy-veterans-day/


This is the posting from Kim Komando at komando.com when I originally posted the video.

REMEMBERING THE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR

Thank you Marshall, for taking the time to record your father's story for future generations. I was touched by the story. And, I was impressed by your editing skills!


Here is a message that I got from John Chatterton of Shadow Divers

Marshall,

Great history!! Living history videos will be even more valuable as time goes on.
Cheers
JC


Also, I was requested for and presented a DVD of the video to the MAPS Air Museum in Canton, next to the Akron Canton Airport. I was told that it plays everyday in the Pearl Harbor Exhibit

http://www.mapsairmuseum.org/


Awesome video. It's always nice to hear the stories come from the veterans themselves.
The number of world war II vets gets less and less every year.
I wish I had recordings of some of the conversations of my grandfather. He openly talked about his experinces in Normandy with me before he died.
- Eng48Ine

It was a day the radio was never turned off. I was in grade school in 1941, where we were told all about Hitler and now the Japs were added. Everything changed then.
My best to Harry Karp.
- CAH

Thanks for sharing that video with us.
- Booted

My Grandfather was stationed at Schoffield Barracks, the Army post about a mile up from the Naval yard...he fought along side your father that day. Thank you for that video...It's a great thing you did.
- Jer

Marshall, your Dad is quite a good oral historian. I enjoyed every bit of it. Well done. Give your father our best, and I thank him for his service.
- Iron Maiden

Good on ya, Marshall.
Extend to your father my family's thanks for serving our country.
- Jeff

What a great video, thanks for sharing and pass on my best wishes to your father
- Andy

thanks for the link, much appreciated.
- Tom

Very nice! Thanks so much for sharing this!
You all have to watch this videom Bella especially, (as she wants to interview her Father). Great stuff!
And lastly, please thank your Father for his service!
- Scott

I agree. Thanks very much for sharing this. Very good.
- Herakles

You have a fine site and the video is excellent! Your Dad is quite the story-teller!
Cheers!
- dgmitchell


Marshall -

Thanks for taking the time to create the video and repost it. I just finished watching it, almost exactly 67 years after the events started to unfold. The memorial at Pearl Harbor is one of the most moving ones I have visited and hearing a first hand account makes it more so.

Thank you to your family for their service to our country.

A fellow Pennsylvanian
and Scuba Boarder
- Mike

Venus and Jupiter

See those two UFOs in the center of the picture? This is a picture of the southwest sky tonight. The bottom one is Venus and the top one is Jupiter.

Ryan's Birthday 2008

Ryan's birthday is December 2, so we took her to lunch at the Red Robin in Canton.




After lunch, we took her shopping to Bed Bath and Beyond where we bought her a real nice kitchen knife set

Also, we took her to the mall and bought her a nice professional looking winter coat.

Happy Birthday, Ryan!

Thanksgiving with my Parents

Yesterday, Elaine and I went to Pittsburgh to spend time with my Parents, Dave, Hillary, and Richard. We went out for lunch at the Ladle Restaurant and came back to my Parents apartment to watch Pitt beat West Virginia.


Richard broke his leg (again) and I bought him this Ben Roethlisberger official NFL sanctioned and licensed professional Pittsburgh Steeler official game jersey to cheer him up. He really liked it.

Thanksgiving 2008

Ryan and Brian invited us to their house for the holiday. Here is Ryan working hard in the kitchen.


Here is the beautiful turkey that she cooked


The happy couple


Elaine and Brian's nephew, Mathew


All of us sitting down for a happy and blessed Thanksgiving dinner

Brian on WKYC TV

Each year the Firestone High School swim team holds a marathon swim to raise money for Children's Hospital. Thank you young people! Brian appears at 2:30 and at 1:03.



Click on the picture to start and stop the video.

Hernia Surgery Recovery (Continued)

Week Seven

No more advil, no pain medication. There are rare times throughout the day when I feel no pain. The other times, the pain that I feel is now down to three or four on a scale of one to ten. I am walking a mile a day and lifting very light weights twice a week. Walking feels good, it is like it loosens things up and gets the blood flowing.

We went out to dinner with Ryan and Brian to the Waterloo Restaurant in Akron, then back to their house to eat brownies and baklava. Licorice is a very nice little dog and the perfect dog for them. Ryan wrapped him in a blanket and put him on her lap as she sat on the couch. Licorice was warm and comfortable and fell asleep. It made me feel happy seeing my daughter so happy.

I went back to church on Sunday. Sitting in the pew was somewhat uncomfortable, but fortunately, the sermon was only about an hour.

Week Eight

Back to the doctor for an unexpected visit. A little section of my stitching broke open and will not close. I have been putting band aids on it to protect it, but every time I take the band aid off, it rips the scab off. Dr. Rob said that it is a stitch working up through. When it comes out, just snip it off. Easy for him to say, he does this everyday. By the way, my skin is so sensitive around the incision that the band aid is very uncomfortable. Feels like a stone in your shoe. Dr. Rob said put neoporin and keep the band aid on it.

I am spending more hours at work, almost back to full time and back at the office. I am able to sit more normal with the clients. The new car is a God send as I am driving several hours a day to meet with clients and the car is so comfortable.

By the way, my friend Nick is done with chemo and radiotherapy. I saw him at church and we hugged each other for a long time. Both went through different God allowed ordeals to draw us closer to Him. Brothers in Christ. I truly do not know what I would have done without him. He talked me through some dark moments.

Week Nine

The stitch came out of the small wound, so I did not have to cut it. Putting neosporin on the band aid pad, as well as the hole, worked and the I was healed up in three days. Without the band aid on my sensitive skin, it feels so much better. I think that I could lift more, but I will wait on Dr. Rob. Also, I am walking on the treadmill and feel like I could run, but will wait on Dr. Rob. Times during the day when I do not think at all about my sensitive groin area are starting to lengthen. Coughing and sneezing are, for the most part, pain-free. Early on, coughing or sneezing drove me up the wall with the shot of pain.

Week Ten

Pain level is at worst one or two. Gone from pain to soreness and uncomfortable. Sometimes I don't feel anything, but my groin does still feel puffy, sensitive, and uncomfortable, at the worst.

Last follow-up visit with Dr. Rob. He said that I will improve week by week. I can start running again, just go slow and expect to be sore. I can start lifting weights again, just go slow this month. No physical therapy, he thinks my normal work-out should strengthen my groin. We prayed together as I know God used this man.

I am not one hundred percent. I am hoping with the running and working out to strengthen my groin I can return to one hundred percent. I am still recovering and I thank God at where I am at today versus was I was at ten weeks ago. I do not know what I would have done without Elaine, Ryan, Brian, Aaron, and my parents to walk me through and stand by me during this difficult time. The older I get the more I see the only thing really important in this world is your health and your family.

To be continued.

Happy 29th Anniversary to Elaine and Marshall

I bought Elaine these beautiful roses



We went to Carrabba's Restaurant in Canton to celebrate

Driving South on I-77

Going past Akron Canton Airport

Meeting in Orrville Today

Orrville is the birthplace of college basketball coach Bobby Knight.


Photo Attribution: Truett Holmes

The Newest Member of Our Family

Ryan and Brian's dog, Licorice.

My New Car - Dodge Nitro

As I wrote in my state of recovery post, driving my Pontiac Vibe was very difficult and uncomfortable due to my operation. As my work has me driving everyday, I need to be comfortable, so Elaine and I went car shopping last week. We got a good deal on this and it is the most comfortable car that I have ever driven.



Click on the picture for the full size.

Hernia Surgery Recovery - Six Weeks

Well, I guess some of you have been wondering where I have been. Six weeks ago yesterday, I had hernia surgery. I am not fully recovered yet, but I am getting a little better, just very slowly. Here are the details.

Surgery Day 0

Dr. Robert Levitt did my surgery. Dr. Rob is a good friend and I know the Lord brought him my way. We prayed before I went into surgery. Woke up about an hour later feeling no pain. Went home, took vicodin every four hours and slept.

Next day

Took vicodin every four hours and slept. Getting into and out of bed painful.

Week One

Stupid me. I was told not to drive for two weeks, but I drove to the office to check the mail. Wished that I hadn't and probably set my self back. I am taking vicodin every four hours and sitting on the couch all day. Very painful getting up and sitting down and very painful getting into and out of bed. Called my friend Nick Coury, who is undergoing cancer radiation and chemotherapy and we prayed for each other and our families.

Week Two

Follow-up meeting with Dr. Rob. He said the stitches were healing and I can drive now. Elaine and I are walking in the evening, one house at a time. I hate taking vicodin. Why are they so concerned about people getting hooked on this stuff? I am down to one vicodin every four hours and can't wait to get off it. I call Nick every couple of days and we pray.

Week Three

My first driving was down to the mall, a walk to the food court, and home. The next day was to Walmart to get a new shirt. It is difficult to drive. I am concerned about someone running into me and damaging the surgery. The more that I drive, the more that I am getting over this fear. I am taking advil during the day now and only vicodin at night. Still hard getting up and down and in and out of bed. The pain seemed to vanish for a few days and I took no meds.

Speaking of driving, I drove to see clients to continue my work. Driving in the Vibe is painful as I am squished into this smaller car.

Week Four

Ryan and Brian came for Sunday dinner and to cheer me up. It was so good to see them and whenever I felt uncomfortable, I would look at the two of them and how happy they are. They made me feel happy. Aaron calls me from school and this helps, too. We talk about the Steelers, his comedy shows, and politics. It helps to get my mind off things.

The pain came back with a vengeance. I really hit rock bottom as I thought something was wrong with surgery and I may never work again. Thank God that Elaine was there to support me and help pick me back up. I called Pastor Joe the next day and we prayed. I called Nick and we prayed. God is using Nick in his sick and weakened condition to pull me through. From this day on, I feel like I am getting better, slowly, but making progress.

Week Five

Dr. Rob said that everything I asked him about is part of healing process. This is going to take much more time, but he says that I will get there. I needed to hear this. It is easy to have a good day and think that I have turned the corner, only to have a bad day the next and think that I will never get better. The worst thing that I have done in the depths of my despair is to research hernia recovery on the internet. I get focused in on horror stories of people whose surgery and recovery have gone horribly wrong and this really scares me. Thank God for Dr. Rob to reassure me.

Week Six

Walking has increased to one mile a day. Dr. Rob put a ten pound lifting limit on me and I am using five and five dumbbells to work my arms and shoulders. Getting in and out of bed is easier. Sitting down is becoming okay, but I still get stabbed standing up. Have been without advil two days, but tempted to take it for the sore relief. This will be a day by day moment by moment thing.

Friday nights have been chocolate ice cream night for the past six weeks. I am really trying to watch what I eat due to my inactivity. I do not want to be gaining weight, but I need the reward of the Friday night ice cream.

Elaine and I went to Giuseppe's for dinner Friday night. The week before was Grinders and the week before was Bob Evans, so we are getting out again little by little. I am working four to five hours a day, which is all that I can handle now. I do what I have to do during the week and rest up on weekend.

What a blessing to call and talk to my mother and father. It is truly a miracle that they are alive and of sound mind. They wish me the best and encourage me, too. This has been a real help.

Still doing much prayer and bible reading everyday. The Lord showed me that I need to be happy with what I have and stop beating myself up over what I don't have. This has really helped my mental state of mind. I hope that I can hold on to this the rest of my life. I cannot say enough about my beautiful wife Elaine. I do not know what I would do without her during this time. I thank God for her.

I am not healed yet. I have moments where I feel no pain or discomfort and times where I feel uncomfortable and sore. This has been the toughest and longest six weeks of my life.

To be continued.