An Inspiring Story About Mark Richt, Head Football Coach at Georgia

Redemption

This morning's Bible study was focused on a call to redemption within our marriages. Redemption is restoring what is broken. Just as God has shown us grace and mercy in redeeming us from our sins, we must also be willing to show that same grace and mercy to our wives (and even to others). If God can forgive us for ALL our sin, can we not forgive someone who may have done something to us (no matter how big or small)? We all have been in some type of conflict before with our spouse or another person and we all have allowed pride to get in the way of reconciliation and redemption.

We are all in desperate need of Christ's redemption. The redemption we receive from Christ should ignite a life change in us that is obvious enough to inspire others. If redemptive life change is not a part of your story, you are not going to be able to lead in the home! We must live out and walk in the forgiveness and redemption we receive from God. We must model the power of redemption by being willing to forgive. We must ask for forgiveness when we are at fault. We all "goof" up in our lives and in our marriages, but redemption allows us to be free to lead and free to fail.

The last question we were sent home with today was: What do you need to do to create a more redemptive environment in your home?

Uniqueness

This past week was very busy so I didn't get a chance to share about the topic from last week's Bible study. Last week's study was focused on the uniqueness between a man and his wife. Uniqueness, as it pertained to our Bible study on marriage, is defined as being "equal in value, but ordained with distinction". What does that mean? The equality comes in that we were all created "in the image of God". We are all equal in value to God. He loves us each the same. As far as being ordained with distinction, well, there are many obvious ways in which we are different: sexuality, hormones, personality, history, background, gifts, talents, etc. However, the most important ordained distinction between a husband and his wife are their individual roles and responsibilities.

Ephesians 5:23 says: For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church.

We are to be the leader of the home. We are not to be domineering husbands where we dishonor our wives or become one who is controlling and out of touch with the heart and emotions of our wives and children. We are also not to be disengaged to the point where we step aside and allow her to lead (that's our job). We are to lead as Christ. He is our model of the perfect leader. We are to honor, respect and love our wives and treat them with understanding. Love and respect is the energy in which our marriages should thrive. These are basically the 2 currencies used in a marriage. Give love, get respect. Give respect, get love.

It is a continual work in progress.

7-0

I just would like to take a moment to express how excited I have been about Alabama football this year! It has been a long time since we have had something to get excited about. They are, of course, 7-0, but they have had a difficult time in maintaining the same intensity in the 2nd half as they do in the 1st half.

Hopefully, when we play Tennessee this weekend, we won't have that same problem. I know Tennessee is really stinking it up this year and everyone will expect Bama to walk away with a win, but Tennessee is still Tennessee and it is an SEC game. Looks like Bama will be playing without our top defensive player this weekend, too. Terrance Cody was injured in Saturday's win against Ole Miss with a sprained MCL. If we can get past Tennessee unscathed, we should follow that up with an easy win against Arkansas State before we face LSU @ LSU. Hopefully Cody will be ready to play by then.

Pam, if you are reading this, you know I love you and your family, but I hope Bama takes it to your VOLS this weekend. Please pass that along to Kaylen! And if for whatever reason Bama loses to UT, I will be back to eat some humble pie!

ROLL TIDE ROLL!

Bye Bye Bowden

I know the news of Tommy Bowden's departure from Clemson today makes some (okay, one) of you mad (TJ) and makes some (okay, a lot) of you glad (Megan, Jessica, Brian, Gene, George, Tony, etc.). I do agree that it was time for Tommy to leave. This year, the stars were aligned for Clemson to not only win the ACC, but possible contend for a national title as well. Well, with a 3-3 record (and 2 of those wins coming against 1-AA teams), those hopes have been shattered. As an Alabama fan, I guess you could say that we are partially responsible for the "firing/stepping down" of Tommy considering we hit them in the jaw the first game of the season. But then again, he is, or was, the coach and could have and should have done much better with the talent that he has, or had.

However, I would like to say just a few things about Tommy Bowden. Tommy led the Tigers to a 6-2 record over their rival, the Gamecocks. Living in the upstate I know how big of a stat that is (bragging rights are everything). Trust me, Bama has dropped six in a row to Auburn. Beating your rival is always great. Owning your rival is even better! But, you can't own your rival and lose games you shouldn't and still think that all is well. Fans love to beat their rivals, but they love to win a lot of games, too. Clemson fans want an ACC title and they thought that was going to happen this year. Not so fast my friends!

Also, from what I've heard about the man, Tommy Bowden, is that he is a great man. He is a man of faith and has inspired many spiritually. However, being spiritual doesn't win ball games and not winning ball games in the southeast gets one fired. Here's hoping that Tommy finds a school where he can win and that Clemson finds a coach that wins more than Bowden.

Feel free to leave a comment on who you'd like to see as the next HC at Clemson.

ONE-ness

Our second session of Men's Roundtable Bible Study was this morning. It was on the "oneness", or unity, of marriage. This is THE CORE idea of marriage!

In Genesis 2 we read that God did not think it was good for man to be alone; therefore, God made a woman from the rib of Adam. Bone from my bone. Flesh from my flesh. This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.

This is not a "sexual" oneness that God is talking about. God is speaking of a "spiritual" oneness. The oneness that he speaks of is a spiritual truth that we must live into reality.

We looked at those things that keep our marriages from being ONE. I jotted down quite a few. Divorce (that's obvious). Sexual immorality (adultery). Children. Yes, children! Many times after the children are grown and leave the house, married couples realize they don't know each other anymore because the spent their entire lives making it all about the kids and not nurturing their marriage. Escapism/isolation from each other. This is when you do your thing and she does her thing. To Do Lists. This list can be never-ending and keep you from spending quality time with each other. Being tired. Sometimes there's not much you can do here, but be careful that it does not drive a wall between the two of you. Not including her in your life (stuff in your life that she is not aware of). Criticising her. Lecturing her. Not adjusting to new seasons of life. Keep in mind that life with 2 kids is not going to be the same as it was when the 2 of you first met. Make sure you adjust to what life brings you! Do not live in the past! Conflict. When conflict becomes about who wins and who loses, nobody wins! Unresolved conflict. Resolve everything! Not listening (every man's Achilles). Not talking or sharing your heart with one another.

We also, looked at those things that build ONENESS in a marriage. This is obviously not an all-inclusive list, but definitely suggests areas to begin with:

Trust. Getting her away from the stress and chaos of work and kids (try a date night). Listening and sharing your heart with her. Do a ministry together. Try to understand things from her POV. Communicate in love. Share common interest. Think proactively about your lives and family together. Pray together! Laugh together! SEX! Encourage her. Be vulnerable.

All of these things are not intended to be accomplished and achieved overnight, but they are "starter" ideas to get you thinking about "spiritual" oneness - to help you discern where you are struggling and why you are struggling.

Oneness is the foundation of marriage! In what ways have you hurt "oneness" in your marriage and in what ways can you start creating "oneness" in your marriage. These are questions that I will be working through over the next several days, weeks and months as we continue with this study. How will you answer them? I hope that we all find the "oneness" in our marriages that God intends for us to have!

You can listen to all of the Men's Roundtable Bible Studies here: http://mensroundtable.blogspot.com/

C

C - My youngest son is having a difficult time with pronouncing this letter. He actually makes it sound like the letter "T". So for instance, instead of saying "car", he says "tar". Instead of saying "camera", he says "tamera". Instead of saying "can", he says "tan". We have been working on his pronunciation of this letter for a couple of weeks now. Occasionally, he will get it right and get so excited. Then, we he goes to say it again, out comes the "T" sound and he gets mad and frustrated. For now, it is one of those cute things that kids do.

Caedmon's Call - One of my favorite Christian bands. I haven't listened to them in a while, but when I do they sure do help me with my walk.

Candles - I know, why would a guy blog about candles? Well, I just like the smell of them!

Caribbean Cruises - What's not to like about this? Hot sun. Cool breeze. Crystal clear-blue water. Reggae music. Endless food.

Christ - But God commends His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) How cool is that?

Christmas - 86 more days! Tyler and Ryan are already composing their Christmas list.

Christmas Vacation - One of those movies I can watch over and over (and over and over) even when it's not Christmas time. In fact, it was just on the other night!

Church - It has been a long journey, but we think we might have found a new church home! Pray for us as we discern God's will for us in this matter! We have been very patient!

Clemson - Here's hoping that Clemson can defeat Wake Forest this Thursday night (for my wife's sake). If they don't win, I fear for Tommy Bowden's job.

Crimson Tide - I wasn't going to blog about this for fear that I might jinx them, but Alabama is ranked #2. This is their highest ranking since 1993. Hopefully, we can keep this up! We have a bye this Saturday then we play Ole Miss. After that, we play @ Tennessee. You hear that PH? Tell KH that the Tide is coming! Roll Tide!

A Husband and His Wife

This morning I was up at 5 AM so I could get ready to go to Bible study at 6 AM at Grace Church. That's right, 5 AM!!! For those of you that know me - that's hard to believe, but I managed to get up and get ready and actually get there EARLY. I know, another hard thing to believe!!! My family is not known for being early, much less even on time!

Anyway, we have been visiting Grace for about a month now and the men's group started a new 8 week Bible study this morning entitled "A Man and His Wife". You know, it's the type of Bible study that helps you to be a better husband, a more godly husband. I really don't need this study because I've got it all figured out. Actually, I should be teaching this study! Yeah, right! Now you can chuckle because you know I am only kidding! I am actually looking quite forward to this study and recognize that I need to be a better husband - a more godly husband! I'm not expecting this study to be some type of magic wand where when it is over my husbandry skills will be through the roof, but I do hope and pray that God speaks to me and BEGINS a work in me that is evident to my wife and kids!

This morning we spent an hour an a half talking through the first 3 chapters of Genesis and the fall of man. What does the fall of man have to do with being a good husband? Apparently, lots! When God gave the instructions not to eat of the tree, He was talking to Adam and only Adam. Eve had not been created yet. So when Eve was created, it was Adams sole responsibility to make sure that Eve knew of God's command and the importance of that command. We all know the story. Apparently, Adam didn't do such a great job. The serpent (Satan) influenced Eve who in turn influenced Adam to go against God's command. Adam then started playing the "blame game" and went so far as to blame God and the woman that God gave him. The nerve! Once the blame game was over and Adam knew that he was wrong, he hid from God and became a professional hider! He became passive in his mistakes instead of "manning up"!

Guys, we are just like Adam! We sometimes hide in the eyes of adversity and become these passive little wimps instead of "manning up". We are responsible for our wives and children and we are to lead our families spiritually. Pull your report card out and grade yourself real quick. OUCH! Yeah, it hit me right between the eyes, too! It is in our nature to want to take care of our families and we often do so in the areas of being a provider and authoritarian, etc., but we as men are being way too passive in leading our families spiritually! Why is that? Fear? Complacency? Passing the buck? Blame game? Many other excuses, I know! I also know that I have A LOT of work to do in this area and am praying that God gives me all that I need to do just that!

I hope and pray that God works in all of our lives and in all of our marriages so that they can be all that God intended for them to be!

The BIG House

Last Monday, I was invited by a friend (CJ) to go to this prison for worship and Bible study. CJ has been a part of this prison ministry for the last 12 years (every Monday) and has been asking me to go with him for a very long time now. I usually have something going on on Monday nights - basketball, coaching soccer, etc. - but last Monday night I was free so I told him that I would go with him. He was thrilled nonetheless. He said that it is so hard to get people to go with him to the prison. After my visit last Monday, now I know why!

I told him that I thought I had been there before with my youth group back in the mid-80's , but that was 20 years ago. I had mixed feelings about going simply because I would be around so many criminals at one time. Once we got there it was very intimidating to see how big the prison was and to see all of the barb wire surrounding it. We had to pass through several areas of security before we were allowed to enter into the common area where we were to have worship and Bible study. Once we got into the common area, the inmates who chose to come to worship (about 100 of them) were filing into the large room (about half the size of a gym) and CJ started introducing them to me. All of the inmates wore tan jumpsuits and were extremely nice and seem to be so grateful that we were there. It was amazing to see how excited some of these inmates were to see CJ walk into the room. It was almost like he was a celebrity. He obviously has known some of these inmates for a while and has built a friendship with a lot of them. So, I started to feel a little more comfortable as time passed.

After about 10 minutes of mingling we started worship which was VERY traditional. There was a prison ministry volunteer who played the piano as this older black gentleman would holler out and ask for hymn #'s for all to sing. There was your typical traditional hymn requests such as Amazing Grace and all of the others you know by heart. All of the inmates would just sing as loud and proud as they could. At first it was very intimidating, but as we sang each song I found myself singing louder and louder. I shared a hymn book with this older inmate who seemed very excited to be there. Once we were finished singing, we broke up into small groups and began having Bible study. I was amazed at how much the inmates in my small group were knowledgeable about the Bible. Some of them offered such in depth perspectives of Scripture that you would have thought that they were theologians or something. After about 45 minutes of Bible study it was time for us to leave and a lot of the inmates came up and said how much they appreciated us being there and hoped to see us again.

Once we got back in the car and started on our way home, CJ asked me questions about my experience of helping with the prison ministry. I told him that it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and that I did enjoy being there and being a part of it. Then I asked the question that I wished I hadn't of asked. I asked him if he knew why most of these guys were in prison? I was expecting to hear him say that these guys were in prison because they had maybe stolen a car, robbed a convenient store, multiple DUI's, minor drug possession, etc.; however, he went on to tell me that most of these guys were murderers, rapist, pedophiles, big time drug dealers, etc.! Wait a minute CJ, back up! You mean to tell me that I just spent an hour in a room full of murderers, rapists, pedophiles, etc.? He went on to tell me that the guy singing next to me was in there b/c he had raped and killed a child. The guy sitting next to me during Bible study had raped a 12 yr. old girl. The guy sitting across from me during Bible study had stabbed a man. Apparently, I had my prisons mixed up and the prison that I thought that I had gone to when I was in the youth group was NOT this one! Turns out that the one that I went to when I was younger was for juveniles in a pre-release type program (minor offenses). These inmates were big time criminals! I had no idea! It's probably good that I didn't know that prior to going into the prison or else I might not have gone in so willingly. Don't get me wrong! It's not that I wouldn't want to minister to these inmates because God knows that they need him, too! To be honest with you, I couldn't get home fast enough to jump into the shower! There was just something about it that made me feel dirty. I think I washed myself from head to toe at least 3 times and stayed in the scalding HOT shower for at least 20 minutes. Was I going overboard? Probably, but it was almost as if I just couldn't help it.

The truth of the matter is that these inmates really do need to hear about the GRACE, MERCY and LOVE of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! They honestly do! Although their crime has sent them to prison, some for maybe just a few months or years and others for one or more life sentences, it's really no different than our sin! Maybe we haven't' killed anyone physically, but remember that Jesus said that if we hate someone, we have committed murder in our heart. He also said that if we look at a woman with lust that we have committed adultery in our heart. I began to think of the types of people that Jesus reached out to in his short 3 years of ministry and realized that Jesus reached out to those that nobody else would. The ones that everybody else thought didn't deserve it. The down and outers of the world.

Honestly, I don't know that I'll ever go back to this prison ministry. It was an experience that really shook me for several days, but I will pray about it. If God wants me to be a part of that ministry He will move me and it will be done. But how many of us are really willing to get out of our comfort zone to go into an environment like that week after week - even just once? It is a question worthy of our time to pray about and answer! Maybe like me, the prison ministry is not for you, but what ministry is for you? When was the last time that you were inconvenienced to serve the Lord or meet the need of another? And believe me, I am speaking to myself just as much!!!

I would like to say that I am very proud of my friend CJ and the commitment that he has had to this ministry every Monday night for 12 years. It takes a special person to be involved in this type of ministry. Props to CJ!

Net Zero

I hear that Clemson's rushing attack has a corporate sponsor .... Net Zero! LOL! Do you get it? Alabama held Clemson's James Davis and C.J. Spiller to net zero yards rushing for the game. I guess it doesn't thunder and lightning inside of a dome! I'm just kidding! Actually, a USC friend of mine sent me this and I thought I would use it here. You have to admit, it is funny! They are also referring to the duo as Blunder and Frightening. My only advice to USC fans is to watch out! Davis and Spiller might have had a bad game against Bama, but I don't see USC stopping them. Spiller really is fast as lightning! I couldn't believe how fast he was when he returned that kickoff for a TD. There was nobody within 30 yards. of him once he passed the 50 yd. line. I think that the coaching staff takes this loss on their shoulders. For Clemson to have all of that offensive fire power and to net zero yards rushing in a game raises many red flags. Granted Alabama owned the game in the trenches on both sides of the ball, but Clemson should have at least been in the game considering all of the hype that preceded them! I don't know whether Clemson was overrated or if Alabama was underrated or both??? Either way, I'm just glad we won! Just as a side note, the Clemson fans were great, too! I think what I've come to realize is that every school has its fans that they would like to disown and those are the fans that probably show up to the games drunk as skunks! We dealt with 2 of them! The other fans (Alabama and Clemson) all got along fine!

We had a great trip to Atlanta and had an awesome time at the game! I was very impressed with Alabama, especially all of the freshmen that played. My wife and I kept trying to figure out who all these freshmen were that were showing out! John Parker Wilson didn't put up huge numbers at QB, but played a flawless game and was very consistent. That's what we need from him! Coffee and Engram ran the ball straight at Clemson's defense who couldn't find an answer to our running attack. Julio Jones scored his first collegiate TD and the Bama Nation let him know how they felt about that! I am so excited about the rest of our season now! It seems like we finally have something to cheer about! However, I don't want to get over confident about our win over Clemson. One game at a time! We still play in the SEC (@ Arkansas, @ Georgia, Kentucky, Ole Miss, @ Tennessee, @ LSU, Mississippi State and Auburn). If we can come out with a 9 - 3 season I would say that we exceeded expectations this year. An 8 - 4 season would be expected. Next year should prove to be even more exciting!

Enough about the game. I just want to say how badly I hate the MARTA in Atlanta! Taking the MARTA from the airport to the dome was fine and very pleasant, but trying to get on the MARTA after the game was like being in a herd of cows that was going nowhere! Everyone was hot and sweaty and "stank like pigs" and rubbing up against you! Very nasty! We took showers at 1:30 in the morning back at the hotel to get the "stank" off of us! Next time, either we drive to the dome, take a taxi, or stay at hotel within walking distance. Heed my warning!!!!

ROLL TIDE ROLL!

Popcorn Anyone?

So, I pick up my boys from school yesterday and as soon as Tyler, my 6 yr. old, gets in the car he told me that he and a friend of his came up with this great idea. He said that they were going to travel the world selling buttered popcorn to the masses! He was so excited and so serious about this plan of theirs. So I thought I would ask him a few questions about this entrepreneurship. The first question I asked was if he would leave his family behind to do this. He immediately said, "I knew you guys wouldn't want me to do this!" I guess my question wasn't being supportive of him. LOL. I was laughing so hard while driving down the road and I think it just started to burst his bubble. He started to look sad like I had stolen his dreams away. He then got so excited and said that he had another great idea. He said that he wouldn't have to leave us because we could travel the world with him to sell buttered popcorn. That way we would all still be together! He also said we could sell cheddar popcorn, too.

It was a very funny moment and one that I'll remember forever. The fact that at 6 years old he was trying to think about a way to make money (internationally, too!) was very cool! Hopefully, he will continue to think forward like this and one day he will be this big international business man (even if it is selling popcorn)! I did follow our conversation up by telling him that his mother and I would support him in whatever he chose to do with his life and if it was selling popcorn, then have at it! After all, Orville Redenbacher had to start somewhere, too, right?

With that being said, would anybody like to place a future order for some buttered or cheddar popcorn? If you have any special request, let me know and I will share them with Tyler!

(3 days until BAMA vs. Clemson ..... ROLL TIDE!)

5 Days To Go

Well, it looks as if all of the experts aren't giving Alabama much of a chance against Clemson. That includes the many "experts" on http://www.cbssportsline.com/ and http://www.cfn.scout.com/ just to name a couple. There are many other sites with "expert picks" that all have picked Clemson, but I did find one expert that has picked Alabama to win. That one expert is Clucko the Chicken on http://www.cfn.scout.com/. Here's how the predictions for Clucko the Chicken are made. Put down two feed dishes, one representing one team and one representing another and whichever dish the chicken goes to first is the team that's going to win (really, the pick is a coin flip). Don't laugh, "Clucko" won the 2000 Bowl Pool among 24.

You know, I can actually see why all of the experts have picked Clemson to win. On paper, they are loaded and have lots of depth. I don't think that their offensive line is as bad as everyone is saying it is. These are very talented college players and I know that Clemson will be ready to play. An interesting fact that was just released today is that Alabama will be starting up to 10 freshmen for this game! Are you serious? Yes, I am dead serious. Half of our starters will be freshmen. Another reason for the experts to pick Clemson to win. Alabama is also on their 3rd offensive coordinator in as many years. This doesn't bode well for our QB, John Parker Wilson, but JPW is a very talented kid and has done well with the previous 2 offensive coordinators. If he can minimize his mistakes, we should at least be in the game. But, here's my thoughts (What you didn't ask for them? Well, here they are anyway). Yes, Clemson (on paper) should win this game hands down and all of the experts have rightly picked them to win, but the game still has to be played. Alabama had a dismal 7-6 record last year, but they didn't lose any of those 6 games by more than one possession (3-7 points). Hopefully, this year the Tide will turn! It begins on August 30th and I will be there!

Fortunately, this is a non-conference game and the outcome of this game won't kill either team. Hopefully, the outcome of this game won't kill my marriage! I'm only kidding Boo! You know I will love you through your loss! I mean, you know I will love you no matter what happens! After all, it's only football. Did I just say that? In the words of Dolly Parton and Whitney Houston (clean Whitney), I will always love you!

As I've said before, I am first and foremost an Alabama fan and 2nd a Clemson fan (by marriage). In fact, we have both flags waving on the front of our house! I hope it's at least a close game and a very exciting one at that! So in the spirit of college football and my loyalties ..... ROLL TIDE ROLL! In the spirit of keeping my marriage a happy one ..... ROLL TIDE ROLL! and GO TIGERS!

First Day of 1st Grade

Today was Tyler's first day of school! I can't believe how much he has grown over the past year. Not just physically, but maturity as well. Don't get me wrong, he still acts like a 6 year old, but it is amazing the difference between age 5 and age 6.

Last night we went to the open house at his school to meet his new teacher. Tyler was so excited. As soon as we got out of the car he kinda arched his shoulders back and started walking taller and more confident. He wanted to lead us into the school because he said he knew exactly where to go. He looked so big! His teacher is Mr. Galliland. After meeting him I think he will be a great teacher and good for Tyler. I have heard great things about him (even though he is a South Carolina fan). Anyway, we were the first parents to show up in his class last night. As each new student started to show up in the class, Tyler would greet them as they came in and would help each of them find their chairs and stuff. He was the Welcome Wagon!

So, this morning we were on our way to the school and I told Tyler that I would be walking him into the school. He told me that I didn't have to because he was in 1st grade and that he could go in by himself. I told him that I had to go in anyway because I had to go the cafeteria to put money into his lunch account. He then asked if that was something that he could take care of. I got the feeling that he didn't want me going in with him. Despite his wishes, I went in with him anyway. After all, how often is it that he starts first grade? Well, hopefully once!

Ryan has handled all of this very well. He is ready to go to "big" school, but I don't think that he quite understands that it will be another year before he starts. Last night, he walked into the school just as tall as Tyler did. I mean his big brother was starting 1st grade and I think Ryan thought that was a very cool thing. It will be "fun" when Ryan finally does start school. Right? Somebody convince me, please!

So with the first day of 1st grade out of the way, the next big date on my radar is August 30th (11 days). We got news this past Sunday that we finally have confirmation that we have tickets to the Alabama vs. Clemson game in Atlanta! Whoo-hoo! Pray for me! I will be sitting in the Clemson section with my wife and our best friends who are all Clemson fans! Look for me on TV. I'll be the one wearing the lone crimson shirt (and houndstooth hat) in the middle of a sea of orange and white shirts (and overalls). That shouldn't stop me from hootin' and hollerin' though.

ROLL TIDE!

B

Bahamas – I love the Bahamas! The beaches, the sun, the clear blue water .... ahhh!

Barack Obama – This man scares me!

Barlow Girls – An all girl Christian band that rocks!

Basketball – My favorite sport to play.

Beach – A bad day on the beach is better than a good day in the office!

Bear Bryant – The Man, The Myth, The Legend
www.espn.go.com/classic/biography/s/Bryant_Bear.html

Belbow – When Tyler was a few years younger, this is how he use to say “elbow”.

Bible – What a book! Salvation lies within!

Big Brother – I’m a sucker for this reality TV show! Don’t be surprised if you see me on there one day!

Big Wheels – Does anyone else remember The Big Green Machine Big Wheel? That thing rocked!

Billy Joel – Listening to him reminds me so much of high school!

Blood Diamond – One of my favorite movies! Here is a little bit of information about blood diamonds:

Diamonds are symbols of wealth, elegance and love around the world. But in several African nations, they have been a means to power, a reason to terrorize millions of innocent civilians, and may have even helped finance some of the world's most brutal terrorists. Because they are portable, easily concealed, and untraceable, diamonds lend themselves to smuggling and corruption. In several underdeveloped African nations, warlords have used diamonds to help finance wars, while the rest of the world has turned a blind eye. Rebel armies have forced tens of thousands of people to mine diamonds in brutal, dangerous conditions under the threat of death, their pay as paltry as a cup of rice per day. In Sierra Leone, rebels chopped off people's hands, arms, feet, lips, and ears indiscriminately for years during a civil war financed in part by the trade of illicit diamonds.

Blue – My favorite color!

Bob Marley – His music just goes hand in hand with enjoying cruising!

Braveheart – Another one of my favorite movies! FREEDOM!

Burgers – I could eat a burger everyday! Favorite places to get burgers: Five Guys, Bubba Annies, Fuddruckers and my own grill!

A

Actually - A word that Tyler and Ryan use quite often. It is hilarious.

A.D. - My Dad's name. That's it. They're initials that don't stand for anything! So we just call him D!

Adam Sandler - One of the funniest actors there is.

Airplanes - I hate taking off, but I LOVE LANDING! There's nothing like seeing the runway just under the plane! Whew! Thank God!

Alabama - I was born in Birmingham, Alabama.

Alabama Football - Near and dear to my heart! ROLL TIDE ROLL!

Alaska - I would love to take an Alaskan cruise someday!

Alligators - Alligators are awnry 'cause they can't brush their teeth.

Allman Brothers - One of my favorite bands!

Apple pie - My nephew Drew loves apple pie. He is also moving to Hawaii tomorrow. Yes, I'm
jealous!

Aquatic Engineer - Bobby Boucher! I'm the wa-wa-wa-waterboy!

Art - I use to take art classes downtown at the art museum as a little boy and was "actually" quite good at it. I should have stuck with it! Now, I'm a systems anaylyst, yeah!

Blogging Through the Alphabet

I know it has been a while since I've posted anything to this blog, but you know how things get sometimes. Anyway, here I am again. I am going to steal an idea that I saw on another bloggers site by "Blogging Through the Alphabet". I will post a blog about each letter of the alphabet. We'll see hot it goes. It may be stupid, but at least I'll be posting something, right?

Lion of Judah

Lion of Judah, originally uploaded by Jeviar.

I found this cool picture of the Lion of Judah on flickr and thought I would share it here. I'll explain why I posted it on here later.

Hmmm?

Pray For My Momma!

I have just a quick prayer request that I would like to ask of those that read this blog.

(By the way, I have no idea who reads this. If you do read this, please leave a comment or send me an e-mail sometime! If you don't have my e-mail address let me know.)

I'll try to keep this short. As some of you may know, my Mom has had a terrible time with her leg. She broke it back in January in the mountains while her and Dad were trying to get away for the weekend. She had a really bad time with the healing process and with her incision closing up. She had to go to the wound clinic to get some help with the healing process. After many, many months, the incision healed, but she still had the bone itself trying to fuse back together and she has been doing physical therapy. She has also been unable to work most of this time. Last week she went to the doctor and found out that she had a staph infection in her leg so the doctor decided he needed to do surgery to remove the metal hardware that was keeping her bones together and clean out the infection with something similar to a pressure washer. The bones appeared to have fused back together nicely so he didn't reinstall new hardware in her leg, but she does have a pretty new incision about 4" long to go with the rest of her incisions. I just ask that you pray for her leg to heal quickly this time and without any bumps in the road. I know she would appreciate your prayers and so would I!

Mom, hang in there! Hopefully, this time will be the trick! Love you!

Up on the Knee Board and Finally in the Water

This past weekend we went to Brian and Jessica's lake house and had lots of fun! However, the fun was almost ruined on our way down to the lake. On the way there, we were driving on a long stretch of a 2 lane road (Highway 79 in Lincolnton Georgia about 15 minutes away from the lake house). Megan always gets on to me about driving too fast! Anyways, way ahead in the distance coming from the other direction the sheriff saw me speeding and turned on his lights. Megan said, "Chris, I think you're getting pulled over!" He and I were the only two cars on this road so sure enough he was coming for me. So, I slowed down and started to pull over and as he passed me he turned off his lights and continued to go down the road. My lucky day! Megan said that he probably just wanted to slow me down and that he was probably on his way home for dinner and didn't want to stop. I think he may have been a fellow Alabama fan and when he saw my BAMA tag on the front of my car he decided to cut me some slack! Just kidding! I don't know why he decided to let me go, but I'm glad that he did!

Anyway, Tyler tried to ski several times (which really surprised me) because he's always been so scared to try before. He did okay for his first time trying. Maybe next time he will try again and actually get up! He did, however, get on the knee board and did great! He went around a good ways on the lake and even made it through several big waves without wiping out! We circled around and let him go by the dock where Megan was swimming. I think she was more scared than he was. It was a very proud moment for us! I only wish that we had pictures of it!

Also, Ryan has never shown any interest in getting into the lake, but this time he finally got in! Granted he had the choke hold on whoever was holding him in the water, but he did get in! He constantly asked me if I was going to keep holding him or let him go. He was very loud about it, but he was very cute, too! I'm sure next year we won't be able to keep him out of the lake! That's the way it was with Tyler, too! Now, Tyler is like a fish!

Oh well, 19 days until our vacation at Myrtle Beach! 47 days until BAMA vs. Clemson!

ROLL TIDE!

Blog Remodel

So, I decided to remodel my blog! I think it looks much better if I do say so myself. I may make some minor changes, but change is good, right?

Not much to post right now. Tyler successfully turned 6 on July 4th and we had a pretty good 3 day weekend. I spent most of the 4th putting together Tyler and Ryan's new basketball goal that "Tyler" got for his birthday. Friday night we went down to the neighborhood pool and watched some fireworks. Saturday we had some friends over for a cookout and our kids played while we talked. It was great to get together with them! Sunday we tried a new church. The music and preaching were great, as well as the kids program, but it was just a HUGE church. Sunday afternoon we went and looked at new cars and came home with a brand new '09 Camry XLE. Very sharp car! It has all the bells and whistles! Last night we went to a birthday party at Pump It Up! Tyler and Ryan have a baseball game on Thursday and we are all going to the lake on Friday for the weekend! I won't be able to ski or anything because of my knee, but it will just be nice to be at the lake!

So, now that I've remodeled my blog, I guess it's time to get back to remodeling the house. Yeah, right!

ROLL TIDE!

Is it Football Season Yet?

Nope, not yet! However, it will be in 58 days! Although I always anticipate the start of college football, I normally do NOT count down the days. However, this year is different. This year Alabama's game opener is against Clemson. What's the big deal?

Well, as most of you know, I have always been a huge Alabama fan! Also, as most of you know, my wife is a huge Clemson fan and graduate. This presents an interesting situation in my house that has never happened before, at least since we've been together (15 years). They have never played each other since we have been together.

Now, I am first and foremost an Alabama fan, but have always liked Clemson, too. I guess you could say that they are my #2 team. My wife is first and foremost a Clemson fan, but has always liked Alabama, too (at least since we've been together). I guess you could say that Alabama is her #2 team. We are both very passionate about each of our teams! We both get very excited when our teams win and both get very upset when our teams lose.

So, how will August 30th play out? What if Alabama wins? Can I get all excited and be glad that my team wins? Should I celebrate like I do when they win any other game? Will that be like rubbing salt in her wounds? Should I be a humble winner? But, what if Clemson wins? What will she do? Megan, what will you do?

In one way, you could look at this as a win/win situation. We both like both teams playing, but each of us likes one or the other just a little bit more. It could also be a lose/lose situation, because whoever wins will no doubt be very happy and whoever loses will no doubt be very upset!

And what about leading up to August 30th? Will there be any trash talking going on? Well ..... of course there will! That's what we do when we are passionate about college football! So, Megan, and all of you other Clemson fans, don't hate me WHEN Alabama wins! ROLL TIDE ROLL!

Overdue Review

The cruise was a blast! We had a lot of fun and it was great to just get away from the business of being at home. The day before we left for the cruise I found out that the following Monday there would be a layoff where I work. So that meant that I would come home from vacation not knowing if I still had a job or not. Thankfully, a coworker of mine sent me a text message that day to let me know that I was safe! That made the rest of the trip much better for me!

Anyways, I will now attempt to give a brief review of our cruise on the Carnival Liberty.

Our trip really got off to a bad start. We had an early flight out of GSP at 7:30 that was suppose to get us to ATL by 8:30 for our connecting flight to Miami leaving ATL at 9:30, arriving at MIA by 11:30. That gives us plenty of time to get to the ship before it leaves at 4:00 PM. However, that is not at all how it happened. We boarded the plane on time and all appeared as if we were getting ready to leave the gate until the pilot made an announcement that due to heavy air traffic in Atlanta, we would not be taking off for at least 30 minutes. Okay, so we would leave at 8:00 and make up some time in the air. We could still make our 9:30 flight out of ATL. Well, 8:00 rolls around and the pilot makes another announcement that we are still being held from taking off, probably another 30 minutes or so. That puts us taking off at 8:30. Now I am starting to freak out! What if we don't make our 9:30 flight now? Are there other flights going to MIA with empty seats that will get us to the pier in time? Finally, we take off around 8:45 and land in ATL at 9:15. We have 15 minutes before our next flight and I think we might have a chance of making that flight, but the pilot drives the plane to the wrong concourse and so we don't get to the right gate until right at 9:30. By the time we get off the plane we find out that our 9:30 flight had already left the gate. I'm really panicking right now! Anyway, to make this very long story short, we were rebooked on a 10:30 flight that got us into MIA a little after 12:30. We got on the ship in time and that is all that matters. Bottom line is I don't deal well with someone else being in control! Next time, we will either fly down the day before or leave out of Charlotte where it is a non-stop flight to MIA.

Embarkation on the ship was a little disappointing, too. We checked in at the desk in a timely manner, but there were so many passengers waiting to get on that we had to sit in this large area waiting for them to call our zone number before we could actually get on the ship. We probably waited somewhere between 30 minutes to an hour. That's not long really, but the last cruise we went on with Princess the embarkation was a breeze. We checked in at the desk and got on the ship immediately.

Our cabins were acceptable, I guess. They were slightly larger than what we've had before, but our balcony was also slightly smaller than what we've had before. Nonetheless, we weren't too concerned with the room because on a cruise you really don't spend that much time in the room. We did enjoy the balcony, though. It is very nice to have when coming into a new port or leaving a port. It is also nice to go out on the balcony first thing in the morning and late at night while traveling at sea. I highly recommend a balcony room!

I thought that the food on the ship was pretty good. I usually don't have many complaints in this area. I won't go into what all I ate because half the time I was ordering stuff that I either couldn't pronounce or really wasn't sure what it was exactly. I didn't have a single complaint about the food in the formal dining room. Our head waiter, Calvin, was extremely nice and accommodating as well. I I did have a very delicious fillet mignon one night at Harry's Supper Club, but I don't think that I would pay the extra money to eat there again. It was a flat $30 per person to eat there (which wasn't bad), but everything about it just seemed a bit eccentric to me. The food at the buffet/grill was just okay, but the food at any buffet is usually just okay.

The decor of the ship was slightly better than your average Carnival ship, but there didn't seem to be any consistent design going on. Everything just seemed a bit mixed match in some areas of the ship, but in other areas things were very nice. I think the overall decor of the ship was just a little too gaudy and at times it really took away from what could have been a nicer decor had they just stopped adding stuff.

I was a little disappointed in the entertainment that the ship had to offer. I actually fell asleep during one of the "Las Vegas" style shows. There didn't seem to be enough variety and the times and locations of some of the activities just didn't seem like they were very well thought through. I also think that the cruise director was not as funny as he thought he was. I did enjoy the comedic hypnotist, but I was (and still am) very skeptical of his hypnotic abilities. We ran into several people who he "allegedly hypnotized" and they weren't very convincing after we asked them several questions about their experience. Karaoke was also FUN! That's all I'll say about that!

We stayed on the ship with about 300 other people in the Bahamas while the rest of the 2700 others chose to get off on tender boats and go to the island. This was a great decision as we had almost the entire Lido deck to ourselves. The water slide was also a lot of fun that day! We also stopped in St. Thomas which is one of my favorite places. I love the port their and the scenery is just amazing. I got some brownie points with Megan by buying her some bling in one of the many jewelry shops there. We also went the Magen's Bay and spent the afternoon at the beach there. Magen's Bay is touted as one of the top 10 beaches of the world. Very nice! San Juan was just okay. Didn't care too much for the shopping there so Megan and I decided to do a tour of one of the forts there. It was very interesting as I enjoy things like that, but it was a huge fort and involved a lot of walking in the hot sun, but that's the Caribbean for you! We chose just to make Grand Turk a beach day which was a very relaxing day. We had lunch at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville Restaurant and then just laid out on the beach the rest of the afternoon.

Disembarkation from the ship was much better than embarkation. We chose to do the self assist and left the ship right after breakfast. We were off the ship and at the airport by 8:30 in the morning. The only bad part about that was that our flight didn't leave MIA until 1:15 PM. So we had a lot of wait time that morning. That's where an MP3 player and Sudoku came in handy!

The flights home were uneventful and on time and the excitement of seeing our kids again at this point had us both very anxious. We had a lot of fun and needed time away, but we missed our kids very much! When we saw them at the airport it was one of those "BIG" moments for us! To have them run to us and jump in our arms and give us such BIG hugs was great and a moment I'll never forget!

Overall, the trip was great and we did have a lot of fun! Were there things about it that we would change or that we wished had been different? Of course, but overall the cruise served its purpose for us!

Now, we are looking forward to going to the beach for a week in August. This will be the first vacation that we have taken where it will be just the four of us (Me, Megan, Tyler and Ryan). We love our families (and friends) and have gone on lots of vacations with them, but this will be a very special trip for us!

Cruise Eve!

OK. The boys are with Mom and Dad and everything is packed! Now were off to bed for just a few short hours so we can wake up early and go pick up our very best friends (a.k.a - the other couple) and head to the airport.

Mom, if you read this, please tell Ryan at bedtime every night - "Goodnight, sweet dreams, and that Daddy and Mommy love him!" and tell Tyler at bedtime that - "We love him so much!". These are things that we say to them every night so be sure to tell them! Most importantly, don't forget to pray with them!

Pam H., if you get to read this while I'm gone, be sure to send me an e-mail and tell me about your cruise (and send me pictures !!!!). I'll be sure to let you know how ours goes and I will send pictures when we get back!

Love to all! Take care! Bon Voyage!

2 More Days!

Time for a short post! In just 2 more days, my wife and I, along with another couple, will be sailing the caribbean seas onboard one of the world's largest cruise ships! I'm stoked! I'll try to take some pictures and post them here when we return. Until then, bon voyage!

Surprise! Surprise!

Today, Tyler's summer daycare class went to Gattitown for pizza and video games. So, I decided that I would take my lunch break and surprise him by showing up to eat lunch with him there and, of course, to play video games! Not only did I surprise Tyler, but I surprised all of the other 12 kids that were in his class. When I walked into the dining area where they were eating lunch, they all got up and almost tackled me! You would have thought that I was a celebrity! I guess since none of the other parents were there, they just adopted me as everyone's dad for lunch! That was fine with me because I've known most of these kids for about 3 years or so. I had a lot of fun, not only with Tyler, but Jordan, Josh, Cameron and Anna, too. I think Tyler was very surprised and very happy and proud that his dad was there! I think it made him feel cool! I know it won't always be like that, though. I know the day is coming when for Tyler, it won't be so cool to have his dad around his friends. I am hoping that never happens, but I know that most teenagers go through that at some point. Wow! I can't believe I am thinking about him being a teenager already! He's only 5 and 3/4 for goodness sakes! Oh well, enjoy them while their little! Today was one of those cool father/son moments that really was no big deal, but a very big deal at the same time! I'm glad that I went!

Humble Pie Anyone? Anyone?

OK, I'll have some! In fact, I had some last night! Last night was our last game and the other coach served me up 2 slices of some humble pie! Mmmm Mmmmm Good!

The first slice of humble pie came when we were about to begin the game and the other coach came over and asked if he could have prayer with me and my team at center field before the game got started. We had not really done that with any of the previous teams that we played, but that really shouldn't catch me off guard should it? After all we are at the YMCA and I am a fellow Christian! I think it reminded me of why I was really suppose to be out there coaching these young boys. Yes, I wanted to make each child a better soccer player and I wanted them to have fun while learning, but I really should have done a better job with them in leading them to be Christian athletes and help mature them spiritually. My focus should not have been on how many games we had won and by how many goals. It should have been on leading (coaching) through Christian example. Now, I never expressed to the boys that we should go out there and win. I always stressed to them that the main reason we were out there was to have fun. That is true to an extent, but the main reason we do anything is to glorify God. Next time, I will stress that more than anything and I will remember that we should begin each game with prayer. I mean after all, I play on a men's basketball team and we pray before every game! Shouldn't we more so pray before every game with our kids to teach them the value of playing sports with a Christian attitude? Of course! Kudos to the other coach! By the way, he was at least 10 - 15 years younger than me!

As you know I have said that so far the boys' soccer team was undefeated. I shall now emphasize the word WAS. My second slice of humble pie came when his team, who by the way was much smaller (and much faster) beat the socks off of my team. I'm not sure what the score was because I stopped counting when it was like 4-0, but I'm pretty sure it was bad!

Nonetheless, we had a lot of fun and had our awards banquet at Fuddrucker's after the game. Each of the boys got a trophy and had a blast hanging out with each other!

Remember, LIFE IS GOOD!

Pray for Steven Curtis Chapman and Family

Click here to read the story.

I actually had the opportunity to meet Steven Curtis Chapman and his family several years ago at a concert with Casting Crowns and Chris Tomlin. I had been asked to be a runner for the concert and that consisted of picking up the singers from the Hyatt and driving them to the arena and driving them anywhere else they needed to go while in town for the concert. I got to hang out backstage all day long with these folks (from 8:00 a.m. until almost midnight). They were all very nice folks and I was invited to go into their dressing rooms and hang out as well as eat lunch and dinner with them. I watched the concert from right behind one of the large speakers on the stage. It was very cool! I even got to take the members of Casting Crowns to the airport to a private jet. I walked out onto the tarmac with them and had prayer with them before they boarded the jet.

As far as Steven Curtis Chapman and his family, they were all there that day and it was apparent that they were all very close to one another. I remember observing the family being very loving toward one another and praying for their food at lunch and dinner. It was neat to see how they all interacted with one another. I even remember seeing one of the oldest boys playing with his young adopted sisters and carrying them through the halls backstage. They each had their own scooters and would ride them up and down the halls. Even SCC got on the scooter once! I don't want to make it sound like I know them, but when you are a part of the family of God, you just find that unique connection with other Christians that can't be explained.

Nonetheless, this family definitely needs our prayers right now. I can't imagine what they are going through, especially the teenage son that was driving the car. He especially needs our prayers. Take a moment right now to ask for God's peace and strength to be with this family and help them to weather through this unexplainable storm. Also, take the time to thank God for all of his blessings in your own life.

Happy Anniversary!

Today is mine and Megan's 8th Wedding Anniversary. We have actually been together for almost 15 years! I think we actually met in late September of 1993.

I was working at Chuck E. Cheese at the time and Megan came in one day to apply for a job. At the time, I think I was actually stocking the salad bar when she came in so my view of her was a little obstructed, but I saw enough of her to know that she was "easy on the eyes". My best friend at the time, Dave, came over and asked me if I saw the girl that just came in. I told him that I didn't really get a good look at her. He said that she was hot! So about 10 minutes went by and she came out of the back after talking with the manager and began to leave. I think Dave stopped her to ask if she got the job and she said that she did. I only saw her walking out of the door this time, so I only saw her from behind, but I still liked what I saw. Dave came over again and proceeded to tell me how hot she was. I told him that I thought I might ask her out and I think he replied with something like ... I saw her first or not if I ask her first. I can't really recall.

Anyways, she started a few days later and I was assigned to train her on her first Saturday doing birthday parties. I think the whole day we made eyes at each other and for the next several weeks we continued to flirt with each other as we would pass by each other. I remember she would walk by and would come up behind her and untie her apron or just give her that look to let her know that I was interested in her. At the time, I had recently gone out with a couple of girls there and so there was a great deal of tension in the air. Nonetheless, I took the next step and asked Megan out on a date. I remember we were standing right in front of the drink machines. Can you believe that Megan told me NO? That's right! She told me that she HAD to go out with her friends that night. I asked her if she really HAD to or was she just blowing me off. We did decide that we would go out the following weekend, but come to find out, she didn't HAVE to go out with friends that night. She already had another date (I'm glad that didn't work out)! So she began our relationship on a lie! Just kidding Megan! I know you were just protecting my feelings (ie. ego)!

So on October 30, 1993, we went out on our very first date. I could probably write for several hours about everything that I remember about our first date, but I won't bore you with our sappy love story! I'll just say that it was the beginning of the rest of our lives together! So we dated for 6 years before we got engaged. I couldn't get her to commit to marriage! Just kidding! It was the other way around. She couldn't get me to commit to marriage. I'll admit, the thought of marriage was a scary thing to me. I knew that she was the one, but I just didn't know if I was quite ready. Also, I wanted her to finish college before we made that commitment. I didn't want her to quit going to college just to get married. Also, as long as she was still living at home, her dad was paying for her college! Call me cheap, but I call it smart!

Then on June 12, 1999, I went over to her house on a Saturday evening. We were grilling out with her parents and her dad and I were outside grilling the meat. That's when I asked for his permission to marry her. I remember being so nervous! He told me that he was so glad that I had waited for her to graduate college and that he was cool with us getting married. I remember telling him that I was glad that he was cool with it, but that if he had said NO, we would still have gotten married. I can't believe I said that, but he simply replied ... I know! Anyways, after dinner, Megan and I went for a walk through her neighborhood as we did often back then. We got back to her house and went on her back porch and talked for a while. Megan was really wanting to get married and started asking me when I thought I would be ready. I had avoided those conversations for so long and I told her that we were just going to have to wait a little longer. She looked so disappointed. Then she was staring out into the backyard and I took that opportunity to kneel down beside her. When she turned around and looked she saw me kneeling down on one knee with a ring in my hand. I said the sappy things that guys say when the propose and asked her to be my bride. She put her hands to her face, cried and we hugged. She never did say yes (she claims she did), but I took her excitement as her saying yes!

Then, 11 months later, on Saturday, May 20, 2000. We took the plunge and got married! We have had so much fun over the years and have grown closer to each other with each passing year. Marriage has been great! I have always dreamed of having my very own family and I am so glad that I have that with Megan. We have Tyler (5) and Ryan (4) and we are so blessed! God has been so good to us! I won't try to paint the picture that our marriage is perfect because marriage is a lot of hard work! We go through those valleys just like every other married couple, but always seem to come out on top!

Megan, thanks so much for 15 wonderful years! I look forward to spending the rest of my life with you! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

So Far So Good

Tonight we had our 5th soccer game and I am proud to say that we are still undefeated (5-0). Technically, we don't keep score, but everyone knows that everyone is keeping score in their heads. We don't make a big deal out of it, but I would say that most of the dads, not only on our team, but on the other teams too, are keeping score. They know whether their team won or lost. I think it's just in our competitive nature. I would say that the kids have no idea whether we win or lose. I really do think that every kid on our team is really just having a lot of fun! I really can't take all the credit either. There is another dad that has been helping a lot, especially while I was out with my knee surgery for a couple of weeks and even since the surgery. He has been a big help!

Anyways, here are some pics of T & R playing soccer. We are, obviously, the team in gold.

This is Tyler last Fall.

This is Tyler this Spring throwing the ball in.

This is Ryan. Doesn't he look cute in his uniform!

I'm back!

Sorry for the long break, but I think I really just needed some time away from a computer. I was at home for 2 weeks after my surgery and I think I may have gotten on the computer once or twice in that 2 week period. I did return to work last week, but worked from home every day. I am back in the office this week working away on a project that I don't think will ever happen, but if it does, at least I will be ahead of the game.

As far as my knee, I am actually doing pretty good with it. I do have my days where I try to do too much and end up having to ice down a swollen knee by the evening, but other than that, I think things are going well. Physical therapy is going as expected and I hope to only go one more time next week.

Soccer has been going great! Tyler scored his first goal of the season on Tuesday! Our team is undefeated (4-0)! It has been fun coaching them and watching them develop.

Church has been great! We have been going to a class on Wednesday nights called "Tyranny of the Urgent". It is a class that discusses our priorities and fosters discussion on how to decifer what we choose to do with our 24 hours each day. Everything seems so urgent and demands our immediate attention a lot of the times, but is it really urgent? Is it important? Is it really meant for you to deal with at all? I will talk more on this class later, but for now just wanted to mention it. The people at church have especially been great! We have received many cards, e-mails, several dinners, and a peace lilly over the past few weeks that I have been recovering from knee surgery and the passing of Megan's grandpa. He was 92 and lived in Oregon. He lived a long and fruitful life and will be missed by many!

Sorry to be so short with everything today, but I am getting ready to leave work and wanted to update my blog since it has been a while. One last thing ......... 37 days until we go on our cruise!!!

Surgery Day is Here!

Tomorrow morning is the day! I have to be at the hospital at 6:45 a.m. and surgery will be at 8:50 a.m. I have had a few surgeries in my day and have never had any problems with anesthesia or recovery. However, I have a different feeling about this one. I don't think anything bad is going to happen. It's such an easy procedure that I'm sure it will be as routine as routine can be. I don't know if it's because I'm a little older or what it is, but I just have this weird feeling about me today. I think it's just that I love my wife and kids so much and hope that if anything freaky does happen that they will be well taken care of. I think Megan's contingency plan if something does happen involves getting in touch with Matthew McConaughey. I hope that she at least grieves a few days for me! Of course, I'm just kidding! She will be stuck with me for quite a while! Anyways, thanks for the prayers and I'll let you know how I'm doing in just a few days!

How are you living?

Today, I met my wife for lunch at Anita's Mexican Restaurant. We don't get to meet for lunch often because of the distance between our offices, but when we do, I always enjoy it. It's not often that we get to have adult conversation without our kids. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love being around my kids, but I love being with my wife, too. Nonetheless, lunch was great!

On the way back to the office, I was driving down I-385 and noticed a very large building "under construction" on my left and noticed a banner hanging from the rooftop with the following words written on it: HOW ARE YOU LIVING?

What a question! How are you living? Such few words spoken in the form of a question and I believe the answer to that question could change your life. How often do we stop and ask ourselves that question? As a Christian, it made me stop and really think of my answer to the question. Am I being a faithful follower of Christ in all aspects of my life? Am I being a godly husband to my wife? Am I being a loving father to my children? Even though I am 35, am I honoring my parents? Am I being the best brother I can be? Am I serving God like I could or should? Am I setting a Christlike example for my coworkers by my actions and the things that I say? Am I living a life that glorifies God?

It also prompted me to think WHAT AM I LIVING FOR? Am I living for my job? The next paycheck? Money? A bigger house? A nicer house? Material things? For someone else? For power? For prestige? For attention? For pride? For my church? What drives the decisions that I make each and every day?

I think that the answer to these questions lies within the answer to another question: WHO AM I LIVING FOR? Myself? Others? or God? If you are living for yourself, boy, are you sadly missing the mark! Self-centeredness is as far away from God as you can be! If you are living for others, well, that's a nice gesture and very thoughtful, but still not the right answer. Especially, if you are living for the approval and/or the admiration of others! The only right answer is GOD! The Bible says to love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, strength and mind. In fact, it says that this is the greatest commandment! Then it says to love others as yourself. If we could truly answer this question and understand what it really means to love and live for God, I believe that we all would see the power of God unleashed in our lives, our families, our relationships, our work places and in our churches like never before! It should NEVER be about us! Let me say that again, because I need to hear it again myself: It should NEVER be about us! EVERYTHING should ALWAYS be about HIM! It was nice to be reminded of that today! Sometimes, we get so busy with everyday life that we lose our focus and lose sight of what life is really all about. I hope and pray that this causes you to stop and take a minute to answer these questions for yourself.

The Bible says that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Think about that! Isn't that reason enough to live for Him?

Kudos to Tyler - No FISH

I know, 2 post in one day? What am I thinking? Just a real quick note, though. I have to give kudos to Tyler. He is in K5 and his teacher "pulls a fish" out of the fish bowl every time she has to get onto one of the kids. Each kid starts out with 3 fish each day. Anyway, Tyler "has gone fishing" many times since the beginning of school in August. It seemed like he was getting at least 1 or two fish pulled almost everyday. Most of them just for talking (one for fighting - I'll tell you about that another day - he actually made me proud). He had so many fish pulled that back in the Fall we requested to have a parent/teacher meeting. We met with his teacher and the VP and the VP said she didn't see it as that big of a deal and we should not make a big deal out of it. I liked the VP. His teacher, not so much. So, we decided to back off of him and not make it a big deal when he had fish pulled for the day. December, January and February were much better than the first half of school. Now, I am happy, no, I am proud to say that Tyler did not have a single fish pulled for the month of March! I knew he could do it! It cost us several Star Wars toys and games, but it worked! Love you Tyler!!!!!!!

Torn Medial Meniscus

So, I have a torn medial meniscus! I actually found out that I had it 2 years ago when I had an MRI. The doc then said we should not do anything to it to see if it might heal on it's own. All seemed to be well, but about 2 months ago my knee started to hurt again after playing basketball. Went to the doc about a week ago and had another MRI. It showed that the tear had actually more than doubled in size and he recommended that I undergo surgery. He'll actually just go in (arthroscopically) and remove the part that is torn. He said I'd be out anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks (he was hoping for 2 weeks b/c I am in fairly good shape). I'll also undergo therapy for a few weeks (physical therapy that is). I'm shooting to be back at work within two weeks (if not after the first week). I will update you more as the time nears and give you post-op updates. Surgery is April 15th. It seems like a fairly easy surgery and I'm sure everything will go just fine, but any prayers are appreciated! I'm sure Ryan will be praying for my surgery b/c he prays for everyone's surgeries .... even if they didn't have one! It just seems fitting though, in the past year or so:

My mom had a knee replacement.

My mother-in-law had a knee replacement.

My dad had a knee replacement.

My wife had some female surgery.

My mom fell and broke her leg (the same leg she had her knee replacement on).

My brother had shoulder surgery.

A friend of ours (JF) had surgery.

And now my knee surgery.

Even though a few of these surgeries took place a little over a year ago, Ryan still prays for them every night. If he prays for me half as much as he has prayed for the others, I should be alright!

2 New Features

I'm sure you've noticed that I've added a countdown widget to this blog. Due to the overwhelming excitement that I have about going on my 6th cruise this summer, I thought I would share it with you!

I've also added my very first playlist to the right. Feel free to click on the PLAY button and listen to some music while you read. Right now, there are about 46 songs on the playlist, so if you just want to hang out and listen to music, that's fine, too! If you don't like the song that's playing, just press the forward button (>>) and it'll go to the next song; however, sometimes it will just make you listen to whatever is playing. Enjoy!

Also, we had a great time at Miyabi's last night. However, Ryan talked non-stop the entire time! The chef just kept shaking his head in disbelief at how much Ryan was talking.

What's he doing?
What's wrong with that chicken?
Why isn't it cooked yet?
What's that brown stuff (soy sauce)?
Where's my soup?
Where's my salad?
What's that green stuff (brocolli)? I don't want any trees!
Why did he make that rice look like Sponge Bob?
Why is he cutting Sponge Bog into squares?
On and on and on and on and on and on .....................

Lots of questions from a very inquisitive little boy! Nonetheless, we did have fun and both the boys were very brave when the chef lit the grill on fire.

Happy Birthday Ryan!

My youngest turns 4 today! The good news is that maybe we will turn the corner with his 3 yr. old attitude. The kid is stubborn! He does what he wants, when he wants, where he wants and how he wants. He looks like me, but acts like his mom!!! The bad news is that he is growing up!
I'm not sure if I'm ready for that! :(

We actually had his birthday party this past Saturday at Chuck E. Cheese (the place where his mom and I met and fell in love). Surprisingly, the birthday party was a pleasant experience. There was only one other party there at the same time so there weren't 200 kids running around. The only negative is when Chuck E. Cheese came out to sing Happy Birthday. Ryan bolted under the table and would not come out until Chuck E. left. I don't know what was wrong with him. We went to Disney World a year and half ago and Ryan didn't have any problems with the characters there. I guess because that is the "Happiest Place On Earth" (I can't wait to go back!).

Tonight, we are taking Tyler and Ryan, my parents and Megan's parents out to eat at Myabi's Japanese Steakhouse for Ryan's birthday. We have been there several times with the kids and every time we go they hide when the chef makes the grill burst into flames. I guess that is a good sign that they are scared of fire. At least they know to stay away from it! I guess we know that our kids aren't anywhere near like Beavis and Butthead. That's good to know! Hopefully tonight, we will have a pleasant experience and fun will be had by all.

Although you frustrate me 99% of the time, it's that 1% of sweetness that has got me hooked! It's that hug around my neck! It's when you tell me you love me! It's that cute little smile! It's those big blue eyes! It's when I tuck you in at night and I tell you "Good night, sweet dreams, I love you!" (it has to be exactly in that order, too). It's when you pray at bedtime for everyone that is sick or has had surgery (currently, my family has been plagued with surgery, but Ryan is solid in praying for each of them, even if the surgery was over a year ago!). In fact, he prayed for Tyler's surgery the other night just because he was sick! I guess he thinks if you're sick, you must have had some type of surgery! Very cute!

Anyways, Ryan, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

Bloggin' Ain't Easy

Shortly after my last blog, I had really decided not to blog anymore. I didn't feel like I really had anything to offer and I still feel that way, but nonetheless, here I am again and will try to give this one more shot! It's not that I don't enjoy blogging because I think that I really do. It's trying to find the time to blog. So, here's my second wind! I know that there has got to be at least a few people out there who check my blog and are interested in what's going on my life and for whatever reason, my brain. Some people read my blog simply to stay in touch and I appreciate that. To be honest with you, I have no idea who reads this blog. I know that my wife, Megan, and my friend Jessica read it from time to time, but other than that, I just don't know. If you do read it, please feel free to leave a reply every now and then.

Tell me that I'm right or tell me that I'm wrong!
Tell me that I made you laugh or I made you cry!
Tell me that you sympathize with me or tell me that I should get over it!
Tell me that I'm a dork or tell me that I'm the man!
Tell me something!

That will at least let me know that someone is reading it and that I should continue blogging.

To be honest with you, I think that we all blog everyday in our thought life. I know that I am always thinking about what is going on in my life and how certain events relate to me and my family. I am always trying to figure out what God is trying to teach me through different circumstances and how I am suppose to be living out loud for Him. The task at hand is taking those thoughts and putting them here, not necessarily for my thoughts to be exposed to everyone because some thoughts are meant to be private, but to help me learn from what's going on in my life and to share those special moments in life with family and friends.

Bloggin' ain't easy, but here I go again!

1/2 Bath Before and After Pictures

Well, I did finish the 1/2 bath last weekend, but haven't really got around to posting the pictures until now. Nonetheless, here are the before and after pictures. Hope you enjoy! I am sure glad to have it complete!

A Christmas Story

Not exactly what you expect to hear in late February, but I thought I'd take this time to share with you why I am now called Ralphie. Some of you already know and I'm sure still find it very funny. For those of you who don't know, well, here it goes .....

I am really not one to know a whole lot about guns. I did grow up with a BB gun that I used to shoot soda cans, paper targets and the occasional bird or squirrel. I know that you load it, cock it, aim it, pull the trigger and it shoots. I can't just look at a gun and tell you what type of gun it is. My friend Brian, however, grew up in the boonies and knows a lot about guns. He even owns quite a "few". To be honest with you, his wife knows more about guns than I do. She even has one that she totes around. Nonetheless, Brian called me one Saturday back in December and asked me if I'd like to go the shooting range with him and shoot some rifles. Like I said, I don't know a lot about guns, but I knew that I'd love to be around them a little more and get comfortable with them and learn how to shoot them.

So we're off to the shooting range! I am a little excited at this point, but after about an hour drive to the range, we find out that they are closed due to the Christmas holidays. Well "shoot"! So much for that! On the way home we stop by this gun shop and look at some guns and ammunition. It was starting to intrigue me even more. I wished that the shooting range had been open now. Oh well, back to Brian's house.

As we get to Brian's house he begins telling me about a pellet gun that he bought his 5 year old daughter. So that the day was not a complete waste, he suggested that we go out on his land (8 acres) and shoot out some holly hanging in the trees. I thought that would be cool! We go down by the creek and find a tree that had some holly in it and Brian takes a few shots. He then proceeds to hand me the gun and I hoist it up onto my shoulder and begin to take aim. I was having a little trouble looking through the scope as my eyes get really dry all the time. I blinked a few times and still could not see clearly through the scope so I brought the scope in just a little closer to my eye. There! I can see the holly and so I put my finger on the trigger and pull. Wham! That little bitty pellet gun kicked back and popped me in the eye. I didn't immediately say anything about the power of that little pellet gun until I go to wipe my brow. Wait a minute! Why am I bleeding? I looked at Brian and asked him if I was bleeding. Here was Brian's response ..... "Dude! You have a gash above your eye!" Of course that comment was followed by laughter. Brian is our kids pediatrician and so he says that we need to go to his office so he can stitch it up. As we walk from the creek back to the house he simply cannot stop laughing at me. Now does that sound like what a friend, a doctor even, should be doing at a time like this? We walk into his house and Brian regales what happened to his wife. What does she start doing? Laughing of course! As if that was not enough, she calls my wife to tell her of this "extremely funny" thing that happened to me. So, I have my wife, my friend and his wife all laughing at me while he is now glueing my head back together. Where's the love?

So now, I don't think I'll ever live that down. There's a certain phrase that I'll forever hear now at Christmas time everytime A Christmas Story is on TV ..... "You'll shoot your eye out!" Poor Ralphie! I now know what he must have been going through when he shot his brand new Red Rider BB gun and he shot his eye out. Fortunately for him, nobody saw what happened and he was able to muster up some tears and blame it on an icicle that fell and struck him in the eye. Unfortunately for me, Brian saw what happened and for me to muster up some tears would have only added to my embarrassment (besides, it didn't hurt that bad). I think what really happened was that I struck that holly "dead on" and it fell from the tree and struck me in the eye. Yeah! That's what happened! That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

But don't expect me to wear a pink bunny suit next year for Christmas!

Some things, you never live down! I guess that's what friends are for!