We had a pretty good trip yesterday (Thursday). The day was pretty crazy getting ready to leave, getting to dogs to the boarders was my job and it is was just that, A JOB. I took all 3 at one time and to say I had my hands full doesn't even come close to telling you the story. Sophie tried to escape on me but was caught after a short run on the lamb. But, we were able to get everything done and when the wheels went up on that jet, I know I let out a big sigh of relaxation.
We flew from Knoxville to Dallas for the first leg. I had not been in Texas for almost 20 years. The airport was HUGE and not laid out very well. We landed and got off the plane at gate B4 and had to go to C6. When we got off the plane we saw a sign, a BIG sign mind you, that said C & D -> So we went that way. WRONG, we were told by not less than 3 people to go the other way; surely they must be crazy, the sign said otherwise. But, the sign was wrong and we had to backtrack a long way to get to our gate. Made it with time to spare, but way too much walking.
Our flight to Palm Springs was nice, we had a bulk head seat and all of us sat together so we had lots of leg room and got on and off pretty quickly. The flight in was beautiful; the sun setting over the mountains was something else to see. When we got off the plane, the gate area and the baggage claim area were the only areas inside. The rest of the terminals and walkways were outdoors under cover. It was cool, but the air was hot.
I have to tell you what a great traveler Katie is. I know I have said that before in this blog, but to see her travel is just amazing. She goes through security without a hitch and talks to the TSA agents and thanks them for helping her. She goes right to her seat and knows when to turn on and off her iPod and game boy. She is just something else when we travel. She is what makes most of our trips the most fun.
Well, Katie helped me get the luggage while Leeann got the rental car and off we went into the night to find a hotel that we had no idea where it was. But, if you know me, you know I had the GPS loaded and had the address to the hotel already set. And, you would have been right. So, we just got to enjoy the drive to the hotel and look around a bit. It is very nice here; the roads are even, not bumps or potholes. Kind of makes me miss Tennessee (NOT!!!!)
We have a very nice room with an enclosed patio. Not that we have sat out there, but it is there nonetheless. Got up this morning and helped Leeann get to her class and took Katie to her kids camp. Man was it hot!!!! About what it feels like on a 92 or 93-degree day in Knoxville with high humidity. But it was 104 for a high today.
I did get my stuff set up last night for the stuff today. I was on my feet for at least 9 hours getting everything on tape. Then when class was over I had to get some B footage of the hotel grounds and such. I am doing an interview with the lady who runs these boot camps tomorrow, so that will make my day even longer. We have to get up really early and go garage saleing at 7am, yea, that will be fun. But, it will be some good video.
It is very nice out here, who knows, we may end up here?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!
Friday, September 14, 2007
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Two days in and I'm hurting
I am two days into my boot camp and I have to admit, it is kicking my ASS bad. I went through Army basic training and it was not this tough. I have to admit, that was more than 20 years ago, but I still remember it like it was yesterday. I was not sure what to expect, but now I know how tough this is going to be. We had to meet Monday morning at 5:30AM (yes, in the morning) and go over rules and such. I have a little log book I have to take with me everywhere I go, I have to keep track of all the food I eat and all the workouts I do. I don't get a day of rest even on the weekends. We have homework to do on those days.
Anyway, the first day was just a PT test. To see where we were physically and I have to admit, I am in not so good shape. The first thing we did after a warm up was run a mile. I ran, walked, ran, walked, ran, walked and finished the mile in 9:51 and was the last to cross the finish line. Then it was as many sit up and push ups you could do in one minute. Not good there either, only 20 push ups and 18 sit ups in one minute. When I left yesterday, I was a bit light headed and not feeling too good. I was also covered in sweat. I had not worked that hard in years.
Today was worse. We did wind sprints all morning. Running from one cone to another as fast as possible, doing push ups, sit ups and jumping jacks along the way. I didn't feel as bad today, but still pretty winded. But, I kept moving and that is going to be the key for me, keep moving and having a positive attitude in all this. I have to change the way I think and say things. Like "yes I can" instead of "I don't think I can do that" or "I will go just a bit farther" instead of "I can't go any farther". I know it is going to take time and I am going to push myself as hard as I can.
I am sore tonight as I write this. I went to get some dog food for the guys and had a hard time picking up the bags. Not that they were heavy, it is just my arms are so sore, it was hard to lift anything up.
Hope all are having a good day and remember, you can do anything you put your mind to, sometimes you just have to go a little bit farther to get there.
Anyway, the first day was just a PT test. To see where we were physically and I have to admit, I am in not so good shape. The first thing we did after a warm up was run a mile. I ran, walked, ran, walked, ran, walked and finished the mile in 9:51 and was the last to cross the finish line. Then it was as many sit up and push ups you could do in one minute. Not good there either, only 20 push ups and 18 sit ups in one minute. When I left yesterday, I was a bit light headed and not feeling too good. I was also covered in sweat. I had not worked that hard in years.
Today was worse. We did wind sprints all morning. Running from one cone to another as fast as possible, doing push ups, sit ups and jumping jacks along the way. I didn't feel as bad today, but still pretty winded. But, I kept moving and that is going to be the key for me, keep moving and having a positive attitude in all this. I have to change the way I think and say things. Like "yes I can" instead of "I don't think I can do that" or "I will go just a bit farther" instead of "I can't go any farther". I know it is going to take time and I am going to push myself as hard as I can.
I am sore tonight as I write this. I went to get some dog food for the guys and had a hard time picking up the bags. Not that they were heavy, it is just my arms are so sore, it was hard to lift anything up.
Hope all are having a good day and remember, you can do anything you put your mind to, sometimes you just have to go a little bit farther to get there.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Katie is a hit at the Game
We have been living in Knoxville now for just over 13 years. When we first moved here Leeann kept telling me that I would be a fan of the UT football team. I knew of UT football from my dad. He was a huge fan of UT football and talked about how great the tradition was and he would go on and on about it for hours. My dad was from the Kingsport area so he knew a lot about UT football. Well, Leeann had told me it would take just one game to make me a fan, we went to a game the first year we lived here and I do like the team and have become a fan. So we thought it would be fun to take Katie to a game, but could never find the right time to go. Well, we found the right time yesterday and it was a blast.
We got down to the campus area early so that Katie cold see the Vol walk and the band march to the stadium. We parked at Ft Sanders school where Katie used to go to school so we knew the money paid to park went to the school so that was great. Well, Leeann has been doing so great with her weight loss and work outs that she has become a very fast walker, we had to ask her 3 times to slow down and wait for us.
The first place we stopped was the parking garage at Ft. Sanders Hospital so we could so Katie an overview of the strip area and see all the fans there. Katie took it all in and was just amazed with it all. It was so hot yesterday that I was not sure how Katie would handle it. She kept drinking water and did not complain once the whole time we were walking around the campus. We made it down to the Vol walk area and got a good spot to stand and watch the team come by. We had to wait about 30 minutes, but I did a water run and we all did great. Katie kept asking how many minutes until it started, she was so excited to see all this start. When the team did come by, Katie took the pom-pom we got her and started shaking it. Well, she shook it a bit too hard and hit Coach Phil Fulmer in the head with her pom-pom. She yelled she was sorry, but he just kept going. I got a chance to do something I have always wanted to do. If you every watch a game there is a coach, Trooper Taylor the wide receivers coach, that gets so excited that he like to do a chest thump with his players. Well, I got that chance and did a chest thump with him. That was really cool for me.
We walked down to watch the band march to the stadium. She loved it. She said she could feel the band in her chest and was just amazed with the uniforms and the sounds and all that was going on. When the band went by, Katie and Leeann jumped right behind them and marched to the stadium. When the band played to the hill, I put Katie on my shoulders and what see saw was a sea of orange. 100 thousand plus people waiting for the band, waiting to go into the stadium. Leeann told me that she had a look of amazement on her face. She was just overwhelmed with all that was going on. She asked me where the stadium was; I turned her to the right a bit and said, "Right there, that big building right there". She said "wow, that is a big building".
We made our way into the stadium and to our seats. Leeann and Katie were in row 2 and Leeann's dad and I were in row 32 so I had to leave them down there alone. I went up to my seat and a I got a text message a few minutes later from Leeann asking me if I wanted to trade seats because Katie was asking for me to help explain things to her. So, I went down and sat with Katie. That was so much fun for me. Katie and I had a great time. She was asking me one question after another. "Who is that?" "What do they do?" "Why are out there?" "When is going to start?" it went on and on. I had fun telling her about who the refs were, about the national anthem, all the fun things that go on to start a football game.
When the other people sat down around us, Katie went into her "HI" mode. She was making friends with everyone around her. She was talking to the lady next to her and down to the right of her. She was giving them high fives, waving her hands in the air just having so much fun. Then these two BIG guys sat down in front of us, Katie just leaned down to them and said "Hi", they were putty in their hands. She just made these two big guys melt. She was something else. I didn't get to see much of the game because I was having so much fun with Katie and all the people around us. We left at half time and everyone around us was sad to see Katie leave. Katie could not stop talking about the game all the way back to the car to head home. She was so excited that she can't wait to go back to another game.
It is football Sunday and I am going to go downstairs and watch some games on High Def. Have a great day GO 'SKINS
We got down to the campus area early so that Katie cold see the Vol walk and the band march to the stadium. We parked at Ft Sanders school where Katie used to go to school so we knew the money paid to park went to the school so that was great. Well, Leeann has been doing so great with her weight loss and work outs that she has become a very fast walker, we had to ask her 3 times to slow down and wait for us.
The first place we stopped was the parking garage at Ft. Sanders Hospital so we could so Katie an overview of the strip area and see all the fans there. Katie took it all in and was just amazed with it all. It was so hot yesterday that I was not sure how Katie would handle it. She kept drinking water and did not complain once the whole time we were walking around the campus. We made it down to the Vol walk area and got a good spot to stand and watch the team come by. We had to wait about 30 minutes, but I did a water run and we all did great. Katie kept asking how many minutes until it started, she was so excited to see all this start. When the team did come by, Katie took the pom-pom we got her and started shaking it. Well, she shook it a bit too hard and hit Coach Phil Fulmer in the head with her pom-pom. She yelled she was sorry, but he just kept going. I got a chance to do something I have always wanted to do. If you every watch a game there is a coach, Trooper Taylor the wide receivers coach, that gets so excited that he like to do a chest thump with his players. Well, I got that chance and did a chest thump with him. That was really cool for me.
We walked down to watch the band march to the stadium. She loved it. She said she could feel the band in her chest and was just amazed with the uniforms and the sounds and all that was going on. When the band went by, Katie and Leeann jumped right behind them and marched to the stadium. When the band played to the hill, I put Katie on my shoulders and what see saw was a sea of orange. 100 thousand plus people waiting for the band, waiting to go into the stadium. Leeann told me that she had a look of amazement on her face. She was just overwhelmed with all that was going on. She asked me where the stadium was; I turned her to the right a bit and said, "Right there, that big building right there". She said "wow, that is a big building".
We made our way into the stadium and to our seats. Leeann and Katie were in row 2 and Leeann's dad and I were in row 32 so I had to leave them down there alone. I went up to my seat and a I got a text message a few minutes later from Leeann asking me if I wanted to trade seats because Katie was asking for me to help explain things to her. So, I went down and sat with Katie. That was so much fun for me. Katie and I had a great time. She was asking me one question after another. "Who is that?" "What do they do?" "Why are out there?" "When is going to start?" it went on and on. I had fun telling her about who the refs were, about the national anthem, all the fun things that go on to start a football game.
When the other people sat down around us, Katie went into her "HI" mode. She was making friends with everyone around her. She was talking to the lady next to her and down to the right of her. She was giving them high fives, waving her hands in the air just having so much fun. Then these two BIG guys sat down in front of us, Katie just leaned down to them and said "Hi", they were putty in their hands. She just made these two big guys melt. She was something else. I didn't get to see much of the game because I was having so much fun with Katie and all the people around us. We left at half time and everyone around us was sad to see Katie leave. Katie could not stop talking about the game all the way back to the car to head home. She was so excited that she can't wait to go back to another game.
It is football Sunday and I am going to go downstairs and watch some games on High Def. Have a great day GO 'SKINS
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Two Boot Camps, One Month, I must be NUTS
I have to tell you, I am begging to wonder if my brain is writing checks my butt can't cash. I got my self into two boot camps this month. The first one starts on Monday. I have signed up for a work out boot camp. This is a 30-day camp that will get me back into working out and loosing weight. I have hit a point where I am not dropping any more weight the past few months, and I just can't seem to get my self in gear to work out like I know I should, so I was looking for something to get me going. I said something about a work out boot camp that I had seen and heard about a long time ago to Leeann on night, did some research online and found one here in Knoxville. I told Leeann about it and said that they meet everyday at 6am. She said that I could not do it. That was a challenge that I could not pass up. So, I put my money down and sign up. Woke up the next morning saying "WHAT THE HELL DID I DO LAST NIGHT!!!!" Too late now, I have paid and have to show up. Everyday at 5:45am. This should be fun.
The other Boot Camp is in Palm Springs, CA. Leeann is going to be a teachers assistant for the lady she took an eBay boot camp from in LA last October. She has done so well, the lady asked her back to be an assistant and in doing so, she asked and hired me to video the boot camp so that she can sell it to others who could not make it to this boot camp. She is also going to sell this on an infomercial she is working on to air in the spring. So there is going to be some very tough work coming my way.
I will keep you all updated as to how the boot camp goes. PRAY FOR ME!!!!!
The other Boot Camp is in Palm Springs, CA. Leeann is going to be a teachers assistant for the lady she took an eBay boot camp from in LA last October. She has done so well, the lady asked her back to be an assistant and in doing so, she asked and hired me to video the boot camp so that she can sell it to others who could not make it to this boot camp. She is also going to sell this on an infomercial she is working on to air in the spring. So there is going to be some very tough work coming my way.
I will keep you all updated as to how the boot camp goes. PRAY FOR ME!!!!!
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Busy Week
This has been a busy week so far. I have really gone into full swing with the wedding video business since the bridal fair is over. I put so much work into that event that I am still tired. But, I have to say it again and again, without Leeann and all the work she did, none of it would have come together or looked as good as it did. I am truly blessed to have such a loving and wonderful wife as Leeann. She is my rock and I could not do half the things I do were it not for her faith and belief in me. I am truly the luckiest man in the world to have such a wonderful wife.
The week started off really good with a couple of emails from brides wanting more information and prices. I was so happy and so proud of the work Leeann did on my price sheet. It looked so great and I was able to get it out to some folks and was able to book a wedding from that price sheet. I will get the contract signed this Saturday. That is in addition to a wedding I booked last night for a friend of a friend of ours (thanks Lisa). She signed the contract last night. I gave her a big discount, but it still ended up being the highest paid wedding to date I have done. I have really enjoyed doing this work, I feel the most comfortable and the happiest I have ever been working with weddings.
I thought that I would not be real busy during the day without the typical office job to keep me going. But, running my own business keeps me on my toes. I have to now monitor the web site daily, keep track of incoming emails, out going mail, bank statements and it just goes on and on. I am up every day between 6:30 and 7am. After Katie is off to school, Leeann and I have a set schedule we follow. Monday and Wednesdays are horse days, Tuesday and Thursday are edit days, and Friday, Saturday & Sunday are family and work time. I still edit some at night and help Leeann with eBay stuff as well, but we stay very busy now.
The best thing this past week was finding a great new babysitter to watch Katie. We have not had a babysitter for quite some time and as a result, have not had the time to go out with friends. Well, we are off on a fun evening out with our BEST Friends (I LOVE YOU, MAN) Rick and Lisa. We have so much fun with them. Leeann and Lisa are going to a scrapbook thing next weekend and I get to play daddy day care with Katie, we will have fun I know. I am thinking of taking her to Chuck E. Cheese maybe on Friday night (WHAT AM I THINKING!!!!) and we may go see a movie on Saturday afternoon. Just some good "daddy - daughter" time.
Here is a photo of my booth from the bridal fair, I am so proud of the work that went into it. THANKS TO EVERYONE that helped last weekend.
Monday, August 13, 2007
What a wild couple of weeks
Well, I have gotten past that crazy rooster and have had a crazy couple of weeks. I have been in the planning stages of getting ready for a bridal fair that went off so well yesterday. I have been working so hard, going over every detail, every paper, every flyer, every DVD, you name it, I went over it with a fine tooth comb. I think I was making everyone around me crazy. Leeann was such a great help, she was right there with me the whole way telling me that everything would be just fine. She was right of course (when is she not right about things like this????). But, I was running things through my head so much wanting everything to be just right, just perfect. There is my problem, PERFECT. Nothing is ever perfect, there will always be something to go wrong, some litle bump in the road, but I did not want that to happen Sunday. You know what, it didn't. It was a great day.
I meet so many people Sunday, brides, wedding planners, other videographers, and there were a few grooms that looked liked they could be anywhere esle that day other than at a bridal fair. But, it was fun. I know that Katie is happy it is over with. I was such a meanie to her the past couple of days. She was only being an 8 year old, but then too, I was grumpy with everyone the last couple of days. But, she loves me and things are back to normal. Well, as normal as things can get around here.
Katie is doing great for the first couple of days in second grade. She loves her teacher, she is a lot like her first grade teacher which is great. She was able to do all of her spelling words tongiht so she got a crazy dance from dad which made her laugh. I love hearing her and Leeann laugh. I think that is the prettiest sound in the world, the two of them laughing together.
Well, I have a lot of video to download and get edited in the next couple of days, want to get this video done as soon as possible. I have a feeling I will be doing a lot more very soon.
I meet so many people Sunday, brides, wedding planners, other videographers, and there were a few grooms that looked liked they could be anywhere esle that day other than at a bridal fair. But, it was fun. I know that Katie is happy it is over with. I was such a meanie to her the past couple of days. She was only being an 8 year old, but then too, I was grumpy with everyone the last couple of days. But, she loves me and things are back to normal. Well, as normal as things can get around here.
Katie is doing great for the first couple of days in second grade. She loves her teacher, she is a lot like her first grade teacher which is great. She was able to do all of her spelling words tongiht so she got a crazy dance from dad which made her laugh. I love hearing her and Leeann laugh. I think that is the prettiest sound in the world, the two of them laughing together.
Well, I have a lot of video to download and get edited in the next couple of days, want to get this video done as soon as possible. I have a feeling I will be doing a lot more very soon.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
CRAZY Rooster
One thing I enjoy doing is going out to the farm and riding Sunny. I know I don't talk about it much on here, in fact, I don't think I have ever talked about it on here. I didn't think I would like riding a horse, but when Leeann started riding, I couldn't resist and just had to jump on and I have been hooked ever since. So hooked in fact, that we got another horse just for Leeann to ride and I just took over with Sunny. She responds to me so well (for the most part) but she is a typical female, has her moments and can be moody at times, but I love being on her.
Tonight and this past Tuesday night, I really enjoyed the ride. I got to ride out in the pasture and out of the arena where I have felt safe. We took a long ride tonight out into the biggest pasture they have out there. I even saw two deer standing at the edge of the woods. I stopped and just watched them, big eyes and all. I thought in that moment, how could anyone want to hurt or harm such a gentle animal? I used to work with someone who would have seen the same two deer and would have said "Give me a gun!" and he would have gone running into the woods to get them. I just thought what a beautiful sight - how can people shoot these creatures?
Anyway, the funniest thing happened to me the past two nights I was out there. There is this crazy rooster out at the farm. His name is Gremlin and he is just that, a little gremlin. Anyway, there must be something about my legs that rooster does not like because he is always attacking my legs when I am there. Well, I have had enough of this and Tuesday night was the last straw.
I was going out to the pasture to get Sunny for my lesson when this crazy rooster snuck up behind me and attacked my legs. I almost kicked him but he ran too fast. I thought that was the end of it. But NNNOOOOOOO!! This rooster just didn't get enough. He charged at me and I spun around and caught him with the halter and lead (rope) I had in my hand. I got him so that I flipped him up in the air, spun him around twice and he landed on his back. Shook him up a bit, but then he tried to charge me again. I will give him credit for persistence, but I was not going to let this little bird win. I stood my ground and did not back down, almost like the shoot out at the OK corral. Well, except it was ME against the crazy rooster!
Well, I won after about 10 minutes of staring him down, he finally backed down. I thought he would get the message, but tonight he proved me wrong. I went to get my saddle to ride and I will be dammed if that little bird was not laying in wait for me. As I went by one of the horse trailers, he came charging out and went after my legs again. I stood my ground and started to go after him. I think that did it. He started to back down and slowly move away. But he kept one eye on me and kept looking over his shoulder like he was going to jump at me at any second. The funniest part of all of this was one of the other roosters there - he started attacking Gremlin while Gremlin was trying to attack me. Seems the other rooster is more "human friendly" and does not like Gremlin attacking humans. Although, according to Mary - Gremlin only does this with me. "GREAT!!!"
Anyway, that has been my week so far. I have got a rough couple of weeks coming up - but potentially full of potential. I have a wedding this Saturday outside of Gatlinburg and then next weekend I have the wedding show - where the anticipated attendance is 1000. I'm one of three Videographers. So my mind is going about 300 mile an hour with all that is going on. I just hope I don't forget something this weekend.
Have a good week. I'm gonna try to.
Tonight and this past Tuesday night, I really enjoyed the ride. I got to ride out in the pasture and out of the arena where I have felt safe. We took a long ride tonight out into the biggest pasture they have out there. I even saw two deer standing at the edge of the woods. I stopped and just watched them, big eyes and all. I thought in that moment, how could anyone want to hurt or harm such a gentle animal? I used to work with someone who would have seen the same two deer and would have said "Give me a gun!" and he would have gone running into the woods to get them. I just thought what a beautiful sight - how can people shoot these creatures?
Anyway, the funniest thing happened to me the past two nights I was out there. There is this crazy rooster out at the farm. His name is Gremlin and he is just that, a little gremlin. Anyway, there must be something about my legs that rooster does not like because he is always attacking my legs when I am there. Well, I have had enough of this and Tuesday night was the last straw.
I was going out to the pasture to get Sunny for my lesson when this crazy rooster snuck up behind me and attacked my legs. I almost kicked him but he ran too fast. I thought that was the end of it. But NNNOOOOOOO!! This rooster just didn't get enough. He charged at me and I spun around and caught him with the halter and lead (rope) I had in my hand. I got him so that I flipped him up in the air, spun him around twice and he landed on his back. Shook him up a bit, but then he tried to charge me again. I will give him credit for persistence, but I was not going to let this little bird win. I stood my ground and did not back down, almost like the shoot out at the OK corral. Well, except it was ME against the crazy rooster!
Well, I won after about 10 minutes of staring him down, he finally backed down. I thought he would get the message, but tonight he proved me wrong. I went to get my saddle to ride and I will be dammed if that little bird was not laying in wait for me. As I went by one of the horse trailers, he came charging out and went after my legs again. I stood my ground and started to go after him. I think that did it. He started to back down and slowly move away. But he kept one eye on me and kept looking over his shoulder like he was going to jump at me at any second. The funniest part of all of this was one of the other roosters there - he started attacking Gremlin while Gremlin was trying to attack me. Seems the other rooster is more "human friendly" and does not like Gremlin attacking humans. Although, according to Mary - Gremlin only does this with me. "GREAT!!!"
Anyway, that has been my week so far. I have got a rough couple of weeks coming up - but potentially full of potential. I have a wedding this Saturday outside of Gatlinburg and then next weekend I have the wedding show - where the anticipated attendance is 1000. I'm one of three Videographers. So my mind is going about 300 mile an hour with all that is going on. I just hope I don't forget something this weekend.
Have a good week. I'm gonna try to.
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