What has happened to us??

I am fast approaching my next birthday. I am not going to tell you the date, as I am not a big fan of birthdays. I don't hate my birthday; I just don't like to make a big deal of it. I tell Leeann to just kiss me in the morning, tell me "Happy Birthday" and that is it. Anyway, I have been thinking of my age a lot the past month, as I have been very sore the past month with the workouts I have been doing in "Boot Camp". So, I have been much more aware of my age the past couple of days. I have been thinking about what I have seen, where I have been and what I have done. I can tell you, I am very happy with my life up to this point. I have a loving wife and daughter, both very supportive of my dreams and hopes. But, something this week really made me question a few things
This week I have been a "door opener" at Katie's school. This is a volunteer service our school does to help traffic in the morning. There are about 4 of us each morning standing outside the school and we open the door of the cars dropping off the kids for school each day. These past couple of days have opened my eyes to a couple of things:

1. What happened to our excitement in life? I have been watching the kids coming to school and they have been running, laughing and skipping into the school. Do you remember being excited to get to school and seeing your friends, playing on the playground? I have been watching these kids laughing and having so much fun. Why don't we do that as adults? Why do we go off to work each day dragging our feet, head hung down looking forward to nothing more then the end of the day? Where is the excitement in our day? How much better would our day be if we went to work each day with the same laughter, joy and enthusiasm these kids have going to school? We each have chosen the path we are on and only we can choose to change that path or the direction of that path. We have the ability to be just as happy as these kids; we just choose to chase the dollar, and to see who can get the most toys. My only advice is this: There is no prize in heaven for having the most toys, only a prize for the heart for the most joy.


2. The other thing that has had me thinking is the fact that when I was Katie's age, 8, I
lived a greater distance from school than Katie does now. I walked or rode my bike to school each day, not once thinking about how far I had to walk, or if I was in any danger. Today, there is not enough money being printed in the world today to let me allow Katie to walk or ride a bike to school today. That makes me so very sad that we live in a world where a little girl has to be watched over to make sure nothing happens to her. We all read the stories in the newspaper about what happens to kids by people who are very sick. I would love to allow Katie to play outside more, or for her to go to the park down the street and play with other kids, but that is not going to happen

I saw a story in our local paper the other day where they are going to make a playground area bigger, but when I drive around town doing errands I never see kids playing at any playgrounds without either a lot of parents around, or teachers right near by. Why are our kids overweight and video game junkies? Simple, we can't allow them outside to play the way we used to play (kickball, football, baseball games, running in the park, playing tag) because we have some very sick and dangerous people in the world and we are trying to get the most toys.
One more thing since I mentioned tag. There have been several school systems across the country have banned the game of tag. They say it is not good for the kids to be chased after or to be scared from others running after them. The simplest game there is for kids to play is being taken away because some parents don't want their little darlings to get scared or feel like someone is after them. Why are our kids overweight???

This one last thing and I will get off my soapbox. We got a notice from school the other day about the grading system Knox County will be using for kids. They will be using letter grades as follows: A, B, C, D, & U. Do you notice anything???
That is right, there is no "F"s. So kids can't fail anymore. This has to be some over the top mom or dad who didn't want their kid to feel like a failure in life. I got a few "F"'s in my life. I am not a failure, I don't have low self-esteem, and I am a pretty normal person and pretty well adjusted. The "F" made me work harder (along with a belt from my dad, more about that later) to make sure I didn't get another one. I felt bad for making that grade. I knew each time that I could have done better, and I did.

My birthday is in a couple of days and I have to ask, what has happened to us???

Two Down and Two to GO!!!

We are back from the big trip out west. We had a good time most of the time we were out there, but the last night there was not much fun. Understand that it was in the high 90's or 100+ every day we were there, Saturday being no exception. When we got done with the day we went back to our room and found it quite stuffy to say the least. We turned on the air and went out to the pool to cool off thinking this would give the room time to cool off. Well, while we were at the pool I found out something, while I have a heater for our pool here, because of the number of trees in our yard keeps the sun from hitting the pool most of the day, out there, they actually cool their pool water with a water cooling systems. We were told that if they did not do this, the water would be like bath water by the end of the day and you would not want to get in.





Anyway, we went back to our room to find it hotter than when we left. I called the front desk and after a 20 minute wait, the engineer came to the room and tried find the problem. He found it. The air unit was frozen. He had to turn the heat on to thaw it out. Took about 20 minutes and we were able to get the air going again. To make things a bit better, we had them send a fan out to the room to make it more comfortable.

I would not mind living out there, it was so nice. The roads were well done, smooth and new. The homes were very nice, and for the most part the people were nice. The sky was SO BLUE. Just a bit hotter than I would have liked. But the best part to me is that during football season, I would be in heaven. Since most games start at 12 noon on Saturday, that is 9am out there. They then go ALL DAY LONG. You get the east coast games, then you have the west coast teams that start around 6pm and go until 9 or 10 at night. It is like Thanksgiving every Saturday. You know, on Thanksgiving there seems like there are game all day long.

Then on Sunday's it starts all over again, NFL kicks off at 10 am, enough time to sleep a bit late, or hit the early service at church, then have brunch in front of the big screen watching games all day. Leeann may not like it out there for that reason, but for a football fan, it is the best place to be.

Everyone wants to know about Boot Camp. Well, I am two weeks in and have two more to go. The mornings are getting a bit better but that alarm clock going off at 5 am is still tough. The works outs change everyday so we don't get into a habit of doing the same thing everyday. I come home every day covered in sweat, sore, tired but feeling good for the most part. Some days are better than others. Like yesterday for example, we were using those rubber cords that offer strength training. But, man those things kill your arm if you use them the right way. And we are doing lots and lots of sit ups, push ups and running. I have hurt my knee so running has been limited, but walking is no picnic either. When walking, you have to keep your arms moving all the time, mainly over your head. I was talking to one of the other boot campers on Tuesday and he asked me if this was the same a basic training in the Army. I told him "Oh no, this is much different than Army basic training." He said "oh, so this is easier?" "OH NO, much harder, I would rather be back in the Army than do this." In basic training we did not do as much aerobic activity. It was mainly jumping jacks, sit ups, push ups, stretching, then off for a run of a mile or two.

My arms are hurting, my abs are hurting, my legs are hurting, my every part of my body is hurting. But I am having some fun. Would I do it again??? NO!! Is that simple enough for you.

MAN IT'S HOT!!!!!

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?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!

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.

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

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!!!!!

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.