Saturday, November 29, 2008

Home

There are a couple of things that I long for when I'm away on travel. The first thing is my bathroom! That may sound silly, but doing your business isn't the same in someone else's domain. My bathroom is set up like I like it, and I miss it when I'm away.  The second thing I miss when I'm away is Me and Holly's bed. I remember when we bought it, I thought it was way too much money to spend on a mattress. However, any time I'm out of town on a "foreign" bed, I miss mine.

What do you miss about "home" when you travel?

Friday, November 28, 2008

I like watching my brother get tazed!

This is my brother Joseph. He works for the police department in Alabaster. This is his taser certification. I like to watch it at least once a week. It makes me happy!

Enjoy!

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Top of the Thankful List


There are innumerable things I'm thankful for today, but one thing tops the list: my wife Holly. She is a wonderful mother, incredible wife, and best friend. When God put us together I gained things that I always wished for, but there are also things that I didn't even know I would want that God graciously gave me in a wife. We've been married for a little over 5 years and during that time I've seen my world spin out of control, but our relationship has been a solid, unmoving fortress. Her arms are a place of solace, and there is true love in her embrace. She listens as though mine is the only story being told, and she gives weight and care to my words. Holly respects me as her man, and backs our decisions even if she may not feel it's the best way to go. I love the simple things about her, like watching her blow-dry her hair, seeing her kiss our children, and her beautiful smile. I could not have dreamed up a more perfect dream woman!

Baby, when you read this know that you are my girl, friend, wife, lover, partner, confidant, make-out buddy, and the top of the list of blessings from God that I am MOST thankful for. I LOVE and APPRECIATE you more than words can describe! Thank You!

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Christmas Music

I don't know what it is, but I cannot get enough Christmas tunes this year! Thanksgiving is one of my favorite Holiday's and I hate that it gets overshadowed by Christmas stuff. We always wait to put anything Christmas out until after Thanksgiving, but this year I have been sneaking carols and songs like crazy. I would have to say some of my favorites include: O Holy Night, O Come O Come Emanuel, What Child is This, Carol of the Bells, Jingle Bell Rock and Run Run Rudolf.

I'm listening to it right now!

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Major News

Has got some major news coming tomorrow...Stay Tuned!!!  It's been a busy weekend!

Friday, November 21, 2008

Claire Kate

My Baby Girl is 2 months old!  How did that happen already? She's starting to really pay attention and smile at me. If I wasn't wrapped around her finer already, when she flashes that smile at me, I melt. I'm really gonna have to watch myself as she gets older. I remember when Holly and I were going through pre-marital counseling one of the things our counselor said was, "Strong fathers make moral daughters." I reckon there will be plenty of time to be strong. For now I'll just enjoy eating out of the palm of her hand.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Bizarre Choices


So there's this book Holly and I picked up a couple of years ago.  It's called Zobmondo Book of Bizarre Choices.  We enjoy looking through it and discussing some of the answers.  It has some good questions like, "Would you rather eat a bottle cap OR a spider the size of a bottle cap?" Then it usually throws in some great information like, "In the Amazon, the Kayap people are such adventurous eaters that their language has more than 100 different words for diarrhea." OVER 100 WORDS!!!  Anyway, considering some of the nonsense I've posted on here, why not throw out a good bizarre choice, and let you guys fight it out in the comment section.


WOULD YOU RATHER
Always be itchy
OR
Always feel like you have to pee?


Just so you know the additional information on this says, "In Lynch Heights, Delaware, a woman filed for divorce because her husband 'regularly put itching powder in her underwear when she wasn't looking.'"  I hope this doesn't affect your answers.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Nostalgia

I got to thinking today about my childhood, and more specifically about the TV shows I loved as a child. I started thinking about Dukes of Hazzard, The A-Team, Thundercats, Punky Brewster, Ghost Busters, Chicago Cubs Baseball, Saved by the Bell, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Knight Rider, and ALF.  I remember one year for Christmas I got the whole cardboard town of Hazzard with all of the Hotwheels cars like the General Lee. The same year my brother Matt got all things Ghost Busters. He had a proton pack, an Ecto-1 soap dish, and a replica of the firehouse. When we played Ghost Busters I was always Peter Venkman. In Ninja Turtles I was always Michaelangelo, you know, for the nunchuks. 

This is one of those odd things that I think about from time to time. I reflect and wonder what impact these things had on making me who I am today. Occasionally I still shout "Thundercats HOOOOOOOO!" to small children and passers by on the street. Every so often I hum the Knight Rider theme, and try to figure it out on the guitar. To this day, and quite frequently, I pity the fool.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Family Dance Night


Trey getting down to some Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Claire Kate working out her sweet Air Drum Skills to AC/DC.

Caption Please

Friday, November 14, 2008

Trip Phrases

Every youth trip we take, there's always a phrase that we create that everyone says for the entire trip. It gets old really quick, but then becomes funny, and memorable. Here are a few we've had on previous trips: "My sheep are missing" "For me to poop on" "You ain't got no pancake mix" "Clearly" etc...

For today's trip to Atlanta for the lock-in tonight it will be, "The male Sea Horses carry the babies!"

Just thought I would share. Any other suggestions?

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Snake-a-phobes look away!

I ruined my favorite pair of underwear the first time I saw this!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

The Little Things


I'm not the guy who takes what he has for granted.  I wouldn't have to lose everything to know what I had.  I understand that God has blessed me beyond measure.  I have a wife I believe God taylor-made for me.  In His infinite wisdom He created things within her I didn't even know I would want.  She loves me, cares for me, and shows me on a daily basis.  We enjoy being around each other.  We have two beautiful, healthy kids that bring massive amounts of joy to our lives.  God has been VERY good to me.

Everyday that I pass by the tub I am reminded.  I could get annoyed that when I want an afternoon soak I have to remove a toy box full of balls, rubber ducks, and blocks, but I know I would desperately miss it if it was gone.  So I smile as I remove playthings because I realize it's a gentle reminder of all I've been given, and I know one day it will be gone.  

What little things does God use to let you know of all you've been blessed with?

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Poison Control

This afternoon I was at work when my cell phone rang.  Holly called to let me know she had to call poison control for our son.

Holly is such a GREAT mom.  I have no idea how she gets everything done around the house with 2 babies.  Claire Kate isn't moving yet, but Trey is into everything!  I think if we had a pet raccoon it would get into less than Trey does.  When he is awake he is constantly moving.  We decided early on that we would let our kids be kids and enjoy life, so we let Trey explore.  Holly and I give him boundaries, but he's pretty free to play and move.

Today, Trey was awake during one of Claire Kate's meals.  Holly was watching him, but it's impossible to follow Trey while she is breast feeding.  He came in the room holding a squeeze tube.  No big deal! He carries things around the house all the time.  As Trey got closer Holly could see that there was white cream around his mouth, and he was chewing.  Holly put Claire Kate down and found that our son had confiscated Desitin diaper rash ointment from Baby Girl's bag.  He helped himself to a couple of squeezes, and seemed quite happy about it.  It says on the tube, and I quote, "For external use only.  If swallowed, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center right away."  Oh great!  So, Holly called them, and they instructed her to give him something to drink.  She did just as they said, and he never acted like there was anything wrong.  They also called a few hours later to check on him, which I thought was nice.

Anyway, this was our first call to Poison Control as parents.  I anticipate it won't be the last with a little pet coon, Desitin eater on our hands.

Winner


Meet Jonathan Troutman.  He likes long moonlit walks on the beach, a gentle spring rain shower, oatmeal cream pies, laying down fat beats on the skins (that is musician's talk for "He plays the drums"), and the occasional easy ranked Sudoku puzzle.  He's my best friend. In addition to such a lofty honor, he is our Sudoku challenge winner from yesterday.  I posted late last night, and before I was even out of bed this morning I had an email with the bottom picture.  Jonathan, your super excellent Sudoku skills have stirred me.  It is with great scrupulousness that I supply such an awesome cd as Cannons by Phil Wickham!

Thanks to everyone who emailed me answers.  We shall do this again, or something similar, in the near future.  Remember, you have to get up pretty early in the morning to outwit ole Jonathan.  (You could, however, stay up past 10 and beat him.  Did I mention he has a sleeping disorder?)  Congrats Trout!

Monday, November 10, 2008

Sudoku


I've been trying to think of things to share with you guys on here. Things that matter, things that have depth, and things that are life changing.  I couldn't come up with any of that, so here's what you get.

Holly is probably the only person in the world that knows this about me, but I do Sudoku puzzles everyday.  Literally, 7 days a week I work these number crossword puzzles.  I have a web app on my iPhone that resets every night at 6 pm.  It's one puzzle a day in various difficulties, and I have 24 hours to solve it.  I also have a couple of sudoku books.  I've worked all of them.  I have a very addictive personality, so the books don't work out to well for family life, because I MUST complete them when there are puzzles left to be done.  So, I limit myself to one a day.

If you have no clue what I'm talking about, the puzzle above is an example.  In each square you must place the numbers 1 - 9 without repeating.  The same goes for each row and column.  For any person that reads this, I'll have a little competition.  The first person to complete this puzzle and get me the answers gets a free cd (of my choosing).  You can comment the answers or email them to me.

Are there any other sudoku junkies out there?  What do you do everyday that nobody knows about?

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Auburn


Enjoy!!

Thursday, November 6, 2008

I wish...

I wish I...
I wish I was thinner.
I wish I could sing better.
I wish I was more spiritual.
I wish I was good at everything.
I wish I cared more for the outcasts.
I wish I wouldn't act like I know everything.
I wish I was a better husband, father, and friend.
I wish I was less concerned with monetary things.
I wish some of these things weren't things I wished for.
I wish I could make solid decisions with more ease.
I wish I didn't have to deal with difficult people.
I wish I always practiced what I preached.
I wish I was a better communicator.
I wish I was a lot more creative.
I wish I was better at guitar.
I wish I was a better leader.
I wish I had more things.
I wish I was content.
I wish I...

What do you wish for?

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

I need help!

Hey Everybody

A couple of weeks ago I came to a crossroads with blogging.  I decided that I either needed to do it, or not do it.  Posting twice a quarter is a waste of time for everyone involved.  I enjoy writing, it's a great way to keep up with people, and have people keep up with our family.  I anticipate at times blog posts could even foster some discussion and community.  So, I decided to go for it.

Anyway, I've come across a few really neat tools, and I figured I would pass them along:

The first one is a website called Site Meter.  When you upload this to your blog template it lets you know how much traffic your blog gets on a daily basis.  It also lets you know all kinds of neat information like where they are from, what website they came to yours from, etc.  Since I've started monitoring it, I have averaged about 16 visitors a day, from as far away as Jakarta, Indonesia!  It's not much, but if 16 people care enough every day to see what story I have to tell or information to share, it keeps me going.

The other tool I just started using is a comment tool called Disqus.  I tell you about it because I need your help in testing it out.  So please leave me a comment telling me something simple like where you are from, since I know anyway because of Site Meter.  Don't be a blog stalker, join in the fun.  I need your help!!

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Mr. President


I find myself completely unafraid, and at ease!  I have been praying for President Obama since it became clear tonight that he would be our next National leader.  Even though we would likely disagree on almost every national, social, political, and economic issue, I comprehend the task before him is great, and I do not envy the watershed of complex issues that he will inherit. I lift Barak Obama before our Heavenly Father with the understanding that complete, perfect wisdom comes only from the Almighty.  A leader does not come to power without the appointment from the Sovereign King of Kings, and God is not caught off guard.  I would encourage all believers to pray for our nation and it's new leader instead of voicing their disappointment and anger.  Let us use our time, energy, and breath to cry out to God.  Proverbs 21:1 says, "The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will."  May we believe in the promises of God, and pray for our new President!

Monday, November 3, 2008

Why Starbuck's is Awesome!

There are certain times in life when you get a sneak peak into an organization and realize there is a reason why they are a gigantic business.  I was gonna vote anyway, but now I'm gonna vote and go buy a cup of coffee.  I know I could get it for free, but consider my Grande Decaf Pumpkin Spice Latte a bit of gratitude for being as awesome as you are! 

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Family Portraits





Today was pretty eventful!  We went to eat lunch at Sumo (not as good as Stix or Shogun) for dad's belated birthday meal.  Then we had family portraits made.  Matt had a WONDERFUL idea that we should take casual and suit pictures, so not only did we appear as a herd of cattle being corralled into the door, but we each had a change of clothes in tow.

From the get go I could tell it was going to be loads of fun.  The place was full of babies that were out past their nap times in uncomfortable clothes meant to make them beautiful for everyone to see in Christmas cards.  When we got there Trey joined in the chorus of unhappy voices, and this continued for about an hour before the first picture was snapped.  

These pictures are so sweet and beautiful.  Luckily you couldn't see what went on in between takes.  Claire Kate slept the whole time, except for her close-ups.  (She's going to be such a diva!)  Trey on the other hand, decided he was not going to take a single picture without a ball in his hands.  The very moment the ball was taken away, he broke into hysterics.  Incidentally, he fell asleep within five minutes of the last picture.

When all was said and done, we did get a few really good pictures, and even more fun memories.  We also remembered why we do this once every five years.

Halloween

Well, there you have it.  Hope's Fish (minus Tim) played at a fall festival last night and since we were a trio, we decided to go for the Blue Man group.  Here I is.  Enjoy!

What were you?  Leave me a comment and let me know!

P.S. We didn't dress the kids up.  We're lazy, lame parents.