Spring Break

Last week was spring break and I took a few days off.  We didn't go anywhere because Chase had a baseball tournament the week before and the week after spring break.  They didn't fair to well in the tournament prior to spring break but they came in 2nd in the tournament this past weekend.

Chase took a foul ball off his arm and got a nasty bruise.

The boys taking a break

We also went and saw this movie and it was good.

This week is JH and Varsity baseball.  The JH won last night and the Varsity got beat.  They both have games Thursday as well.

Contacts

Chase got contacts this weekend.  The jury is still out as we have experienced a little frustration with the putting in and removal process.  He got them for sports but if he gets used to them, I suspect he may wear them more regularly.

2.28.18

We had a towhall meeting for Wylie Prep last night and a variety of topics from leadership changes, building 22, and campus security were discussed.

But, one board member said something that has stuck with me.

Glance at your problems and Gaze to God!

Cowtown Marathon 2018

I ran the 40th annual Cowtown Marathon this past weekend with John Caddell.  We ran the half marathon.  Below are the results. 

Billy Graham goes home

Yesterday, Billy Graham died at the age of 99.  He is quoted as saying

Someday you will read or hear that Billy Graham is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it. I shall be more alive than I am now. I will just have changed my address. I will have gone into the presence of God.

A fun fact is that this is actually adapted from a quote from D.L. Moody, one of Graham's heroes.

Some day you will read in the papers that D. L. Moody, of East Northfield, is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it! At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now. I shall have gone up higher, that is all; out of this old clay tenement into a house that is immortal—a body that death cannot touch; that sin cannot taint; a body fashioned like unto His glorious body.

Shelley and I went and saw him at Texas Stadium in 2002. Here is an article.  I was a new Christian and it was a powerful night for me.

He will be missed but his legacy will continue to grow.

Another School Shooting

Yesterday, in Parkland, FL, there was another school shooting.  Seventeen people were killed by 1 gunman.  The gunman was actually caught so we might get some answers as to Why? 

But, needless to say that this has sparked the gun control debate again.  But, it is obvious from the shooter's social media he is disturbed.  Also, it appears there was a lot of warning signs that no one did anything about.

Unfortunately, there is evil in the world and God is really the only solution.

Valentine's Day

This time of year is always special because a week before Valentine's day is when I first met Shelley and 2 days later is when we went on our first date.  Below is the video I sent her this morning.  I actually don't remember ever seeing the video because it is pretty 80s and pretty cheesy but I always liked the song.

The Olympics

The winter olympics are underway and they are in Pyeongchang South Korea.
I haven't gotten into them just yet but I'm sure I will.  The one thing that is nice is that it is a 15 hour time difference so they have scheduled a lot of things so they are live at night.

I never can decide if I like the winter olympics more or less than summer.  I like a lot of the speed and risky sports in the winter olympics.

Day 4

I skipped the weekend but I'm back.

Friday night we drove to Windstar and saw Jim Gaffigan.  It was good but probably one of the best lines came from Chase.  Upon walking into the smoke filled, lights flashing environment of the Casino, Chase said "here is where people come to make poor life choices". 

The rest of the weekend was pretty quiet as it was a cold and wet.  We even got some sleet on Sunday morning.

Day 3

Today is Friday.

We are driving to Thackerville to the winstar Casino to see Jim Gaffigan.

He is clean and pretty funny. This was one of their Christmas presents.  We have started giving them activities a lot more.  We gave Seth tickets to a TCU basketball game for his birthday.

Fun Fact:WinStar is the largest casino in the US based on sq. footage.  Who knew...

Day 2

I just wanted to write a quick post to keep my streak going. :-)

Baseball is kicking in and things are getting hectic.  The boys are playing for WPA which started practice this week.  Chase is playing for the Fury and they practice 3 times a week and the first tournament is in 9 days.  Seth is playing for another select team but they haven't chosen an organization yet but they are starting to practice as well.

I know there will be a time when we miss this.  Just like all the other stages we have been with the boys. 

To be continued...

I'm Back (for now)

It has been a long time since I posted anything and I regret that.  As I looked back on some of the post, it was a nice journey down memory lane.

So, I'm going to give it another shot.

It is interesting because one of my last posts was about meeting Shelley the first time.  The 21st anniversary of that was yesterday.

A lot of other things have changed since my last posts.

We moved from Bedford to Lavon. 
The boys are 15 and 12.
Seth is learning to drive. 😓
We have started a new company.  We are in a partnership on a water and fire restoration company.  Rainbow International of Mckinney.
My mother is diagnosed with Lung cancer.
We've lost several relatives. I'm not going to list them all out of concern that I might forget someone.

I don't know if anyone will notice that I posted again so I will be curious to see if anyone comments.

Hit and Runs First Video

Things can change in an instant

You never know how one day can change your life forever and you might not even realize it at the time.

Seventeen years ago today was a rainy, dreary day and I was supposed to go to a happy hour that I didn't want to go to.  That night at Kempis in Addison, I met a girl who also didn't want to be there and at that moment, my life would never be the same.

Seventeen years later and almost 15 years of marriage, there are two little boys who I would never have had the privilege of being their daddy.  Seventeen years later, she has made me a better person and I love her with all my heart.

I love you Shelley!

Old Friends

A few weeks ago I got an email from an old friend, Mark Mrky.  Mark and I were best friends when I was in the 5th and 6th grade, but, we moved from Iowa to Kearney.  We maintained the friendship through letters for about a year but as things always happen, we both quit writing.

We did see each other in 1990 when he was passing through Dallas and we met at DFW airport during a layover he had but that was the last time we had spoken.

But, a few months back I found him on LinkedIn and connected and then he sent me the message a few weeks ago saying he was going to be in Dallas for a few days.

We met for lunch and it was good catching up.  I think we both turned out pretty well and it makes me wonder how my life would be different if I hadn't moved from Iowa.

As I look back on my childhood, a large number of my fondest memories come from those 2 years in Iowa and being friends with Mark.

It is good to stay in touch with old friends.

Happy Birthday Seth

I know this post is a day late but better late than never.  :-)

Seth turned 11 yesterday and it is really hard to believe.  I Remember back 11 years ago when we were all a lot younger and I can't believe how far we have come and how much has changed.  That was a very special day for all of us.  Yesterday Seth got a note from Marilyn and it made us all cry.

My Precious Seth, today is your eleventh birthday. Time has passed so quickly. I am remembering being at school on January 28 and getting the call that the doctor said, "Let's go get this baby!" I told my principal that I had to leave since it was time for you to be born. I rushed to the hospital in time to see Mommy and Daddy before you were born.

    When your Daddy came out to the waiting room and told us that you were here and showed us a picture of you, my heart just overflowed with love and joy. A little later I got to hold you. You were so tiny.

    At home, I rocked you and held you so the sun would shine on you because the doctor wanted you to be in the sunlight. Looking into your precious face, I sang to you, "Grandmama loves Baby Seth Dowdle."

    That was a very happy and proud time for all of us. There have been many happy and proud times since you were born. You make me happy and I am very proud of you!

    Happy birthday! I love you!

    

    Mama

I think this says it all.

He has grown up and is becoming a little man.  I am very proud of him and love him very much.

Happy Birthday Seth!

Nothing else needs to be said

I've never laughed so hard

This post won't give the story justice but I just needed to document it.

Chase has been suffering from itchiness  in his private region.  So, yesterday I bought some jock itch spray and prior to going to bed we went to apply it.

Imagine a naked 8 year old with both hands protecting his most sensitive area.  I sprayed a test on his leg so he would know that it was going to be a little cold.  I then went to apply it but was having to fight through Chase's attempt to block the spray.

We were both having a good time and laughing at this "game".  I finally got a good shot in and he dropped to his knees yelling, "It is burning."  He was laughing while saying this and this caused me to laugh harder.

This spray has some sort of baby powder type property and when Chase stood up, looked down and in shock, yelled "It turned it white!"  I lost it and couldn't continue because I was laughing so hard.

Track

Seth has had this natural ability to run fast so in an attempt to try and grow this natural ability we signed him up for a summer track program with the City of Euless.  I didn't know what to expect but was surprised by what we experienced.

First, there were about 150 kids participating from the ages of 5 up to 18.  Second, they practice a lot in track.  They had practice from 6:30 - 8:30pm Monday thru Thursday.  Third, the coaches were great.  They were all volunteers but they really worked with the kids and focused on finding a way for each kid to experience success.  Fourth, track meets are long, hot and a lot of sitting and waiting.  You end up waiting a couple of hours for your event, you run and in 15 seconds it is over.  You then end up waiting another few hours for your next event to come up and that is how the day goes.

Some other things we discovered was Seth seemed to really enjoy it.  He was pretty good and I think he liked the individual nature of the sport.  But we also discovered that there are a lot of fast kids out there.

Seth participated in 3 meets and then the big Regional meet.  In the 3 regular meets he participated in the 4x100 relay and the 100 m dash.  In the big Regional meet they didn't have enough kids to make 2 relay teams so he ran the 100m dash and the 200 m dash.  In the 100 he finished 34th out of 59 kids and in the 200 he finished 26 out of 52.

Following the meet Seth expressed a lot of disappointment for not qualifying to go to State because only the top 6 finishers in each event moved on to State.  But, we told him he had worked hard and done great for it being his first year in track.  This all was affirmed by what happened last night at the end of season party.  Seth was awarded the Rookie of the Year award (see pic below).  He was so excited and we were so happy for him.

Great job Seth!!

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BxmS5GLrfOzRdEI2TzJZRGJqOXc/edit?usp=sharing