Dallas 45, Tennessee 14

Dallas overcame a first drive interception to rout Tennessee 45 - 13.

Overall the team looked good. Terry Glenn had 2 touchdown receptions, T.O. with broken hand and all caught 5 passes for 88 yards and the defense had 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions and a fumble recovery.

But, the one concerning thing is the super cocky kicker, Mike Vanderjagt, missed a 26 yard field goal and his kickoffs were less than stellar. I'm sure Bill is going to be scratching his head on what to do with this kicking situation. He doesn't like taking 2 kickers so next week we may see Suisham. Heck his kickoffs are deeper and I'm sure he could have hit 50% of his field goals this week.

Seth is going to college

Today we went to the University of North Texas' Family Weekend to see where our niece, April, is going to school and to see her dorm room. When we got there Seth was full of all sorts of questions. First he wanted to know why "April isn't living with Uncle Chris anymore." We explained that she was going to college. When we got on campus we told Seth this was college and it was a big school.

Later in the day after getting home Seth declared, "When I get older, I'm going to college."

That is good news to hear...

Who Doesn't Want Freedom?

You don't have to read my blog for long to understand what side of the political isle I sit on. I also have several friends who sit on the opposite side and one of them is a friend of my wife, Jana. In this recent post
the comments turned into a debate over the war in Iraq and how the U.S. are the bad guys according to Jana and many of her readers.

Despite a multitude of things I disagree with, Jana made one comment that just floored me. In response to a comment about the U.S. trying to spread freedom through the world, she said some people don't want freedom. What? Jana is very intelligent and I believe her feelings are shared by many on the left. They don't feel freedom is something people really need or deserve. They really would like to move to more of a socialist society where the government controls our lives.

Our nature is to be free. God created us to be free and it is because sin came into the world that freedom is denied to some not because it is a better way to live.

This is good news to me.

Your Chances of Being a Multimillionaire: 64%

You have a good chance of being a multimillionaire. Better than most people. You simply have a natural knack for money and the personality for success.

Will You Be a Multimillionaire?

How Did We Ever Cook Hotdogs without a Microwave?

For some reason the other day I was thinking about Shelley's Grandmother who is in her 90's now and all of the technology changes she has seen. She grew up to see automobile travel, airplane travel, TV, man on the moon, the internet just to name a few. Will I see such significant changes? Well, here is a list of a few things that I didn't have when I was kid in no specific order.

1. The internet
2. Email
3. Cell phones
4. Text messaging
5. VCR/DVD player (we got our first VCR when I was a freshman in colleg)
6. Microwave (we got our first microwave when I was 13 or so) How did we ever make hotdogs or popcorn?
7. Answering machine
8. Call waiting - Does anyone remember what it was like to call and get a busy signal?
9. Cable TV/Satelite TV - I didn't get cable until I was 24 years old.
10. Home computers.
11. Digital cameras
12. ATM Machines
13. MP3 players

What technologies did we not have when you were a kid?

The NIE Report

Since we are approaching November elections I will probably start having more political post.

And since we are talking politics, I have to address the recently "leaked" NIE report and the conclusions that are being reported by the report. I would challenge anyone to try and not say that the reporting of this five month old report is anything but political.

If you listen only to the main stream media you would be led to believe that the only conclusion that this report had was that the war in Iraq is being used by terrorists as a means of recruiting. I'm not so sure why everyone is shocked by this statement but does it mean we don't need to be fighting the war, I don't think so. I actually think it confirms more the reason to continue with the fight.

Also, what isn't being reported is other statements in the NIE report like "United States led counterterrorism efforts have seriously damaged the leadership of al-Qaida and disrupted its operations.

The NIE report outlines a series of successes and failures in the war on terrorism but all you hear about are the failures.

Also, the main stream media can't have it both ways. The 2002 NIE report stated "Baghdad has chemical and biological weapons as well as missiles with ranges in excess of UN restrictions; if left unchecked, it probably will have a nuclear weapon during this decade."

So, we wrong to make decisions based on the NIE report in 2002 but now in 2006 it is clear that this report has a clear understanding of the situation.

You can read report after report, analysis after analysis but in the end the only thing that matters is results. And to me, the most important result is that since 2001 there has not been a successful terrorists attack against the United States. But, prior we saw act of terrorism after another, including the bombing of the World Trade Center, the destruction of US embassies in Africa and the attack on the US Cole.

Chicks Carrying Guns and Kicking Tail

I found this list of stories of woman defending themselves on John Lott's blog.

My favorite quote is from a Texas woman who was being robbed and she pulled her gun and said "Are you really sure you want to do whatever you're going to do?"

Read all of the stories here.

More Dallas Cowboys' Stadium Information

The plans for the new Cowboys' stadium have not been made public yet but The Fort Worth Star Telegram has published some information they have gotten from inside sources.

One thing I am glad to hear is that the "Hole in the Roof" will remain but will have a retractable cover that can be opened or closed. The stadium will have a more modern appearance made of steel and glass and look like a "spaceship". Other features identified are:

About 75,000 seats split among eight levels, called the Event Level, the Hall of Fame Level, Main Concourse, Mid-Concourse, Silver Level, Ring of Honor Level, Star Level and Upper Concourse.

Quarter-mile-long steel arches running end zone to end zone.

Large outdoor digital video screens that are similar to the 96-by-27-foot south end-zone scoreboard in the Arizona Cardinals' new stadium.

No end-zone seating above ground, allowing people to "see through" the stadium from the parking lot.

Read the article here.

The Gun Show

I took both boys to their first gun show this weekend and we had a great time. When I first asked Seth if he wanted to go to the gun show he replied, "yay, we are going to the gun show. (pause) What is a gun show?"

Well, he found out and he says he wants to go back. I think he was more interested in some of the non-gun related booths like the guy that had the stuffed armadillos laying on their backs holding beer bottles, or the guy with the old toys that included trains, or the Texas Rangers' (law enforcement, not baseball team)booth that gave each boys a sticker making them Junior Texas Rangers.

Chase also seemed to have a good time or at least he didn't voice any complaints.

Marathon Training Update

I just completed my fifth week of training and I have eleven more to go. This week was very hard because I have been very tired and I haven't felt well all week. This training I am doing is considerably harder than I have ever done and I just hope I can make it through it. This is all in attempt to try and qualify for the Boston Marathon. As an example, in the first 5 weeks of one of my previous training sessions, I ran 114 miles. I have run 146 miles during these first five weeks or the equivalent of an entire extra week. Next week I am scheduled to run 40 miles so things aren't going to get any easier.

Seth's Second Soccer Game

Seth's second soccer game was rain out today.

Israel Trip Update

Our church as decided not to go so the trip has been cancelled. I am very disappointed but also relieved a little. The cost of the trip had really been weighing on me lately. I know our church will be going sometime in the future, I just hope the circumstances work out so we can go.

Specific Prayers Update

In this post I talked about how I was being led to pray more specifically but I wasn't sure how to do it.

Shelley came up with the idea of creating a prayer journal where we could share our prayers with each other and start practicing praying more specifically. Well, we created a shared journal using Writely. We have been journaling our prayers for the last week and it is amazing to see God work. We have had some very specific prayers and God has answered.

If you aren't doing this then I encourage you to try it.

A Good Sports Weekend

It was a good sports weekend. My three teams, the Cowboys, TCU and my fantasy team, The Loansharks, all won.

The Cowboys won a big game against Washington to make their record 1-1. The downside is that T.O. broke his finger and is out 2-4 weeks. But, I would be willing to bet he plays against Philadelphia in 4 weeks.

TCU beat Texas Tech to move to 3-0 and extend the country's longest winning streak to 13 straight games. Also, this will definately move them up the Top 20 rankings.

Finally The Loansharks beat the Hawgstickers to move to 2-0. This was a big win for The Loansharks because it was a big Intraoffice rivalry.

The Joys of Fatherhood #21

Another Joy of Fatherhood is sitting in bed with two little boys on rainy Sunday, eating popcorn and watching football.

Seth's First Soccer Game

Soccer season is upon us and Seth had his first game today. They only had one practice prior to the game today so I was a little concerned about how it would go. Fortunately, Seth has two really good coaches that already know all of the kids names and really work hard to make it fun.

Seth did a really good job. He listened to the coaches and did what the coaches asked him. Now, at times he was the star of his own movie and was more interested in trying to entertain the crowd they playing soccer. I think he saw the field as his own private stage.

Also, as usual Chase wanted to be part of the action and to be with the big boys. He was constantly making his way to the playing field and I think if we let him go he would have been right out there in the middle of the scrum.

Dallas Cowboys' New Stadium #3

Still not much to see.














Here is a different angle. This picture is from the Fort Worth Star Telegram.

September 11 2001 - What We Saw

This video is a different view of the World Trade Center on September 11th. It is long though.

And as always if you are reading this through Bloglines or something similar, then come to my blog to view the video.

Patience

I have been struggling with patience all my life but right now I am having a really hard time. There are several things that I am looking for a resolution to but it is taking a long time. I know in Romans it says "suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope," but I struggle with the feeling of inactivity. I know it is my desire for control so I am really trying to turn it over to God.

There are a lot of versus in the Bible that deal with patience so I know God is aware that it is a struggle for us.

But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. Romans 8:25.

Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say on the Lord! Psalm 27:14

I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined me and heard my cry. Psalm 40:1

I'm a Pack Rat

I have always had trouble throwing things out. As I ponder throwing something away, the thought always races through my head, "I may need this someday." Now don't misunderstand me I don't have a garage full of old newspapers or drawers crammed with rubber bands. I also have a conflicting need for organization and order so I have this constant internal battle raging. I know my counselor would ask me "when was the first time I felt this way" but I don't feel like going that deep at this time.

Well, yesterday Shelley decided to call the Salvation Army to come pick up a few things and she wanted to give away some clothes so she asked me to go through my closet and pick out some things. In the past, this might result in a half a dozen shirts or so because we all know that I might need that t-shirt I got at the 5K race 5 years ago.

Last night I attacked this project though with a new sense of resolve. When all was said and done I had a stack of clothes well over 2 feet high laying in our bathroom floor. I was pretty proud of myself and I still managed to keep a few of those 5K t-shirts.

I Have Not Forgotten

Specific Prayers

This past weekend I seemed to be getting reminded that God wants us to pray specifically. Our counselor told Shelley that we need to pray specifically and that God wants us to pray this way so that we know it is him who has answered our prayers.

Our pastor told us in his message this weekend that we needed to pray specifically as well.

Here is the problem, I don't know how to pray specifically. So, I think my first prayer is "God, this week help me learn how to pray specifically."

Week 1 - 17 - 24 Loss

The Cowboys lost their season opener 24 - 17 to Jacksonville and it left me with a few questions. First, where was that all world defense we had been hearing about? They gave up 307 yards of offense, 3 touchdowns, and only had 1 sack.

Second, where were all of these weapons we were suppose to have on offense? Julios Jones rushed for only 72 yards, Bledson was only 16 of 33 and had 3 interceptions and Terry Glen only caught 4 passes for 80 yards. The only one who really did anything was the one we have all been talking about and that was T.O. who caught 6 passes and had 1 touchdown.

Third question, how long before we see Romo starting? Another performance like this from Bledsoe and I predict he will start week 4.

Kicker? It is the same old same old with being only 1 for 2 on field goes. Granted, Mike Vanderjagt didn't play but is he going to be any better?

If they don't improve it will be another long and disappointing season and I will bet it will be Bill Parcells last season.

Vacation

My 2nd post, Vacation, on Dadbloggers is now available. Read it here.

Faith Day

I hope this catches on. Read the whole story here.

ATLANTA – After the final at-bat of Thursday's game between the Atlanta Braves and Florida Marlins, the stadium seats will turn into pews.

That's because it's "Faith Day" at Atlanta's Turner Field. No, the hot-dog vendors won't preach John 3:16. But churchgoing fans - with, promoters hope, their non-Christian friends in tow - will assemble after the game to hear Braves star pitcher John Smoltz share how his life changed by believing in Christ.

Minor league teams from Buffalo, N.Y., to Huntsville, Ala., are holding similar promotions. The effect on ticket-sales is often dramatic. Faith Nights in Nashville regularly increase ticket sales by 60 percent. The Las Vegas Gladiators, the arena football team, had its highest Sunday attendance ever during a Faith Day event this spring.

Results like those captured the attention of big-league promoters, who are determined to bring the phenomenon - without the flashiness of camo Bibles - to "The Show." After the Braves hold their major league-first Faith Day Thursday - which includes a post-game Christian music concert - the Arizona Diamondbacks will hold its first Faith Day later this season. The Florida Marlins will try one next season.

WANTED: Mentor/Life Coach

Position Available: Looking for a Mentor/Life Coach and accountability partner who can help me advance in my walk with Christ and achieve some of my personal goals. Must be a Christian, Entrepeneur, and good listener. Must be willing to listen and share their life secrets.

Location - Dallas/Fort Worth but telecommuniting available for the right candidate.
Compensation - The occasional lunch and the fullfillment of helping a fellow Christian.

Interested candidates can email me or post a comment.

This has had me up at night

Two Fox News journalists were taken captive several weeks ago and recently released. During their ordeal Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig were forced to convert to Islam at gun point.

This has had me asking myself, "what would I do?"

I have been thinking about the Apostles and how they all died when they refused to denounce their faith or Jesus. Paul was beheaded, Simon Peter was crucified upside down and James Alpheus was stoned to death to just name a few.

I would like to think that my faith would be strong enough but I have to admit I am not sure. I think I might just view it as "temporary" and that God would know what is truly in my heart. As I run this scenerio through my head the faces of Shelley, Seth and Chase continue to pop in my mind as I ponder this decision. But, then I begin thinking about being "forced" to convert to a religion that the only way it can get converts is at gun point and I think I actually might refuse.

What would you do?

Armed Citizen #11

From www.nra.org.

Seventy-four-year-old Willie Brown had shrugged off the noises downstairs as typical bumps in the night. But then, a man holding a knife appeared in his bedroom doorway. Brown described the ensuing events to a local reporter: “He said, ‘Don’t move, I got a knife.’ I said, ‘You got a knife, huh?’ He said ‘Yeah’ … I reached under my pillow and came up firing my .38 Smith and Wesson. He said, ‘Oops’ and turned and ran down the steps.” An officer later spotted the wounded suspect driving erratically at high speeds and arrested him. “I might be old, but I am not slow,” said Brown. “I think [the intruder] might be through breaking in people’s houses for a while.” (Belleville News Democrat, Belleville, IL, 06/16/06)

Marathon Training Update

I have finished my first 2 weeks of my marathon training and am fairly pleased with my progress so far. Last week I ran 27 miles and this week I ran 30 miles with my longest run so far being 10 miles. This morning I ran my first training race, The Breakfast Bash 5 Mile. I finished the race in 39 minutes and 19 seconds which is a 7 minute 51 second mile pace. My goal marathon pace is 7 minutes 38 seconds so I was close to running my marathon goal pace but it was just 5 miles. So, along with increasing my endurance I need to increase my speed as well.

Why ?

Click on the image for a larger view.

Stewardship

Here is a good post on stewardship and managing your money.

Basically, it reminds us that everything we have belongs to God and it is our job to manage it to the best of our abilities.

When I think of it this way it really removes a lot of my worries about money. I know what I have is because of God and I must just manage it to the best of my ability. So, if a car breaks down, or I have a leak in my backyard or we have medical expenses, I just need to manage it the best I can and God will take care of the rest.

Has Seth Been Kidnapped?

Last night at dinner Shelley and I wondered if Seth had been kidnapped and replaced by an exact replica. We had just gone through over 24 hours of excellent behavior with him making really good choices. He and I had spent a good part of the day out and about and he was an absolute joy. He did everything I asked and didn't complain when it was time to leave something he was enjoying. Then at dinner, he actually ate and this included spinach.

But, alas, not to worry. The aliens must have returned our little boy when we weren't looking because at bed time he went into what I like to think of as his "4 corners technique". If you aren't familar with this term it was an old strategy used in basketball games by a team that was leading and wanted to run as much time off of the game clock as possible. His techniques include wanting just "1 more story" read. How can a decent parent turn down a child that wants to be read to, correct?. But his favorite move is he announces with a look of impending doom, "I've got to poo poo". He then sits, and sits and sits on the toilet and when Shelley's patience runs out and takes him back to his room it is only a matter of minutes before the alarm sounds again, "I've got to poo poo."

I guess a good parent would be relieved that their child had not been abducted by aliens, correct?

Play Ball

Chase has a new saying, it's "Play Ball". This warms my heart and now I have to start working on him saying "Go Cowboys!"

Lordy, Lordy Look Who's 40

Yes, today is my birthday and I'm turning 40. This isn't my favorite birthday but I'm starting to get use to the idea of being 40. I have started thinking of turning 40 as instead of being the oldest of the young people, I'm the youngest of the old people. Not the greatest but it is the best I can do right now.

But, I am excited about this new chapter in my life and I am really looking forward to experiencing what God has planned for me. He has already started shaking things up and I can tell that this next year could be very exciting.

What was he thinking?

I apologize if anyone thinks this story is a little "blue" but it made me laugh out loud. Read the whole story here.

Mardin Azad Amin found himself in a tight squeeze last week when security at O'Hare Airport discovered a suspicious-looking object in his luggage. So Amin, 29, handled the delicate situation this way: He told security the object was a bomb, Cook County prosecutors said.

In fact, Amin was trying to disguise the fact that the black object -- resembling a grenade -- was a component for a penis pump.

Why would he do this? Because his mother was standing nearby and he didn't want her to know.

What does this mean for Interplanet Janet?

Pluto's status as a planet is on the chopping block, read the story here.

***Update***
Astronomers vote to strip Pluto of planetary status so we are down to 8 planets.

I'm a Book Reviewer

I've been contacted by a publicist for an independent book publisher and asked to read and comment on their new book Little League, Big Dreams. According to their press release it is "an intimate look at what has become the world's most famous youth sports event. One part Spellbound and one part Friday Night Lights, Little League, Big Dreams takes the reader behind the scense of youth sports today".

They even sent me a free copy of the book. I could like this new gig. So, if there are any other publishers out there that want me to comment on their books, send them my way...

Still Missing

Fox News Channel reporter Steve Centanni and freelance cameraman Olaf Wigg are still missing after being kidnapped by unknown terrorists in Gaza. This kidnapping is not getting much attention by Main Stream Media.

Michelle Malkin is asking her readers just to make a quick post in support of our missing Americans and to show their families that they aren't forgotten.

Another Tough Night

The last couple of nights have been tough around our house. Seth has chosen dinner time to test the boundaries. He is ordinarily a well behaved little boy but he has chosen dinner time to display blatant acts of disobedience. Last night I finally had enough and sent him to his room. This is a very severe punishment for him because he just hates being in his room by himself. As soon as I put him in there the screams of "No, Daddy, please no. I can't stay in here. Let me out" began and continued between his sobs. When he is in his room he doesn't just cry but he has deep, painful sobs that are very difficult to listen to. It just breaks my heart.

Shelley decided to get out of the house and took Chase with her to the grocery store, leaving me home alone to listen to the heartbreaking cries coming from Seth's room. I sat at the kitchen table and just heard things like "Daddy, let me out", "Mommy, Daddy I love you", "Daddy, I don't like it in here."

This made me think about my heavenly Father and how difficult it must be to be him. I could easily have gone in, scooped up Seth, wiped away his tears and made all of his troubles go away. I had that ability but I knew that was not the best thing for him, he needed to learn the lesson I was trying to teach him. I just thought about all of the times (some recently) where I had called out for God's help and it seemed like he wasn't hearing me. But, I know he was listening but he can see a much bigger picture and he knows what is best and when it is time, he will come in, scoop me up and wipe away my tears.

Marathon Training

Tomorrow I start my training for my 6th marathon. It will be 16 weeks of the hardest training I've done. I've set a personal goal to try and qualify for the Boston Marathon which will require me to run a time of 3 hours and 20 minutes or better. Just for the record, my best time so far has been 3 hours and 37 minutes so I have set quite a lofty goal.

I will be posting updates of my progress.

DadBloggers

I am now a contributor to Dadbloggers. Dadbloggers is a blog where all the contributors are dads.

Read my first post here.

Baby Got Book

I thought this was funny. (If you are viewing this through some sort of reader you may need to come to my blog to watch the video.)

50 Marathons in 50 Days

As I am preparing to start training for my 6th marathon, I am amazed at this story. It is a story of a guy running 50 marathons in 50 days.

Video Sharing

One of the best investments we ever made was buying our video camera when Seth was born. I also invested in some video editing software so I could do a few more creative things. So, I have created several movies of the boys, all with background music, special effects etc. but, the biggest problem I have had is how do I want to share these videos with friends and family. Initially, I was making DVDs and giving those out to those who might be interested but that was a very time consuming process and the DVDs didn't always play on every type of DVD player. I tried creating MPEGs and AVI files and emailing them but these files usually proved so large most people's email blocked them.

I then started investigating video sharing sites like YouTube and Google Video and I really like these sites but they both had a few shortcomings that are very important to me. First, YouTube as well as most of the sites, have a restriction on the size of the video. Most have a 10 minute limit and a size of 100MB. My videos are often bigger than this so it would be of no use to me. Now, Google Video doesn't have the restriction and even has a special application you can use to upload larger files. But, Google Video has no mechanism to share videos privately. If you upload a video it is shared with anyone on the internet and Shelley and I have a problem with posting pictures or videos of our boys on the internet. It might be a little paranoid but better safe than sorry...

Well, I found a little known site called Fliqz and it allows me to share videos privately and I can even password protect them if I choose. They also have given me a method to FTP larger videos as well.

They are new and small in comparison to the other sites but they have been very helpful to me. I have had email exchanges with both the President and the Director of Promotions and they are very willing to help. I hope they hang around because I really like being able to share my videos in this manner.

God is Great, God is Good...

At meals Seth will often say the blessing and he always says the little prayer that I think all kids learn:

God is Great
God is Good
Let us thank Him for this food.

As I think about those six words "God is great, God is Good" I can't help think about how true they are. In a recent message at church we were taught to have an "Attitude of Gratitude" and I have really been trying to focus on that recently.

I am in the middle of a series of storms in my life currently but I have really been trying to have an "Attitude of Gratitude" and God continues to bless me. While the storms continue, God is still doing amazing things.

God is Great!

It's Hot, Hot, Hot

It has been a very hot summer. Today will be the 32nd day over 100 degrees and we will have been over 100 15 of the 16 days this month. But, whenever you talk about heat waves in Dallas, someone will always bring up the "summer of 1980". I didn't live here then so I decided to do a little research and find out how bad it was.

In 1980 temperatures were over 100 degrees for 69 days between June 23 and September 6th. On June 26th and 27th the temperature hit 113 and there were 29 days that either tied or broke record highs during that time period.

Okay, that was bad so maybe I need to quit complaining but I can't because it is still freaking hot.

Eat Ice Cream and Help Some Kids

Today, Thursday August 10th, participating DQ locations will donate all the proceeds from Blizzard sales to local Children's Miracle Network hospitals. Read about it here.

Shhhhhhhh, Chase is Sleeping

We are saying "Shhhhhh, Chase is sleeping" a lot lately, or at least whenever we can get him to sleep. He is having a lot of trouble going to sleep and then staying to sleep so things are a little crazy around our house. And, once he is asleep, we all go into "tip toe" mode, not wanting to make even the slightest noise in fear of waking him up because if we do, it might be hours before he goes back to sleep.

The only way we can get him to go to sleep is either by pushing him in his stroller or driving him around in the car. Last night I loaded him up in my truck for our nightly routine and we hit the roads of the Metroplex. It took nearly an hour of driving around and I was about to give up before I heard his gentle breathing turn into a quiet snore.

Once home I have to begin the difficult task of transferring him from the truck into his bed without disturbing him. I can only imagine a more difficult task would be disarming a nuclear bomb while wearing roller blades and covered in fire ants. Last night I had just completed the difficult task of unbuckling his car seat without disturbing him and was preparing for the move of pulling him out of the seat when our neighbors had the nerve to get in their car and start the engine. "Noooooo" I screamed in my head and I stood frozen as they pulled out of their driveway. I just prayed he wouldn't wake up. He adjusted in his seat a little but didn't wake up. "Thank you lord" I thought.

Last night's mission was a success but I know I will have to do it all over again tonight.

Runners World Turns 40

Today I was going back to work after getting my beloved Diet Coke from my favorite place, QT, when my cell phone rang. It was my good friend Paul.

Me - Hey
Paul - I was just in the store and saw that Runners World is celebrating its 40th anniversary.

Me thinking, "yes, kind of odd reason to call, though"

Me - Yes, I got my subscription in the mail last week and saw that.
Paul - Runners World is turning 40 and you are turning 40.

Me thinking again, "thanks for that reminder."

Me - Hmm, I didn't really make that connection when I saw that Runners World started the same year I was born.

Paul - And the same month.

Me thinking again, "thanks again for reminding me that my birthday is this month."

Me - Didn't really think of that.
Paul - You are in denial.
Me - Good bye

Note to self, don't answer Paul's calls any more.

Make a Better Choice

In our house Shelley and I believe in letting the boys make choices and learning that they must suffer the consequences of their choices. You will often hear us saying "Seth/Chase make a better choice." or "Seth/Chase choose something different." Well, to all of the "Pro-Choice" people, I just say "Please, make a better choice."

I have watched and re-watched the Elisabeth Hasselbeck video and I just don't understand the argument of Pro-Choicers. "It's the woman's body and she ought to be able to choose what she does with it." Well, she made a poor choice when she "chose" to have sex and now she must deal with the consequences. The little baby she created with her choice had no choice in the matter and it is he/she that we need to protect.

Oh, I know, "what about the 12 year old incest victim?" they will ask. Yes, that is an unfortunate situation but rape and incest only account for 1% of the reasons why woman have an abortion. My view is that the baby's life needs to be protected and allowed to be born and put up for adoption. While at the same time counseling and ministering to the victim. I don't see how taking the baby's life improves the chances of the victim of having a normal life, I just don't.

Here are some statistics.

40 million abortions since 1973
1% of those were because of rape or incest.
80% of abortions are by woman over the age of 20.
25% want to postpone childbearing
21% can't afford a baby
11% because the baby will disrupt job or education
14% partner doesn't want the baby


When they list leading causes of death, they don't include abortion. In 2003, the published leading cause of death was heart disease which accounted for 684,000 deaths. It is estimated that in 2003 there were 1.3 million abortions.

All I can say is we need to start making better choices.

Congratulations Troy and Rayfield

Today numbers 8 and 9 of Dallas Cowboys Hall of Famers were inducted, Rayfield Wright and Troy Aikman. I'm not going to go into the fact that a great franchise like the Dallas Cowboys only has 9 Hall of Famers, I'll save that for another day.

I saw Rayfield Wright play but I really don't have any memories of it. But, I did get to watch almost every game Troy Aikman played and it was a pleasure. I got to see Troy at his very best and very worst. Unfortunately, I don't think Dallas fans truly ever appreciated what they had in Troy Aikman. Even when he was winning Super Bowls, fans criticized him for not being mobil, not throwing enough touchdowns, etc. He just wasn't as flashy as some of the other quarterbacks playing but those other quarterbacks weren't winning Super Bowls either. I always remember thinking that the fans won't appreciate what they have in Troy until he is gone and that is what is happening today. It has been 6 years since Troy played and Dallas isn't anywhere near to finding the next Troy or Roger Staubach. We had to wait 10 years after Roger to find Troy so we may have a long wait ahead of us. Even if we never find another one, we were truly fortunate to get to watch him play.

Again, Congratulations Troy and Rayfield!

Elisabeth Hasselbeck

Yesterday on The View, Elisabeth Hasselbeck clashed with the other hosts regarding her opinions on abortion and "the morning after pill". Her views were classified as "extreme" but I think she did a good job standing her own even though she was out numbered. Here is the video.

Swimming Lessons Year 2

Last night Seth began his second year of swimming lessons. You can read about the first day of swimming lessons last year here. This year was a lot different from last year for a lot of reasons.

First, last year we went through the City of Euless and this year we are using the YMCA. Seth doesn't like change so I started preparing him by telling him that this year we would be at a different pool and he would have a different instructor. But, I would still be in the pool (so I thought) with him and everything would be ok.

Last year with the City of Euless the parents actually were in the pool with the children helping the instructor. Well, as we were waiting for the lesson to start at the YMCA, I noticed none of the parents had their swimsuits on. "Uh oh" I thought. "Things must be different here".

So I began trying to prepare Seth by telling him there might be a chance I won't be in the water with him. "I want to go home" was his response. "This is not going to go well." I thought.

Sure enough, the instructor called the children to the steps of the pool and the parents were not invited. But I was pleasantly surprised that Seth just walked into the pool with no questions asked. But, I was the only parent to sit poolside, though, but it really worked out for the best.

There are only five kids in the class and they sit on the steps as the instructor takes each student out and works with them. Seth did really well when she was asking him to do something he had already done but if it was something new, it always took a little coaxing. I just love our little cautious boy.

This program isn't as "kid friendly" as the City of Euless. The instructor didn't tell the kids her name and she didn't get their names but I was quick to tell her Seth's so she could call him by name. Also, they don't get stickers after each lesson either. But, there might be the possiblity that Seth will learn more with this program because he did really well.

BR - 549

If you know what the title of this post is referring to then more than likely you were born prior to 1970 and you grew up in the South. Now there could be some exceptions but I imagine this is mostly true.

If you don't know, it is the phone number to Junior Sample's Used Car Sales on Hee Haw. Now, if you don't know how BR-549 could be a phone number then you definitely were born after 1970 and probably didn't grow up in a small town.

The other night I was channel surfing and I landed on an old episode of Hee Haw and I was immediately taken back to when I was 12 years old and visiting my grandparents. I believe Hee Haw came on at 6pm on Saturday nights and at this time you were guaranteed that my grandparents television would be tuned into it. The only exception might have been if an Arkansas Razorback football game was on.

As I watched Hee Haw I found myself longing to be 12 again and visiting my grandparents.

Both set of grandparents lived in the same small town in Arkansas with a population of about 600. Despite the fact that they only lived a few miles apart the visit to each set of grandparents would be completely different.

At one grandparent's a visit would involve feeding the cows, shellin' peas and eating banana pudding. At the other grandparent's it would involve shooting birds with bb guns, blowing things up with firecrackers and climbing trees.

Despite the fact that the visits would be different I always enjoyed our time there. But, I never really appreciated it. Now, some 28 years later I can look back and at least have fond memories, I just wish I had the opportunity to have some more.

Money is just flying out the window

Do you ever get where it just feels like money is flying out the window? Every time you turn around you are encountering another unplanned expense? Well, that is where we are right now.

It started with a leaky sprinkler system. Since it is the middle of the busy season I still haven't been able to get someone out to look at it so I have no idea how much it is going to cost but I know it is more than I planned. (can't wait for the next water bill either)

Then yesterday I checked the mail and got the bill from the IRS for their audit. It was for $303. I know it could have been worse but it is still three hundred dollars.

Then yesterday I went into our playroom and noticed it was VERY HOT. Now the rest of the house is cool, just this room is hot. So, this morning I went into the attic and found that the duct work had broken into two pieces. The upside is the antic was nice and cool since we had been blowing cold air into it. (I can't wait for our next electric bill.) But, tomorrow we get to call the A/C man and find out how much it will cost to repair the duct work.

Then we have the obligatory unplanned medical expense.

I know we are blessed and these are really just minor inconveniences but I sure hope this stops soon.

Dallas Cowboys' New Stadium #2

The second in a series of my pictures of the progress of the construction of the new Dallas Cowboys' Stadium. Go here for picture 1.

Right now it is a big hole in the ground. Click here for an article on the construction.

Click on the image for a larger view.

Sleep, We all need sleep

Last night we or should I say I was watching The Lion King (for some reason I am the only one in the family that can sit still and watch an entire movie, but that is another post). There is a scene where Simba is trying to wake up his father, Mufasa. Mufasa turns to Simba's mother and says "he is your SON until the Sunrise". This struck me as so true that it is generally the responsibility of the mother to tend to the "fussy" child in the middle of the night.

Chase has been waking up a lot lately in the middle of the night and Shelley has been having to do a variety of things to get him back to sleep. During these times I can think of several excuses as why I'm not helping. Some of them are:

1. She's breastfeeding, I can't do anything to help. (I could get up and rub her shoulders or something. Now that we are past this stage and aren't having any more children I can make this bold claim.)
2. I have to get up early and go to work. (Oh, poor me, it's not like she doesn't do anything during the day).
3. She is better at it than me. (what a cop out that is)
4. The boys want their mother. (another cop out)

Am I terrible husband/father?

I do know I am married to an awesome woman.

So, what am I going to do? I am going to pray that Chase sleeps through the night so I don't have to worry about it. :-)

Time with Chase

The last few days Seth has been in Oklahoma so we have had an opportunity to spend a lot of time with Chase.

I am constantly amazed at our little boy and I'm not biased just because I am his father.

First, he is extremely smart. He is already talking and he even has phrases, not just single words. And when he can't communicate with words what he wants, he is very capable of getting his message across. Yesterday he wanted to ride in the car and he directed Shelley out to the garage to show what he wanted.

He also has very good hand eye coordination. He is already hitting a ball off of a tee with a bat and he is also able to replace the ball on the tee.

But, the most interesting part of his personality is his lack of fear. We really have to keep an eye on him because he does seem to lack that little voice that says "Chase, this might hurt you." This wasn't an issue with Seth so Shelley and I are having to adjust. The other day we were in two separate rooms and Chase left the room Shelley was in and headed to my room. Shelley didn't worn me though that "Chase Watch" had transferred from her to me and I didn't hear him come into the room (I was working on my laptop and I often don't know what is going on around me). Before I knew it he had managed to pull a potted plant and ceramic pot off of its stand and down on himself. It hurt him and scared him but I know if we were to put that plant back where it was, he would go right back to it again. I often say about Chase that he "doesn't have any quit in him."

Cowboys' Training Camp

It is just 1 day, 1 hour and 10 minutes until the official start of Cowboys' Training Camp.

Take Away my "Man Card"

I am feeling I need to have my "Man Card" taken away. For some reason I have become less and less handy around the house. I have never been Norm Abram but I could do a few things. But lately I am finding myself needing to hire someone to do a variety of things around the house. The most recent is a sprinkler leak in my back yard. I spent an hour this morning digging trying to find a leak in my spreakler system. After get up to my ankles in mud and not finding the leak, I finally decided to accept failure and call in a professional.

This isn't the first occurance but one on a growing list. To make it even worse, Shelley gave me a $50 gift card to Home Depot and I can't even think of anything I need and even worse anything I want!

What is wrong with me?

Galveston

We just returned from a short family vacation to Galveston, Texas; we thought we could all use a trip to the beach. Seth had been to the ocean about a year and half ago and Chase had never been so we were both anxious to see what their reaction would be.

Enthusiasm was not lacking because when we were still about three hours out from Galveston, Seth started asking "where's the beach?" When we finally arrived at our condo we quickly put our swimsuits on and headed for the beach. I had visions of me and the boys walking hand and hand in the surf but alas it wasn't to be. The personality of each boy kicked in as we approached the ocean. Seth stopped suddenly about 10 feet from the ocean and refused to go any further and I basically had to tackle Chase (the 1 year old) as he ran ahead out into the ocean.

Despite minimal planning we managed to do several things in the short two days we were there and I imagine everyone had there favorite moments.

I had several myself. With Seth it would be the boat trip around Galveston we took. It was one of those tours that shows you some of the highlights and we even got to see Dolphins playing. This boat had 2 decks and we spent most of our time on the lower deck because experience told us that Seth, the ever so cautious one, probably wouldn't like the upper deck. But, toward the end of the trip he wanted to go to the top so up we went. He immediately went to the front of the boat, a la "Titantic", and just loved the view he had up there.

With Chase it was his first dip in a swimming pool. We took a brief swim in the pool and being one never to be left out Chase wanted to go. So, I swam him around the pool and he just delighted in it.

For Seth I know his favorite had to be the Railroad museum we went to and the model train exhibit he got a private tour of. It was amazing display with a lot of detail. The men who created let Seth go inside the exhibit and get a close up view of all of the trains.

For Chase I think it had to be getting to go swimming. He is a natural and was already kicking his legs and moving his arms.

For Shelley it might have been the fact that I didn't have my laptop or cell phone with me for two days, a new record for me.

All in all it was a nice vacation.

Israel Trip

I have gotten many inquiries or statements regarding our Israel trip. It is usually something like:

"So, I guess you aren't going to Israel now?" or "I sure hope you have cancelled your trip."

For the record our trip is still on and here is the email I recently received from the tour company.

We are aware of the situation in Israel and there is no concern right now to worry. Where the conflict is, it is further north than where we will be touring in Israel. We have traveled over to Israel for 25+ years and have never had to cancel any trip. We have your safety as top priority and if we see that we need to cancel any trip for any reason, then you would receive a full refund.

Armed Citizen #10

From www.nra.org

Dressed in black with socks on his hands and armed with a tire iron, a would-be robber certainly looked the part as he approached the southwest Houston home of 26-year-old Derriun Raney and knocked on the door. Police say that when Raney opened the door, the man struck him in the head repeatedly with the tire iron. Raney drew a pistol and fired several shots, striking his assailant in the stomach. The unidentified man died in the front yard. Raney suffered a cut on his head, but was otherwise uninjured. (Houston Chronicle, Houston, TX, 04/15/06)

An Unusual Smell

I don't have any brand loyalty regarding what shaving cream I use, I generally just grab whatever catches my eye. I have been using my current can for about a week and have noticed that it had an unusual smell but each morning I have lacked the energy to go to that extra step of reaching down, looking at the can and identifying what fragrance it is suppose to be. Well, this morning I did and when I turned the can around I saw, "Fragrance Free" splashed across the can.

So, is that why we inject everything with some sort of odor because no odor just smells so bad?

One Thing I Forgot

I forgot to mention in my previous post about Shelley's class reunion was that I married the prettiest girl in the Class of 1986 at Coleman High School.

Class Reunions

This weekend was Shelley's 20th high school class reunion. This was the first high school reunion I have ever attended. I know my class had a 5, 10 and a 20 year reunion (I never heard anything about 15) and I didn't attend any of them. My position has always been that I would keep in touch with anyone I wanted to so why go and see those that I didn't want to stay in touch with. I haven't kept in touch with anyone in my class so there has been zero reason for me to attend.

Shelley grew up in a small town and had a graduating class of 14. She had 8 from her class attend and I imagine of the 6 that didn't attend, a few of them probably shared the same thoughts that I do.

It was interesting to be able to attend a reunion and just listen to the stories. Since Shelley's class was small they seemed to be a very close group who spent a lot of time together, maybe too much time. They also all seemed to more geniune than I would imagine some of my classmates would be. I don't think I heard anyone trying to brag about their accomplishments since they graduated. Now, this might have been because except for Shelley, those that attended had stayed in the area and there probably weren't any lies that could be told. It seemed that everyone at the table either worked or went to church with a cousin, brother, or some other relative of everyone else at the table.

But, I think this might be the last high school renunion I attend because I still hav e no plans to attend any of mine, unless I win the lottery and then I will have something to go and brag about. Yes, I'm no different than anyone else.

Wishing Your Life Away

When I was a kid I would often say something like; "I can't wait until Christmas." or "I wish it was summer vacation." or "I wish it was the weekend."

My mom would often reply, "Don't wish you life away." This has always stuck with me. Anytime I find myself looking forward to something or just wishing it wasn't today, I will hear my mom's voice.

The other day I was looking at photos of Chase from the past year and just marveling at how he has grown and wondering where the time has gone. It is true that once you have kids, then time just seems to fly by, but this is the time I want to savor the most so I am trying to quit "wishing my life away".

This is very hard to do though, because right now I wish it was the weekend.

Happy Birthday Shelley

Today is my wonderful wife's birthday.

Happy Birthday and I love you.

50 Most Influential Churches

The Church Report has released its 2006 list of the 50 Most Influential Churches. They surveyed the leaders of over 2000 non-Catholic churches and had them vote on the churches they thought were most influential.

My Church made it at #4. Here is the top 10:

1. Willow Creek Community Church - South Barrington, IL
2. Saddleback Church - Lake Forest, CA
3. North Point Community Church - Alpharetta, GA
4. Fellowship Church - Grapevine, TX
5. Lakewood Church - Houston, TX
6. Southeast Christian Church - Louisville, KY
7. Life Church - Edmond, OK
8. Potter's House - Dallas, TX
9. Brooklyn Tabernacle - Brooklyn, NY
10. North Coast Church - Vista, CA

Rocky Balboa

Here is the new trailer to the new Rocky movie Rocky Balboa. Watch it here.

I know this will be the 5th one and the last few have not been very good, but I can't help and get excited when I hear that music start up.

It comes to theaters December 22nd.

July 11th and the All-Star Game

This morning when I got in the car and started listening to my favorite sports talk radio station, The Ticket, I heard them talking about The All-Star Game. This instantly took me back to a day I will never forget and that was July 11, 1995. I then looked at my watch and noticed that today was July 11th and I thought, "uh, how things have changed in 11 years."

The morning of July 11th started off to be a beautiful day but was forecasted to be hot, approaching 100. But, I didn't care because I had tickets to the All-Star Game that was being played in the new Ballpark at Arlington. I was only going to work a half day at my job as a credit analyst for Pitney Bowes Credit Corporation and then we were going to head out to the ballpark and enjoy the pre-game and eventually the game. This was possibly a once in a lifetime opportunity and I didn't know if I would ever get to go to another All-Star Game so I was excited.

But, first I had to go to work and first on the agenda was an all office "breakfast meeting" where some honcho from headquarters was going to talk to us about the future direction of the company. What I didn't know at the time was that future didn't include me.

As I was going into this big theater style meeting room they had a table with bagels, orange juice, donuts, etc. and as I was loading my plate I heard one of my co-workers say "at least they are feeding us our last meal." Unusual comment I thought.

What I didn't know was that all of the department managers had met at a hotel the night before and then were suppose to meet with their staffs prior to the meeting to give everyone a heads up but mine was still stuck in traffic. So, I walked in, chose my seat and some guy walked up to the center of the stage and said "so I guess you all know why you are here?" Everyone in my department slowly raised our hands and said we didn't and that is when he hit us "Oh, we are closing the office in September."

It initially didn't dawn on me that this meant I was losing my job (that I had for 5 months) but I quickly realized it. All of the excitement of the All-Star game went out of me. I then went back to my desk to call my wife and tell her I was losing my job and that we might not be able to buy the new house we had just started building. I then got to meet with an HR person to talk about that I could possibly relocate to Chicago for a lower paying job or they would provide me career search assistance. We were having a good time then.

I then went to the All-Star game and watched the National League beat the American League 3 to 2 and the All-Star game would always be burned into my memory as the day I lost my job.

Another Roller Coaster Accident

Here is another roller coaster accident. This sent 20 people to the hospital.

Story

Why do people ride these things?

I love Lisa Whelchel

Yes, I love Lisa Whelchel and I'm not talking about the crush I had on Blair Warner.

Shelley is currently reading Lisa's latest book



Something she read in the book yesterday prompted her to get organized. She started cleaning out closets and drawers. I also had a complete grocery list waiting for me this morning when I went to the store. Finally, she was ready for church well over an hour before we needed to leave and she was even wearing ear rings. Also, both boys were also ready for church and we ended up being at church thirty minutes before it was scheduled to start.

Who knew she had this in her..

Mid-Life Crisis cont..

I haven't used my Blog in the past for my own personal therapy but instead have chosen to limit my post to things not quite so personal. But, as I wrote in this post I think I might be going through a mid-life crisis.

Actually, I don't know what it is but since I am about to turn 40 I know everyone will assume that it is a mid-life crisis so that is what I am choosing to call it. Also, a crisis might be the wrong term because that implies some level of unhappiness and I am not really unhappy but I am really feeling out of sync.

Being "out of sync" is the best way I can describe how I am feeling. I feel like I am moving at a different speed than everyone else or sometimes that everything is moving either faster or slower around me. That sounds very odd, doesn't it?

I have been turning to God, reading my Bible a lot, praying all in an effort to try and understand this state I am in but I haven't received any enlightenment yet. I am starting to believe that the reason is that God is making me feel uncomfortable in order to initiate change in me. Well, it is working because I am very uncomfortable.

One of my strongest feelings right now is one of inadequacy. I feel I am not living up to anyone's expectation at this point. I feel I am not living up to expectations of being a husband, a father, a servant of God, or even expectations at work. I feel I am failing to give everyone what they are needing from me and I am letting everyone down or disappointing them.

4th of July

Happy 4th of July! America is 230 years old and is still the greatest country on Earth.

Israel

Shelley and I have made the decision to go to Israel with our church. We are both very excited because this is something we have both wanted to do for a long time. In fact, it is one of my "7 Things to do before I die." We will leave December 28th and be gone for 10 days and the itinerary looks packed.

I will be blogging more about this as we prepare for the trip and then obviously after the trip.

Asking for Prayers

I want to ask for prayers for my Aunt Anita who has been diagnosed with liver cancer. The cancer is in her liver and pancreas and she isn't well. She is in a lot of pain and is very weak. She starts chemo on Monday. Just lift her, my uncle and their son up in your prayers.

Haircut Day

Today was a first for me, I took both boys at the same time to get a haircut. Shelley had worked last night and needed some quiet time so I figured this would be a good way to get us all out of her hair (excuse the pun) but I was secretly a little concerned. Chase has only had one other haircut so this is a relatively new experience for him so you never know how he might react. Seth generally does really well but if we have to wait extra long (it is first come first serve, no appointments) then his patience can run thin.

So, I packed the bags with drinks, cheerios and toys and headed out on our little adventure. Fortunately it wasn't very crowded and we only had 1 person in front of us. Seth kept everyone entertained with a little song and dance number and everyone thought Chase was the cutest thing they had seen.

I opted to have Seth go first because he was in the most need of a haircut and if things went bad, we could just leave and bring Chase back another day. But, they didn't go bad. Seth sat in the chair and had excellent behavior during his haircut and it allowed Steve (our barber) to cut it even shorter and straighter than ever before. And Chase was equally pleasant. He sat on my lap during his and never put up a fuss.

Now we all or sporting our new haircuts and I think Mommy enjoyed the little time to herself.

Big Companies Just Don't Get It

I work for a small company that is owned by a big company and I can tell you our parent company just doesn't get it sometimes. I also know most big companies just don't get it most of the time. For example, I have a friend who works for AT&T and I sent him an email with a link to this, a post about pricing for AT&T's new service U-Verse which is an IPTV and Internet Service. In my email I said "looks like pretty good pricing." He happened to print it out and have it with him when he went into a meeting where they passed out a corporate memo instructing them not to talk about the pricing for U-Verse.

He said, "we better tell the bloggers then."

I don't get it, don't you want people talking about your products?

Roller Coasters

I hate roller coasters. I have never liked them and I'm not ashamed to admit they scare the heck out of me. I don't think they are safe and then I read a story like this where a 12 year old boy dies after riding a rollercoaster or a story like this and it just confirms this.

Why am I writing about Roller coasters? I don't know, just felt like sharing.

Mid-Life Crisis

This might be the first of many posts on this subject.

I am turning 40 in 58 days (but who's counting) and I'm not too happy about it. Even as I sit back and read that last sentence, it is hard for me to believe I am going to be 40. When I look in the mirror, I still see an early twenty something looking back at me.

I have heard about mid-life crises but never really understood what it might be like. Now, I'm not out looking for a younger woman because I value my life too much and I know Shelley isn't kidding when she says she would kill me in my sleep. Also, I'm not looking to go out and buy a little red sports car because I am too cheap for that. But, I am having the urge to change something or open a new chapter in my life, I just don't know what that might be.

Maybe instead of a "crisis" it is an "opportunity". To be continued..

Hardheaded

Growing up I often remember being described as "Hardheaded". Dictionary.com defines "Hardheaded" as "unreasonably rigid in the face of argument or entreaty or attack". Synoymns for "Hardheaded" are stubborn, bullheaded, headstrong, obstinate, pigheaded, and unyielding.

As we have watched Seth grow up we have seen these traits in him. Shelley and I have joked that he got a double dose of of stubborness. Well, he may have gotten a triple dose of it after observing my wife recently.

She has dug her heals in on an issue despite receiving wise counsel directing her to do otherwise. Pray for Chase that this gene skipped him.

God Wants Me to Play Basketball

Tonight as we were putting Seth to bed, he was all wrapped up in playing with the Nerf Basketball my brother got Chase for his birthday. I was trying to get him to stop and say his prayers but he just wanted to play basketball.

At one point the ball rolled under his bed and I said, "Seth, that is God's way of telling you he wants you to say your prayers."

Undeterred, he reached way under the bed and continued his game. He then took a shot that knocked the goal down and I said again, "See Seth, God wants you to come say your prayers."

He looked at me and said "God wants me to play basketball."

And there you have it....

A Letter to Chase

Below is a letter sent to Chase from my brother, one younger brother to another.

Chase,
On the occasion of your first birthday, I wanted to share some facts of life that I have learned while being the baby brother in a Dowdle household with two boys. First, notice the date of this note. I'm 3 days behind in writing it, and it still has to go into a box and get shipped with your presents. Lesson: It's ok to be a little late. "Better late than never" usually applies. Second, your older brother probably has more talent than you. That's ok too. The few times you manage to beat him at a video game, golf or some other game will be very sweet for you, and leave your brother wondering if he has already started to lose his edge. You'll know this when it happens because he will get really angry and refuse to play with you for a few days. Enjoy his pain. Third, your big brother will probably make your life miserable at times. Just hold on until you get to be about 8 or 9 and you soon will become his best friend. This usually occurs about the same time your brother starts to be interested in girls. He will do or say something stupid in your presence, pay attention. This is an opportunity to black mail your brother into letting you drive his car or something else equally satisfying. Used properly, this information can be used time and time again. Be careful, though. An astute brother can use this same tactic on you. Say little, listen a lot. Finally, learn to type as soon as you can. Writing notes like this one will give you cramps that will mess up your golf swing.

I've enclosed a few gifts that should help you build some of your strongest childhood memories.

1. Nerf basketball set. This is great for years of fun. Don't get stressed out if the net breaks or the dog chews the ball. This stuff is cheap and your dad should run right out and get you a replacement. Don't let him give you that "maybe for your birthday" stuff. That is just him being cheap and lazy.

2. Ping Pong paddles. You can use them for Ping Pong if you like, however, they are great for hitting just about any type of projectile. Unfortunately, these paddles are best used for hitting Nerf basketballs that aren't made any more. You can try to hit the one I've enclosed but I'm not sure what the result will be. The true test of any indoor baseball simulator is the screwgy. Your father should be able to teach you how to throw it. Once mastered, your brother won't have a chance to beat you at indoor nerf baseball. Remember, over the bar and into the wet sink is an automatic grand slam!

3. Table top football. To truly enjoy this sport, you must train to build the perfect paper football triangle. I have lost the skill for this activity in my old age. Until your hands are big enough to form a proper goal, you can use the enclosed game to hone your skills.

4. Musical Instrument. I've randomly selected the enclosed electric instrument for your experimental pleasure. It is necessary for you to get this out of your system as soon as possible. You don't want to be carrying one of those stupid black cases on and off the bus when you hit junior high. Those things are just an invitatation to get picked on by bullies and ignored by girls. Just ask your father.

5. Finally, your cousin Lucy wanted you to have a stuffed animal to cuddle with. This is ok, but don't let Seth find out. If he discovers that there is something that is near and dear to you heart, and/or helps to bring you peace during the rough times, he will take it away from you. He will hide it, he will pretend to flush it down the toilet. This is the best time to throw a huge hissy fit and see if mom and dad will punish him. It has to be done once in awhile to keep the natural balance of your relationship intact. When you're older, I'll teach you all the things I wish I had known about taking revenge on your older brother while I was a kid. Once you are strong enough to tear duct tape, Seth will have to start treating you better.

Well, that's it for this birthday. I hope someone takes the time to read these notes of wisdom to you. Remember, when the day comes that you get a present on Seth's birthday because someone is concerned you might throw a fit and ruin the party, you have them right where you want them.

Love,
Uncle Tim

Where is Shelley?

If you are looking for Shelley, her blog will be back.

Another Guilty Pleasure

I may have found another guilty pleasure. It is America's Got Talent, a creation of American Idol's Simon Cowell. It is a pure talent show with acts ranging from Bobby Badfinger's, the professional finger snapper, to Sid the Kid, the 8 year old stand up comic.

It reminds me of the old Gong Show. It has 3 celebrity judges; David Hasselhoff, Brandy, and Piers Morgan. If all 3 judges "buzz" the performer they have to stop their performance before it is done and they won't get to go onto the next round.

It has only been 1 week so we will see if it can hold up in the upcoming weeks, but it is a nice summer diversion.

Dallas Cowboys' New Stadium

The Dallas Cowboys are building a new stadium and it is scheduled to be completed in 2008. I am going to track the monthly progress of the construction here. This is the first photo.

Click on the image for a larger view.

Game Six

All I have to say about the game is ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Ok, I feel better

Congratulations Miami!

Now, it is time to move on. The Rangers are in first place and it is 38 days until Cowboys' Training Camp begins.

Games Three and Four

The Mavericks have let the Heat back into this series by losing both Games Three and Four. I still feel like the Mavericks will win the series and I think my original prediction of winning it in 6 looks good. If it has to go to game seven, then I will be a little concerned.

I don't know if it is good news or bad news but in both of the last 2 games the Mavericks have played horribly. If they just play like the Mavericks I don't feel the Heat can beat them, but they aren't playing like the Mavericks and that is concerning.

Go Mavs!

Happy Birthday Chase

Happy Birthday Chase!

One year ago today we were blessed with a wonderful little boy. This year has been amazing and the one thing I will remember the most about this year will be Chase's laugh and smile. He can light up a room with his smile.

I love you Chase.

Sleep

How much sleep do you need? I have never needed more than 6 hours a night and if more of those hours are before midnight then even better. My high school baseball coach would tell us that the sleep you get before midnight is better for you than the sleep you get after midnight. I don't know if there is anything to that because I think he was just trying to figure out a way to get a bunch of 16 and 17 year olds to bed early before a game, but, it does seem to be true for me.

But, one problem with needing just a few hours sleep is that if you lose any of those hours, it is more costly than someone who sleeps 8 or 9 hours a night. If I lose 1 of my 6 hours that is a greater percentage of my sleep needs than someone who loses 1 of their 9 hours of sleep.

I lost an entire day of sleep this weekend because we were upgrading a major system at work. I must have been running on adrenaline because it wasn't until around noon on Monday that I started feeling tired. I imagine some people might have walked away from me after having a conversation wondering what we just talked about. I just hope I didn't say anything too ridiculous.

7 Years Ago Today

Seven years ago today Dallas beat the Buffalo Sabres 2-1 in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Why do I remember this? This was also the day Shelley and I got married.

Don't misunderstand me, the fact that Dallas beat Buffalo that night is not why I remember the day but the fact that I got to watch the hockey game on the day I got married was one of the first indicators that this marriage would be "different." Actually, the marriage isn't that different but the woman is, she is like no other and that is why I love her so much.

I could write pages and I have about how wonderful my wife is but today I will just say, Happy Anniversary Shelley and I love you.

Game Two

Double WOW!

Dallas wins game 2 99 - 85 and takes a 2-0 lead in the series.

Teams leading 2-0 in the series have one the championship 25 out of 27 times.

The Little Brother

I'm an older brother and Shelley is a younger sister. When we had Chase, Shelley became "The Little Brother Advocate". She wanted to make sure Chase got equal treatment because she knew what it was like to be the younger sibling. This is fortunate because I originally underestimated how this dynamic would work but I have had the opportunity to view it from a different perspective and it is truly amazing.

First, Chase doesn't want anything that he feels doesn't live up to what Seth has. For example, when Seth started T-ball, we gave Chase a little vinyl glove, not a leather one, and a cloth covered baseball. He instantly knew these were not as good as the glove and ball Seth had and has had nothing to do with them but insists on playing with the real t-balls we have in the house. We got Chase some Thomas the Tank Engines for 0 - 12 months age but he won't play with them but prefers to play with Seths "actual" Thomas the Tank Engines. You won't believe the tension in our this causes...

Also, if Seth can do it then Chase thinks he can do it, forgetting the fact that he can't even walk yet. He has no fear and will get right into the middle of whatever Seth is doing and try it.

I always thought it was silly when people would buy 2 of everything because both kids had to have one. Well, I can see I am going to be spending at least the next few years buying 2 of everything...

T-Ball is Over

We played our last T-ball game today and I have to admit I really enjoyed the experience. While Seth and I had a few "episodes", overall we both had a good time. I was actually all prepared when the season started for this to be a failure and to make the decision that Chase wouldn't play t-ball until he was at least 5 because 3 does seem very young. But, I think we often under estimate our kids and what they can do or accomplish but that is another post for another time.

I really enjoyed watching Seth. When he would hit the ball or run the bases he would have the biggest grin on his face and if he got the opportunity to field the ball, you could just see the pride on his face.

We are taking a break for a few months but soccer is next on the schedule so that should be hoot.

Game One

Wow!

Mavericks win 90 - 80! The Mavericks didn't play their best game, Dirk only scored 16 points and Josh Howard only scored 10. But, I imagine Miami will argue they didn't play their best game either. It is going to be a great series.

On another note, this series is providing more examples of why I like Mark Cuban. Sure, he is a dork and can be a jerk but so can I so who am I to criticize. Besides, bringing a winner to Dallas, he is unlike any other sports owner.

He went down and shot baskets before the game because he couldn't pass on the opportunity to be on the NBA Finals floor. What other owner in sports would appreciate this? They are more concerned with who they are entertaining in their suite. Also, he did an interview with ABC last night just 30 minutes before tip off while he was working out on a stair climber. And, he is blogging during the game, what other owner will give you that kind of access.

Al-Zarqawi Killed

I don't think anything else needs to be said..

My Wonderful Wife

I have the most awesome wife and I don't tell her this enough. She had a rough weekend and I want her to know that she is appreciated.

I once joked that "no wife of mine will have more than 3 jobs." I would say this because there have been times when Shelley actually had three jobs. I know that she would do anything for our family and this provides me with great comfort. When God created Eve he was creating a "helper" for Adam and I have the best "help mate".

But this weekend I remembered what first attracted me to her and that is her sense of humor. In this post I describe the night we met, and her sense of humor was a big factor in drawing my attention towards her. This weekend we had limited time together but we had some very funny moments that we got to laugh together about and it just reminded me how I love to hear her laugh.

I love you Shelley

Congratulations Mavericks

The Mavericks are the Western Conference Champions after beating the Suns 102-93.

I have lived in Dallas for 21 years and had the privilege of watching some very bad basketball. Very bad...

Like him or hate him nobody can deny what Mark Cuban has done for this franchise. By the way, I like him.

Also, if you are wondering about my latest sports superstition, my friend didn't watch the beginning of the game and when he turned it on the Mavericks were down 48-33. Once he started watching they out scored the Suns 69-45.

Sports Superstitions

I think any man who loves sports and is passionate about a particular team has some sports superstitions or rituals that help guarantee his team a win. If I am standing and my team is doing well, I will remain standing or if I'm holding my tongue in a particular way I will not change until the streak stops.

A current one I have going is that a friend of mine who really has little interest in basketball or the Mavericks has watched every game in the playoffs that the Mavericks have won and not watched the ones they have lost. I am going to do everything to make sure he watches Game 6 tonight.

With the ebb and flow of sports, most sports superstitions run their course pretty quickly. The longest running one I had started in the first quarter of Super Bowl XXVII between the Cowboys and the Bills. Buffalo scored first and in my disgust I threw the Cowboys hat I was wearing across the room. Well, Dallas came back to score and win the game and I just knew the fact that I took my hat off is what led to that victory.

So, that started a long running tradition of me not wearing any Cowboy apparel on game day and because of me the Cowboys were able to win 3 out of the next 4 Super Bowls. The tradition finally came to an end in 1997 when they went 6 - 10 and missed the playoffs.

Go Mavs!