Dallas Cowboys' 2007 Draft

I am withholding most of my judgement regarding this recent draft until we get to see what these players can do but I will say I like the fact that the Cowboys were able to acquire a possible top 10 pick next year from Cleveland. I think until we see what that pick turns into we won't be able to accurately judge the quality of this draft. But, I do think the Cowboys did a pretty decent job of addressing needs and getting quality players.

1 Anthony Spencer DE PURDUE
3 James Marten OT BOSTON COLLEGE
4 Isaiah Stanback QB WASHINGTON
4 Doug Free OT NORTHERN ILLINOIS
6 Nick Folk PK ARIZONA
6 Deon Anderson FB CONNECTICUT
7 Courtney Brown CB CAL POLY
7 Alan Ball CB ILLINOIS

Heard around the house

This morning Chase (the two year old) was on the phone with my mom when she asked him what he was going to do today.

"Church." he answered.
He was asked what else he was going to do.
"Play." he replied.

I'm glad he had is day planned out.

Then when Seth was getting dressed for church he stated, "My underwear is pinching my pickle." I think that falls in the "too much information" category.

Flying First Class

Yesterday I flew to San Diego and back all in one day. That makes for a long day but at least on my return trip I got to fly in first class. I'm not sure how because I didn't upgrade and I didn't purchase a first class ticket. But, it made it awkard because I was travelling with my boss and he was in coach. So, I had that internal battle as whether to give my boss my seat or not. Ultimately, I chose not to so we'll see how that works out for my career.

The New Guy

I was gone to San Diego yesterday and went I got back to work this morning I had 0, yes ZERO emails. It sure is nice being the new guy.

Tornado Warning

Last night we had our second tornado warning in two weeks. This spring has had the worst weather that I can remember in a long time. In fact, since Seth was born 4 years ago, I don't think we have had to take shelter in our hallway. If we have, it was when he was very little because this is the first experience he remembers and he doesn't like it.

Two weeks ago, we had very large hail and high winds and it was quite scary. Last night was not nearly has bad but both boys were already in bed when the sirens sounded so we had to go wake them up to bring them to the hallway and, all parents know once they are asleep, it takes an act of God for you to have to wake them up.

Since we got them out of bad, I think Seth knew that this was serious and he was very scared. He was actually shaking as he sat in Shelley's lap and was full of questions.

The storm passed with no damage and amazingly both boys went right back to sleep.

Disappointing my kids

When I knew I was going to be a father I made a lot of promises to myself that including things that I would never do and things my kids would never do.

First, I would like to apologize to all parents out there that I had negative thoughts about, especially all of the ones in various grocery stores, movie theatres and Wal Marts through out the years. I was wrong and hope you forgive me.

I made promises that I didn't want to do and one of those was not being there for my kids. I didn't want to miss their birthdays, school plays, or baseball games. But, I was realistic and knew that it might happen time to time.

Well, this past week, I have missed 2 Kindermusik classes and 2 soccer games and the pain I have felt was horrible. The thought of disappointing my kids has been excruciatingly painful and I am further committed to my promise.

I hope someday they read this and know that I will always do whatever it takes to be there. I have further appreciation for Neal Page in Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

Dancing and Cake

Last night we attended a wedding and after the traditional first dance between the bride and groom and the father and bride dance, the DJ asked all married couples to go to the dance floor. Those around us including Shelley all looked at me and I tried to resist the peer pressure.

I commented that it would end the streak. The last time we danced was the night we met but I finally gave in to go dance with my wife for the 2ND time since we have known each other.

But, soon after we started dancing the DJ began calling off couples who had been married less than 2 years, less than 4 years, etc. We finally stepped off at less than 8 years and it finally ended with a couple who had been married 40 years.

The DJ then asked everyone back on the dance floor to dance to Unchained Melody so I grabbed her hand to take her to the dance floor but she blurted out, "I want cake."

HUh?
(Note to self, if I want to get out of dancing in the future, offer cake.)

My reprieve didn't last long because the next song was I Can't Help Falling in Love by Elvis.

So, now the count is up to 3 dances in 10 years.

My First Day

Today was my first day on my new job and it was relatively uneventful. The majority of my time was spent doing HR stuff.

The biggest issue I am having is a lack of control. Yes, I have control issues. When you are someplace for 11 years you get to where you dictate your own day and events. Right now, my office is temporary, I don't have a laptop yet, I don't know how to access my voice mail and until about 4:30 today, I didn't even have a trash can. I haven't even met the people who report to me. It is quite the adjustment for me.

Also, after running the IT department I am finding it odd not having some of the perks I was use to or the level of access. Oh, well, I'll adjust (I hope).

VA Tech

I have been trying to summarize what my thoughts are regarding the horrible events at Virginia Tech and I haven't been able to do it very well. I have posted a few things over at Live To Shoot if you are interested.

I am just going to keep everyone at Virginia Tech in my prayers and someday I hope to understand it all...

A Healthier Diet Coke

Coca Cola has released a healthier Diet Coke, Diet Coke Plus. It is Diet Coke with vitamins. It has 15% of the daily allowance for Niacin, B6 and B12 and 10% zinc and magnesium.

Now, I HAVE to drink Diet Coke because it is good for me...

Cowboys' Stadium Update

Here are the latest pictures of the Cowboys' new stadium. This article has the latest updates on construction.

Severe Weather

Last night we had one of the worst storms we have had in a long time. A tornado touched down just five miles from us and we got pelted by hail bigger than golf balls. It sounded like the hail was going right through the roof at times and this morning we woke up to find that it had actually broken the window in our youngest son's bedroom.
I am just thankful that all we had was one broken window..

My Last Day

Today is my last day at the job I have had for almost 12 years. Today is going to be an emotional day for me.

Since I have had this job I have (in chronological order) built a new house, gotten divorced, moved into an apartment, started dating Shelley, married Shelley, moved into a rent house, bought a new house, Seth was born and then Chase was born. The only constant has been this job.

I am not going to miss this job because it has become a beating. But, I am going to miss the people.

I have worked with some of the best people and I will really miss them.

I am a horrible person at keeping in touch but I don't want to lose touch with many of them so I hope between email, instant messaging and cell phones we won't lose touch. There really isn't an excuse these days is there?

Priorities

My ninth post on Dadbloggers is now available. Read it here.

Firearm accidents are very low

The National Safety Councils released its 2007 Injury Facts report and firearm accidents are very low in comparison to other accidents.

In 2005, out of 109,000 unintentional fatalities, firearms accounted for 730. This is in comparison to 44,757 motor vehicle accidents, 19,000 poisonings and 17,000 due to falls.

Out of those 109,000 unintentional fatalities, 5,280 were among children under the age of 14. Firearms accounted for 56 of these deaths in comparison to 2,408 motor vehicle accidents and 782 drownings.

It could be argued that having a pool is 14 times more dangerous than having a firearm in the home.

I know these statistics will never make it to the main stream media and they will continue to report every unfortunate child death because of gun as if it is at epidemic proportions.

Sleep Disorders

Shelley could be the poster girl for sleep disorders. She either can't go to sleep at all or she is able to sleep all day if she wanted to. There isn't much in between. So, it shouldn't be a surprise that our boys have sleep issues as well.

We have to drive Chase around every night before he will finally go to sleep but it isn't as easy as it sounds. First, he has to be pried away from Shelley as he clings to her screaming at the top of his lungs. Sometimes he can be bribed by the fact that he will get to listen to I'll Fly Away. But, once we start driving the screaming usually starts and I'm sure the motorist driving by can hear him and are probably wondering if there is Amber Alert out for this poor child. Eventually the screams will suddenly stop, his body will go limp, his head will drop and the pacifier in his mouth will dangle in his lips.

But, this isn't often the end of the story and last night was a perfect example. First, somewhere around 1 AM Seth shows up in our room needing something to drink. Then about an hour again he showed up again and Shelley took him back to his room. Then during this same time Chase showed up and was very upset to find Shelley's side of the bed empty. I forgot to mention that I am of no use to them at night. They are in search of their mother and have no need for daddy.

I am also certain that during all of this, Shelley also gathered up her pillows and went to sleep in our guest room. This is also a common occurrence as she searches for some combination to help her fall asleep. Then at 4 AM, I'm out of bed and hitting the streets for my morning run.

Our home isn't a very peaceful place during the night...

What are men doing?

Yesterday while I was in the waiting room at my dentist I picked up a womans magazine. I'm not sure which one but it wasn't Glamour or Cosmo because it had food on the cover. But there was an article listed that caught my eye so I start leafing through it.

This article stated that 40% of husbands had NEVER cooked dinner. NEVER? They hadn't even grilled a hamburger at sometime, I wondered. It also stated 40% had never done the grocery shopping.

The article had a lot of other stats that I didn't get to because I got called back for my appointment but I couldn't get those figures out of my mind. 40%? What are these guys doing?

In our house I make dinner about 50% of the time and I do about 90% of the grocery shopping and I don't consider myself all that helpful around the house. Heck, I spent five hours Sunday sitting on butt watching the Masters all day.

But I just keep wondering what these guys are doing....

Camera Phones

I've never really used the camera functionality of my phone and then last week I used it to take the picture for this post.

I just got a new phone and Seth saw me testing the camera functionality and it really caught his interest. Here is some of his recent works.



Now, when I was four, I'm pretty sure I wasn't surfing the internet and becoming proficient using a camera phone, how about you?

AT&T U-Verse Install

Today we got our AT&T U-Verse installed and everything went great. Three techs showed up at 9 AM and it took them about four hours to do the install.

I really like the service so far. Our Internet speed went from 4 Mpbs to 6 Mpbs and our upload speed went from 500 Kpbs to 1 Mpbs.

We also now have the ability to record up to three shows while we watch a fourth. We will soon be able to access our recordings from any tv in the house. We are also able to schedule recordings from the Internet.

Every receiver is already HD ready so no additional expense was required and AT&T gave us HD service free for a year.

I am not a big fan of how they do their guide. They overlay it over the current picture but it is somewhat transparent so you can still see the video through it but it is kind of strange. Also, I find it ironic that we are purchasing this from the phone company and the one feature we lost was the ability to have caller id appear on the screen when a call comes in. But, this is something they will be adding soon.

I have dealt with AT&T a lot in the last few days and have been very pleased. In addition to adding U-verse I also switched my work phone from Sprint to Cingular. Every person I have dealt with has been very nice and very professional.

Cell Phones on Planes

The FCC has been reviewing its ban on cell phone usage on airplanes since 2004. The FCC is concerned with cell phones in the air interfering with cell phone networks on the ground.

The agency said that there is "insufficient technical information" as to whether cell phones in the air would jam networks on the ground. So, the agency as decided to keep the ban in affect. But, they also received an outpouring of comments from travellers not wanting to lift the ban and I have to agree. Can you imagine being on a three hour flight and having to listen to the yahoo next to you on his phone?

Read the article here.

Another ban I would like to see put into affect is a ban on cell phones in public restrooms. Nothing I hate more than listening to the guy in the stall next to me talk to his wife while I am trying to do my business.

U-Verse Install Update

We got a call yesterday just reminding us about our install on Thursday and the fact that it might take up to 8 hours. I imagine the 8 hour install is something that is a bit of a problem and they really want to set expectations properly. My AT&T insider tells me they are actually averaging 5.5 hours.

Then last night another AT&T tech came to our house to check out our lines and he was very nice.

The one thing that has impressed me in comparison to my experience with the cable and satellite companies is that all the employees appear to be actual AT&T employees and not local contractors they have hired. Even the customer service person I talked to was in San Antonio and not India.

Cleaning out my desk

The last few days I have been cleaning out my desk at work and it has been a struggle. First, when you have been somewhere almost 12 years, you accumulate a lot of junk. Also, I have a lot of stuff I haven't looked in some cases 10+ years. Now, at the time, I knew "I might need this some day." but obviously I didn't but don't you have a sense of comfort knowing "it's there if you need it."

As I go through each of these items I still find myself thinking "I might need this." But, the practical side says, "You haven't needed it in the last five years, why would you need it now?" But, it is like giving up a safety blanket of information that you have accumulated over the years.

When I survey what I am taking with me I keep thinking "this is it?" If I don't count the pictures of my kids, some various books, and my collection of Hot Wheels cars, there is maybe only 1 box of stuff. How will I get by without my stuff?

What Are Some Parents Thinking?

Sorry about the picture quality but it was the best I could do inconspicuously with my camera phone. This is a picture of a little boy I saw today in the waiting room of a doctor's office. He is wearing a 1 piece, pink, short jump suit thingy and flip flops. It was the most ridiculous outfit I have seen and to compound the problem, what the picture doesn't show is that his older brother (not a twin) was dressed EXACTLY like him. How will these boys ever have a normal life.

Then just a few minutes after this picture was taken, he was standing in front of his mother with a death grip on his penis telling her he had to go to the bathroom. She was on the phone and told him to wait. He stood there for almost four more minutes, was on the verge of tears and I was just about to grab him and run to the bathroom before she finally got off the phone. (Come on, the last thing a boy dressed like that needs is to wet his pants.) His mother then had the nerve to tell him to hurry as they were running to the bathroom.

Spring and Sports

Spring is here and that means the start of two of my favorite things, baseball and The Masters and they both start this week. Today is Opening Day and Thursday they will be teeing off at Augusta, I couldn't be more excited.

Greatest Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Seth is somewhat picky about his grilled cheese sandwiches. His favorite is Chili's grilled cheese and that is followed by a close second from Sonic. He won't even eat one that Shelley and I make. Maybe we should try the one that won in the Kids Category in the Greatest Grill Cheese in America contest.

Did you know the average American eats 8.4 grilled cheese sandwiches a year.

AT&T U Verse

I have just signed up for the new AT&T U-Verse service. This is AT&T's new television and Internet service. I'm excited about the possibility and will be blogging about what I think about it.

My experience with AT&T's customer service was very pleasant. But, the install takes 5 - 8 hours which is a very long time.

The install is next Thursday so I will be sure to report on that experience.

I Quit

Today I did something that at one time would have been inconceivable and that is I resigned my position as the Director of Technology for The LoanLink Center. I have been with this company for eleven and a half years and at one point thought it would be the last company I worked for. If you had asked many people that knew me as recently as ten months ago, they would have predicted that I would have died at my desk at Loanlink but at last it won't be.

It was just last May when I was sitting around a table at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas with three others arguing that our parent company wouldn't be crazy enough to do what it appeared they might be thinking about doing. Well, they did it and that has resulted in the decision I made today. Also, three of those four people that were sitting at that table are no longer with the company.

Now the time has come for me to move on. It was never the company I liked working for or the job I had or how much money I made that made this job enjoyable, it was the people. I worked with some of the most fantastic people over the last eleven years and one by one many have moved on and the ones that remain might not be here much longer either. The people will be what I will miss the most.

But, we all have to start new chapters and the nice thing is that nobody can take away the friendships, those will go on no matter where we work.

Toys, Toys and More Toys

Last night I started picking up the boys' toys and came to the realization that we have way too many toys. I was struggling to find a place to put all of their stuff. Their rooms can't hold all of their toys so we converted our office to a playroom and it is now full so they have creeped into our living room, our bedroom and even our bathroom.

So I made the decision that we need to approach this problem much like our immigration problem. First we need to seal our borders and stop the flow of incoming toys. So no more toys will be allowed to enter our home. Once this problem is solved then we have to look at each existing toy. Unlike many proposed policies, mine will not have any option for amnesty. Each toy will be evaluated based on whether they play with it and whether it offers any educational value. If it fails these criteria, out it will go. I plan to have it down to where their rooms can hold the majority of their toys.

Books, please just give us books...

Castle Doctrine Signed Into Law

Governor Perry signed the Texas Castle Doctrine bill into law yesterday. The law goes into affect September 1st.

From plain old ordinary guy to daddy

This past Saturday was Day out with Thomas Day but this post isn't describing the great fun the boys had riding Thomas, having their photo taken with Sir Topham Hat, riding ponies and seeing all sorts of neat Thomas stuff.

No, it is based on what I was thinking as we stood in line with hundreds of other kids and parents who paid $18 per person for a 20 minute train ride.

The question is what happens to the male once he has children? He will do things that a few years earlier he would never consider. He'll trade-in his corvette for a minivan. He'll be willing to lug around a combination of diaper bags, back packs and camera bags when previously he would be afraid to even carry the smallest of accessories out of fear of not looking cool. He'll have conversations on topics such as poop, potty training, and Little Einsteins versus Wonder Pets. He knows the words to all the Wiggles songs and the programming schedule of Noggin. He'll pay money to go see Elmo in concert and even buy a program to remember the event.

I don't know what causes this change but I know at the end of the day when I hear "Daddy, I had a good time with you today." I wouldn't change a thing..

Weird Dream

I had a dream last night that I was a star indoor soccer player but we played our games outdoors.

Apparently, I was playing my last season and needed 3 goals to become the all-time leading scorer in indoor/outdoor soccer league history. The current record was 939 goals.

The game was a defensive battle but with just a few minutes to go I managed to score a goal which just put me one behind tying the record. I then caught on fire, I was in a zone and scored two more goals in just a matter of minutes and became the all-time scorer.

What does this mean?

Dreams will be one of those things I ask God about when we finally meet.

Lesson Learned

Don't venture into a house painting project that is going to take an entire Sunday afternoon when you have a 4 year old and a 2 year old.

Trying to keep them entertained and out of the paint was exhausting. We didn't quite finish what we set out to do but got close. Unfortunately, Chase's room is going to remain in its 85% completed stage probably for several weeks as I work up my courage to give it another go.

I'm exhausted and need to go to sleep.

Also, on a side note, don't paint your kids bedrooms or take the doors off and paint them without a plan B. Chase's room smells of paint fumes and Seth doesn't have a door on his bedroom so they are sleeping on a futon in the playroom. It would have been beneficial to wait until they were spending the weekend with Grandmama...

Belief-O-Matic

I took the Belief-O-Matic quiz and my results are below. Its not surprising what is #1 but what does strike me as odd is that my beliefs have anything in common with Scientology or Secular Humanism.

You can take the quiz here.

I also took the How Hip Is Your Church quiz and the results were

Over the edge. Your church is happening!


1. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (100%)
2. Eastern Orthodox (83%)
3. Islam (83%)
4. Orthodox Judaism> (83%)
5. Orthodox Quaker (83%)
6. Roman Catholic (83%)
7. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (77%)
8. Seventh Day Adventist (75%)
9. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (64%)
10. Jehovah's Witness (63%)
11. Reform Judaism (59%)
12. Sikhism (55%)
13. Hinduism (51%)
14. Bahá'í Faith (47%)
15. Liberal Quakers (46%)
16. Jainism (44%)
17. Mahayana Buddhism (38%)
18. Theravada Buddhism (38%)
19. Unitarian Universalism (36%)
20. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (34%)
21. Nontheist (34%)
22. New Thought (33%)
23. Scientology (31%)
24. Neo-Pagan (24%)
25. New Age (21%)
26. Taoism (20%)
27. Secular Humanism (17%)

Morning Person

McDonalds is currently running an ad about a very unusual type of person and that is the "morning person." He is depiticted as being some type of "freak of nature" in the commercials that no one understands.

I have been one of these "freaks of nature" as long as I can remember. When I was a kid I was always frustrated that Saturday morning cartoons didn't start until 7 AM. This was when there were only three channels and maybe a couple of UHF channels and no such thing as The Cartoon Network. (How many kids today know what channels are the UHF channels?)

When I was 10 I had a job as a substitute paperboy in our neighborhood. So if the primary paperboy was out of town or sick, I got to deliver the papers. It was just like you see on tv with me on my bike and the big bag draped over my shoulder and slingging papers as I rode by each house. I loved doing it and the primary reason was I got to get up early. I loved being the only one awake in the neighborhood.

But a problem with being a morning person is that you are a minority and no one seems to understand you and they always seem to look at you funny.

Why am I so misunderstood? Why? Why?

Home Improvements

Our house is 7 years old and that means it is time for home improvements. We are just on the periphery of things beginning to fall apart so we are starting with painting. As I mentioned in this post the outside needs painting but I am actually going to pay someone to do that for me. We have also decided to repaint the inside of the house. Four years of little hands, tonka trucks and thomas the tank engine has left our walls and baseboards looking "distressed." We have just about finished one room; you don't realize how big your house is until you start trying to paint it.

Next on the project list will be hardwood floors and I imagine the fence is going to need replaced soon as well...

Job Satisfaction

Do you not like your job? Well, check these out and think again.

Texas Castle Doctrine Update

The Texas Castle Doctrine bill is headed for Governor Perry's desk. Last week the Texas Senate passed the bill unanimously and yesterday the Texas House approved it without debate.

Read the article here.

Good Bye Crazy Ray

The Cowboys lost an icon this weekend when "Crazy Ray" Jones died. He was the "unofficial" mascot of the Cowboys and only missed 3 Cowboy games in 44 years.

He is a big part of my childhood memories of the Cowboys and the games won't be the same now.

Here's an article from Mickey Spagnola.

Don't Let Your Kids Play with Matches

Just kidding, we didn't actually burn down the forest.

Penn and Teller Expose the Fallacy of Gun Control

This is a good video.  Penn and Teller expose the fallacy of gun control laws in their special way.  It is 28 minutes long.

If you don't see the video then go to this link.

No to H.R. 1022

In this post I urged you to go to this site and sign the petition to say no to House Bill 1022.  It currently has over 30,000 signers but we need to get more aggressive.  JR over at A Keyboard and a .45 notes in this post that the bill appears to be gaining momentum and he provides links to contact your representive to urge them to vote against this bill.


This bill is far more aggressive than the Clinton Assault Weapon Ban and will result in far more guns being banned.

Here is a good summary of the bill.

Spring Break at Lake Eufaula

After Seth started asking to go fishing (not sure where he got the idea he wanted to fish) we decided to spend our spring break at Lake Eufaula in Oklahoma. Shelley booked us in some nice cabins, Cabins on the Cove, and set up a guide to take us fishing.



The Cabins where we stayed.




The boys loved visiting the horses outside our cabin, Classy and Keila.



Captain Mark, our guide.



The boys really loved fishing.



We had a pretty good day fishing. Shelley thought she would out fish me but in the end I prevailed.



We also visited the Honey Springs Battlefield. This was the site of what Civil War historian Ed Bearss called the battle "America's first 'Rainbow Coalition!'" Troops on both sides included Native Americans, African Americans, and Anglo Americans. The Federal victory opened the way for occupation of Fort Smith and the later Union victories in the Red River valley.



The interesting thing at the Honey Springs Battlefield is that there is a small section of the original Texas Road. This was the primary trail taken by wagon trains travelling from Kansas to Texas. It was reported that at times there would be over 600 wagon trains travelling this road.



Finally, Shelley made me stop and take this picture.

Spring Break

I'm back from spring break.

Texas Senate Approves Castle Doctrine

Monday, the Texas Senate passed legislation that would give Texans the right to use deadly force to protect their homes, cars and businesses.  The "Castle Doctrine" eliminates the "duty to retreat" and also removes the ability for the families of criminals to sue their victims if some successfully defends themselves.

Read more here.

FedEx Planes Dodging Storm

This is a cool video of FAA radar track sequence of FedEx planes dodging a storm as they approach the Memphis airport.

If you can't see the video go here.

Old and Chicken

My first real job was painting houses. I did this for two summers and became very adept at using an extension ladder and climbing all over houses. I have to admit we did some pretty stupid things but you know how it is when you are 17.

Well, part of our house needs painting and it happens to be a part requiring me to get on the roof. So, this weekend I headed up on the roof to check things out and figure out exactly what needed to be done.

When I got up there I discovered that the pitch of our roof is really steep. As I sat there I realized no one even knew I was up on the roof and if I fell off it might be hours before I was missed. I also started feeling really old but this just wasn't worth it.

Down from the roof I climbed with my tail between my legs and feeling every one of my 40 years. What a difference 23 years of wisdom and more disposable income can make.

Balance

Who knew that balance was such a big deal.

Several months ago Shelley and I became a little concerned that Seth wasn't able to do some of the things all the books say would be beneficial if a 4 year old could do, one of those being able to peddle a bike or tricycle.

We bought Seth a bicycle for Christmas in hopes that if we just practiced he would soon get it. It didn't work and we were at a loss as what to do.

We finally took him and had him evaluated and found out he was about 6 months behind where he needed to be and it was recommended that he attend some physical therapy. They estimated that it would only take about 6 months to get him where he needed to be. We started the sessions about 6 weeks ago and it has made a world of difference.

We have learned during this process that not having a good sense of balance is a common problem with kids and it can greatly affect how they develop. Seth didn't want to feel unstable so he compensated with how he sat, how he ran, how he climbed stairs and by avoiding other activities like trying to ride a bike.

As I mentioned he has shown amazing improvement with just a few weeks of professional help and it was decided to have him reevaluated in his last session. His therapist reported to us yesterday that he was almost caught up and would only need a few more sessions. We are amazed at how well he responded.

But, he still won't ride a bike so Shelley mentioned this to the therapist and guess what it still comes back to balance. She said that even with the training wheels the bike feels unstable to him because it still has a bit of a wobble. She suggested trying to stabilize it for him. So last night I worked on getting the training wheels and rear wheel all on the same level so the bike wouldn't wobble.

I accomplished this and guess what, Seth rode his bike last night. Up until last night we could barely get him to sit on it and last night he made two loops around our neighborhood.

The coolest thing was the smile on his face.

Dallas Cowboys Stadium

Another photo of the construction work being done on the new Cowboys' Stadium. This is a view out of the tunnel the Cowboys will use to take the field.

Hugs and Smiles

My eighth post on Dadbloggers is now available. This one is about the greatness that is Chase.

Read it here.

It Hurts Me More Than It Hurts You

I'm sure everyone has had their parents say to them "This is going to hurt me a lot more than it is going to hurt you." This was probably in the context of a spanking. I never understood how they could possibly believe this until I became a parent and it is now one of the most true "parentisms" I know. We don't typically spank our kids but it applies to any type of punishment.

Last night we had our 500th battle with Seth regarding eating dinner and after trying a variety of punishments, I decided to start taking away toys. So, I got a garbage bag and started gathering up some of his favorite toys. Each time I picked up a different toy his cries would get more intense.

Then at one point he yelled out "You can't take MY toys" and this really set me off. So I walked over to him, got down on his level and asked him what made him think they were "his" toys. Then between sobs he was able to get out "because people gave them to me as presents."

My heart melted, I just wanted to give him a big hug, dump out all of the toys and start playing. But, I was too far into it at this point so now there are two garbage bags full of toys in our attic.

My plans are to let him get a toy back every night he sits and eats dinner with us without an argument. I really hope he does that tonight because I can't take another night like last night.

And Seth, when you are older and reading this, it did hurt me more than it hurt you.

I Got Pulled Over

This morning I got to test the theory that having a Concealed Handgun License (CHL) can help you get out of traffic tickets. There isn't proof of this except for anecdotal evidence but it does seem reasonable. When a police officer pulls you over and runs your plates, in the state of Texas he is notified instantly that the vehicle is registered to a CHL holder. He then knows that there is the possibility of a firearm being in the vehicle but he also knows that I am not one of the bad guys. He knows that I haven't
1. Been convicted of a felony
2. Currently charged in committing a Class A or Class B misdemeanor
3. In the last 5 years I have not been convicted of Class A or Class B misdemeanor.
4. I am not currently delinquent on child support or student loans.
5. I do not have any past due taxes.
6. I am currently not restricted by a court ordered restraining order.

He also knows I have been through FBI and state background checks so he has a good idea that I am a decent person.

This morning at 4:30 am I was on my way home from the gym when I failed to signal at a stop sign and instantly I saw the lights on his police car turn on. I quickly pulled over, turned on my dome light so he could easily see into the vehicle, got my license and chl ready and kept my hands in clear view.

He came to my window, informed me why I had been pulled over and asked for my insurance. I had not gotten that out yet because it is in my glove box and I didn't want him to see me rooting around in my glove box. When I pulled out my insurance I realized I had committed a 2nd violation. My insurance card had expired four and half hours earlier and I had not replaced it with the current one. Either he didn't notice or didn't care because he thanked me for my time, asked that I be careful in the future and sent me on my way.

Did the CHL help? Maybe, maybe not. I'm sure he was just checking to see if I had been drinking because why else would I be out at 4:30 am? Most reasonable people aren't on their way home from the gym at that hour are they? So, upon realizing I wasn't drunk he may have sent me on my way anyway but I'm sure the CHL didn't hurt things.

Can You Translate This?

If you hear a 20 month old say "fweep" and then he follows it up with "ache up", what is going on?

We are playing "Wake Up Jeff" from the Wiggles.

Chase likes to tell you to "fweep" (sleep) so you close your eyes and then he says "ache up" and you are suppose to wake up startled like Jeff Wiggle. He loves it and giggles every time.

My Visual DNA

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

College Education

Some recent events in our family has had us discussing the value of a college education. Statistics show that on average a person with a bachelors degree will earn $54,000 per year and a person with only a high school diploma will earn $31,000. Over their working lives this will result in a difference of $1.7 million.

Considering I have a bachelors and a masters degree, one might assume that I am a big proponent of getting a college degree and for the most part I am. But, I understand that these are only averages and there are a lot of people who have done just fine without a college degree. My brother doesn't have a degree and he and I are about in the same place in life despite my 6 years of college experience. I also have a co-worker/peer who doesn't have a degree either and she is doing quite well for herself.

Then you can talk about people like Bill Gates, Harry Truman, George Washington, Michael Dell and Steve Jobs who all didn't get a college degree and I think they turned out ok.

But, I will argue that all of these people are the exception rather than the rule and getting a college degree is just one tool that can help give you a leg up in life so why not use it.

I know that if I had not gotten my degrees, right now I would be a lot closer to the $31,000 number than the current salary I am making. I don't posses some of the extraordinary traits that the people I mentioned previously have (Tim and Amy, that includes you).

I just hope we can instill the value of education into our boys because I don't feel like having a conversation with either one of them about how they are dropping out of school and going to Boston to "find themselves."

Concealed Handgun License

Last night when I got home I received a little surprise, my concealed handgun license. This was something that I procrastinated doing for three years but I finally got it done. As I wrote about in this post if you want to do one little thing to help preserve our 2nd Amendment rights, then get a CHL.

Now, my next project is to have Shelley get hers.

Another Reason I Love My Wife

Here is another reason why I love my wife. She would NEVER ask me to do this at our wedding.

If you can't see the video then go to this link.

My Batman

When I came home tonight, this is the first thing I saw. Now, you might think my initial thought would be "oh, how cute" but it wasn't. It was, "I want one." Yes, I was immediately taken back to seven years old again and thought "how cool is that." This even has a folding batarang and there are other accessories you can get as well.

I'm glad I have boys..

Tragedy

Yesterday I found out a dear friend of mine had experienced a horrible tragedy. I am saddened, heartbroken and angry. How could this happen I ask? Why does a little girl have to grow up without her Daddy? Why, why, why?

I don't know the answers and probably never will but I know my God is big enough to handle my questions and my doubts. I know he is in control so I am just going to turn it over to him and pray for my friend and her family.

I'm not much for words in situations like these so I am just going to go and pray some more and hope they know I am here for whatever they need.

Dallas Cowboys' Stadium

I haven't posted an update lately so here is the latest pic of the stadium.

Valet Parking

Anyone who knows me wouldn't be surprised by the fact that I don't like valet parking. Why pay someone to park your car?

But, this weekend when Shelley and I went out to dinner, I realized another issue I have with the valet.

The restaurant was located in an area where my only choice was to valet park. But, as I sat in the restaurant I started thinking about the 7 year old Durango with 100,000+ miles whose power door locks don't work and I became a little embarrassed. What will the valet think when he locks the doors and they make this loud squelch or will he notice the spilled Cheerios in the back seat. And when he returns the vehicle and he tries to open the passenger door so my wife can get in but the door won't open because you have to crawl through the drivers door and manually unlock it, what will he think?

Why am I so self conscience and why do I care what a valet thinks?

I guess we have another topic for our next counseling session...

Shots

Yesterday Seth had to get some immunizations and I had a lot of mixed feelings. He was very aware of what was about to happen to him because we had tried to really prepare him. Plus, it didn't help that this was our third attempt at this over the last several weeks because the doctor kept running out of the medicine. But, this made him very scared and it was breaking my heart but I was also thankful at the same time.

I had flashbacks to when I was a child and how much I hated going to the doctor. In fact, this distaste for the doctor's office carries on today. But, one of my mother's favorite stories of my childhood is about one time when she took me to the doctor for a well visit. She had me in the "well kid" waiting room and I'm sure all I could think about was the fact that they were either going to take my blood or I was getting shots that day. This stress led me to throw up while we were sitting in the "well kid" waiting room and my mom says all of the other moms stared her down for bringing this sick kid into the "well kid" waiting room.

I tried to relay this story to Seth to show him we had all been through this and things had turned out just fine but he was having none of it.

But, then as I heard his screams and cries and saw the tears, I was also very thankful for them. When Seth was born he was a preemie and had several health issues as a result. This led him to have to go through numerous tests and procedures. He had a variety of sensors attached to his body and nurses and doctors were always poking and sticking him with something. I remember when he finally got to a point where he wouldn't even flinch or cry when the poked him with something. This broke my heart that my little boy had to go through these things.

So, yesterday I was thankful that getting shots to him is something he doesn't experience very often.

Our First Date

I'm a few days late on this but ten years ago on February 16, 2007 my wife and I had our first date. It had been about nine years since I had been on a "first date" so to say I was a little nervous would have been an understatement.

God had stepped in a few weeks earlier and blew the engine in my hail damaged 1989 Olds Cutlass Calais that didn't have any heat so I was driving a brand new Ford Explorer. "I had that going for me, which is nice." Shelley informed me several years later that if I had picked her up in the Cutlass, my chance of a 2nd date would have been slim.

I arrived at Shelley's wearing my typical kahki and a button down dress shirt. She on the other hand was wearing jeans, a flannel shirt and hadn't even put her contacts in. She was obviously trying to impress me.

My elaborate plans included dinner and a movie. We went to dinner at Pappadeauxs and I would again find out later that she didn't like Pappadeauxs.

While waiting for Dinner was when the most memorable part of the date happened and has come to define our relationship. When we arrived at Pappadeauxs we had to wait for a table so we sat down on their patio to wait. Before the conversation went any further, Shelley slapped her hand on the table and exclaimed, "I'm a conservative Republican. I just want to put that out there right now." Well, that is interesting I thought. I had just planned to talk about the weather.

The evening proceeded without any significant occurring. We went and saw the movie Absolute Power which proved to be ironic considering our political beliefs and who was President at the time.

After the movie, I took her home and then we had that awkward moment as I walked her to the door. I remember us standing there talking uncomfortably but I think I blacked out because I have no memory of what happened next. I know I didn't kiss her but I'm not sure what happened. I wouldn't be surprised if I shook her hand or something really dorky but I will have to let Shelley tell that part of the story.

A Busy Week

I haven't been posting much this week because it has been a very busy week.

I am finding that starting a business (www.livetoshoot.com), working a full time job, and looking for my next new job can take up a lot of hours in the day.

I have been praying for opportunities and as usual God has provided. Now, the opportunities have become their own problem. Funny how that works. Now I am praying that God will show me the path he wants me to take and that he makes that path available to me.

Shelley and I also celebrated Valentines tonight. The boys went to Oklahoma so we were able to actually go out for a real dinner. We went to a place called The Grape. It's nice to be able to go to a restaurant and not worry about what is on the kids menu.

Now I get to go watch something besides The Wiggles.

More on Giuliani and the 2nd Amendment

Joseph Farah over at WorldNetDaily wrote a good article on Rudy Giuliani and his history of gun banishment. Read it here: Hunting the 2nd Amendment

My Testimony

Shelley and I are currently taking a bible study on evangalism and we have an assignment to write our testimony in 100 words or less. Here is mine:

I grew up in an alcoholic home. This led me to search for stability, a father figure and the life I had dreamed of when I was a young adult. I wasn’t finding any of those things because I was searching in the wrong places. I finally thought I had found that perfect life but one night I found out it wasn't as perfect as I thought. Now my life isn't perfect but I have found peace and joy but it isn't because of anything on this earth but because I found a relationship with my heavenly father.

Happy Valentine's Day

Shelley, Happy Valentine's Day.

I Love You

They Call Me Daddy

My seventh post is now available on Dadbloggers.

Read it here.

Online Shopping

I gave up buying most stuff via traditional channels several years ago. Once high speed access became available and more stores started offering online shopping, I found myself going to a store less and less. Also, I'm not very good at "shopping" but sometimes I forget this.

This weekend our bedroom TV died so Sunday I headed out to purchase a TV. After about two hours and going to stores like Best Buy, Circuit City and Conn's, I started to remember why I don't do this. I had found very little options to choose from, had only one sales person even acknowledge me and spent probably $10 in gas.

So, I went home, pulled out the laptop and within an hour had identified about 30 TVs that fit what I was looking for. I then narrowed the candidates to 2, was able to read full specs on each tv and read 10-15 actual customer reviews on each. After approximately 1.5 hours I was putting in my credit card information and selecting my shipping method. I even got free shipping and didn't have to pay sales tax. Now, it won't be here for 3 - 5 business days but if I can go 21 days without a Diet Coke, I think we can get by with one tv for five days. (Shelley and I even pondered not replacing it but then realized that might be a little extreme.)

Cowboys Hire Wade Phillips

I know I am a little late posting on this but here are my thoughts on the hiring of Wade Phillips.

In this post I listed Wade Phillips as someone I was indifferent towards and that is still the case. His hiring isn't a very exciting or sexy hiring but some consider it a solid hiring.

He has extensive experience as a defensive coordinator and has been a head coach for five seasons and only had one losing season. He has also been to the playoffs three times but has never won a playoff game.

It really comes down to winning for me. If he wins then he has my full support and if he doesn't he won't. He seems to be very personable and I think the environment at Valley Ranch will be more pleasant. It will be nice to have a head coach that talks to the local media as well.

Right now Wade Phillips is my Dallas Cowboys' head coach and he has my full support. We will just see what the future holds.

The Police

The news that the Police are reuniting and will be playing this week on The Grammys caused me to flash back to my senior year in high school.

I went to a Police concert on Thanksgiving night in 1983. It was their Syncronicity tour and it still is one of my favorite concerts. I got free tickets to this concert because I was the only one who had a car big enough to take the 7 people who were all going, the "silver four door luxury machine." It was a 1979 Pontiac Bonneville and I had become the official chauffeur for our group. I also remember I got a $2 bill as change for something I purchased at that concert and I carried that in my wallet as good luck for almost 15 years.

I had also started dating a girl who would become my on again, off again girlfriend for the next five years. That Christmas we went to my grandparent's house and I don't remember how long we were gone but it probably wasn't more than 3 or 4 days but it felt like we were separated for months. We were at that point in our relationship where we spent every available moment together and if we weren't together we were talking on the phone. This was before cell phones so when I was at my grandparent's we couldn't talk because it was long distance so I had to resort to writing letters. I wrote her a letter every day we were there and in one letter I used the lyrics from the Police's song Every Breath You Take to communicate my feelings. I admit I was a dork.

Oh, cant you see
You belong to me
How my poor heart aches
With every step you take

Every move you make
Every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake
Ill be watching you

Since you've gone I been lost without a trace
I dream at night I can only see your face
I look around but its you I cant replace
I feel so cold and I long for your embrace
I keep crying baby, baby, please...

I am so glad I'm not in high school any longer...

Giuliani No Friend to Gun Owners

I haven't had a political post in a few weeks so I thought it was about time. I found a good article from The National Shooting Sports Foundation (www.nssf.org) on Rudi Giuliani's record on guns and how he is now trying to camouflage that record as he tries to win the Republican Presidential nomination.

- In June of 2000, Giuliani become the lone Republican mayor to sue members of the firearms industry.
- Giuliani strongly opposed legislation blocking suits like the one he filed against members of the firearms industry. In 2005, with strong bipartisan support, President Bush signed legislation in law that barred such lawsuits.
- He has flipped-flopped on whether he continues his longstanding support for restoring the Clinton-era federal ban on some semi-automatic rifles.

Watch out for Rudi, he may be a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Read the article here.

10 Years Ago Tonight

Ten years ago tonight I met my wife. You can read the story here.

Happy Anniversary Honey! You changed my life.

Looking for a job

As many people know I am currently looking for a job because in the next few months my job is going to be eliminated because of some "corporate restructuring." It is actually called the "IT Transformation Project" but I like to call it "Jeff is losing his job project."

There aren't many things I hate worse than looking for a job. I would rather be back in high school trying to find a date for Prom. At least the rejection saved me money instead of having the prospect of bankruptcy. Bankruptcy isn't a realistic consequence but you get the point.

The stress and anxiety is starting to increase and this is mainly because of the lack of response or success I have had to date. I know God is in control and he has a plan, I just might not understand his plan or his time line.

But, the thing I find interesting is that I am stressed out because of the lack of success I have had but the ironic thing is that I haven't really applied for any job that I wanted. So, why I am stressed out about not getting a job I didn't want in the first place?

I just want to know what the future holds, don't you?

Bee Movie

I bet this movie will be a hit.

Congratulations Michael Irvin

Yesterday, Michael Irvin was elected to the Hall of Fame making him the 10th Dallas Cowboy to be put into the Hall of Fame. Many people may not like this choice based on Michael's off the field issues but if you watched the Cowboys of the 90s you know Irvin was the heart of the team. His statistics speak for themselves but it is no coincidence that after Michael retired the team went 8-8 and 5 -11 despite still having Hall of Famer Troy Aikmen and future Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith.

Congratulations Michael!

On another note, I found it interesting that Norv Turner was at the announcement ceremony with Jerry Jones and Jason Garrett.

Evangelism

Our church offers a variety of Bible studies that can last anywhere from 4 weeks to 16 weeks and be on a variety of topics. Shelley and I have take many of these over the last 9 years and we have never been disappointed. So, when Shelley asked me if I wanted to take one of the classes that started this week, I said "sure."

Our decision process as to what class to take involved factors such as day of the week the class is being held and who would be teaching. We didn't really pay attention to the topic except just eliminating the ones we had already taken.

We found a class on a night that was good for us and was being taught by a Pastor we really liked so we signed up. As the Pastor started teaching and he uttered the word "evangelism", my heart sank. "Oh no, not evangelism, anything but evangelism" I thought.

By the end of the class I was glad we were there. The pastors teaching the class talked about their own failures at evangelism but the most important thing they left me with was that conversion isn't my responsibility. Wow, I always thought it was but now they are telling me that my responsibility is just to spread the word. I never heard it presented this way.

Now, I am looking forward to this class...

Win 2 Super Bowl Tickets

This weekend our church is giving away 2 Super Bowl tickets which include airfare and hotel. They will be given away during either the 5 pm or 6:30 pm Saturday night services.

To find out more and directions to the church, go here.

Driving Around

As a parent I have come to learn that nothing stays the same. When Chase was an infant and it was bedtime, he would just go to sleep. Very easy. Now that he has become a toddler we have had to resort to driving around the neighborhood to get him to fall asleep. There might be a better way but this worked with Seth so we are just sticking with what we know best.

It usually starts sometime after 7 pm when we will notice that he is getting cranky. We will ask him if he wants to go for a ride and he will excitely shake is head up and down in the affirmative.

I have a loop that takes about 10 minutes to complete. Sometimes he is asleep before we leave the neighborhood but it usually takes one to two trips around. But, my favorite part of the process is when we arrive home. I have to gently remove his limp body from the car seat and carry him into the house. Holding him close and feeling his head resting on my shoulder is a feeling I can't describe.

I imagine I only have a few months remaining before he is too big for this so I am trying to savor each trip.

A great speech by Newt

Newt gave a great speech at National Review Institute Conservative Summit. Watch it here.

The fast is over

Today we ended our 21 day fast. While I am glad it is over, I will definitely do this again. This fast was an amazing experience and it did several things for me.

1. It brought me closer to God. I spent a lot of time reading his Word and praying. I turned to Him more often and I spent more time focusing on him.

2. It brought Shelley and I closer together as we had to lean on each other and encourage one another.

3. It brought new foods and a different way of eating entire our life.

When the fast ended I thought I would treat myself to several things but after having some pizza I realized I really just wanted to maintain a diet very similar to the fast diet but maybe include a little meat and bread. I think this fast has developed some new habits for me as well.

Happy Birthday Seth

Tomorrow when I wake up I will be the father of a 4 year old. It seems like yesterday when I heard the doctor say, "it looks like we are going to have a baby today." Now, you wouldn't have thought this would have been a surprise since Shelley was 37 weeks pregnant and we were already scheduled to be induced the next day, but it was. We hadn't even brought Shelley's bags with us to the hospital. Those next few hours are burned into my brain I will never forget how scared we were.

Well, it is 4 years later and God has truly blessed us. I can't imagine how he could have blessed us anymore but he did when he blessed us with Chase.

I have had the last 365 days to prepare to have a 4 year old but it is still hard to believe. He has grown up so much in the last year and we no longer have our baby but instead we have a young boy.

Happy Birthday Seth

Playing in the park

Last night we took the boys to a local park and the experience was really special for me. I'm not sure what made it different but it was. It may have been just the screams of joy and the laughter coming from the boys that seemed to be even more intense than usual. Or, it might have been the fact that they were running around in their recently purchased cowboy hats and looked incredibly cute. Or, it might have been watching two brothers really play together and enjoying each other. Or, it might have been watching both boys accomplish some physical skills that they had never done before. It was neat to see their confidence in their own abilities grow.

I don't know what it was but last night will be one of those memories that I will cherish.

Cowboys Hire Garrett

The Cowboys hire Jason Garrett but his role is still undetermined. He may be the offensive coordinator or the head coach. The Dolphins put a time limit on how long the Cowboys could talk to Garrett so they were forced to hire him before they had found their new head coach.

I am excited about this hire and I wouldn't even be opposed to him being the head coach. I think he is going to be an up and coming young star and I think he will be a great influence on Tony Romo.

Blogger Block

I have "Blogger Block". I can't come up with a single thing to write about so I thought I would write about not having anything to write about.

I am not lacking subjects. I could write about the fast I am on, my floundering job search, the Cowboys, the fact that Seth is about to turn 4, or this crazy company that makes Dunder-Mifflin look normal.

Hopefully, just writing something will break the block...

He's Gone

Bill Parcells has resigned/retired and I am a little surprised. Everything I was hearing seemed to indicate that he would return. Now, the question is who will be the next coach and there are plenty of names floating around.

Names That Interest Me
1. Jeff Fisher
2. Bill Cowher
3. Bob Stoops

Names That Don't Interest Me
1. Norv Turner
2. Charlie Weis
3. Houston Nutt

Other names mentioned that I am indifferent towards.

1. Les Miles
2. Pete Carroll
3. Wade Phillips

Seth's Priorities

Tonight when we were putting Seth to bed this was his prayer;

God is great, God is good
Thank you for Mommy and Daddy
and Grandmama
and Nana
and Lightening McQueen
and Thomas the Tank Engine
and bears

Will He Stay or Will He Go

The big question in Cowboy Country is whether Bill Parcells is going to return to coach another season or not. I have no idea what his decision might be and I'm not even sure what I want it to be.

I wouldn't be opposed to a change and a fresh approach but I'm not sure who the next head coach would be. There aren't any candidates that I know of that excite me. As I watched the Bears and Saints play I was regretful that we weren't able to keep Sean Payton so he could be the heir apparent.

If Bill stays he will have to get a new defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator. I guess I will have to just wait and see. If the Cowboys can get their coaching situation solidified and they can have a good draft, I think they will be in a position to be a contender in 2007.

246 Hours to Go

I have been fasting for 258 hours and have 246 hours to go so I am now past halfway. Yippee! If you have been wondering what my menu looks like, here is a typical day on the Daniel Fast.

Breakfast - half a cup of Quaker Oats mixed with apple sauce and blueberries for a little flavor and textur and a glass of orange juice.

Mid-morning snack - Apple and a bottle of apple juice

The remaining of the day I just snack. I usually have another apple, a banana, a couple of boxes of raisans, peanuts and about 3 cups of carrots and celery.

Dinner - This is the tough meal. We usually are just having salad, green beans, corn, new potatoes, baked potato, grilled squash are examples of some of the items we have been eating. Also, brown rice and red beans has also been a favorite.

This is basically what I have been eating for the last 10 days plus gallons of waters.

Dress Code

I have always hated dressing up and would prefer to hang out in jeans or shorts. About 6 years ago when people of a like mind rose to a position of authority at my job, we changed the dress code to jeans. This has worked well for the last 6 years and everyone considered it a perk. Well, as I have documented previously, my position of authority has eroded and I have lost the dress code battle and I hate it and I'm not alone.

Another person who shares the same opinion as me regarding business dress is Mark Cuban and he wrote this post describing his thoughts on dressing up at work. I wish everyone in the business world read this.

For Kelli

This morning I was thinking about how much money I am saving while being on this fast. I haven't purchased a Diet Coke or been to a vending machine in nine days. I then read this post from Sarah at In the Midst of It.

If you have an extra $1.50 please think about making a donation.

Slowing Time Down

As I have gotten older it seems that time is speeding up. And, now that I have children, it seems like the years are flying by. Somehow I have a 4 year old and an eighteen month old.

But, I have now found the way to slow time down, go on a 21 day fast. I am 7 days into the fast and it feels like I have been at it a month. All is well, and I am actually enjoying the fast at a certain level and it has really made me connect more with God and that is what it is all about.

But, I sure do miss bread...

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

I was in Orlando Friday and Saturday attending the SHOT Show and I was scheduled to fly back Saturday night. That was until I got a text message at 10:30 AM on Saturday from American Airlines saying my flight had been cancelled.

Dallas/Fort Worth has been in the middle of a winter storm that includes freezing rain and American felt it necessary to cancel all flights from Orlando to Dallas on Saturday. After being on hold for about 30 minutes with American I finally got to speak to an agent who informed me that they could get me back to Dallas on Tuesday. I think my exact response was "TUESDAY?"

She then checked flights out of Tampa which is 80 miles from Orlando and the answer was the same. I then asked if she could move me to another airline. She checked and found that Continental had a flight going out but she didn't know if it had been cancelled or not but she would check. After waiting for another 10 minutes she came back with a flight from Continental to Houston and then from Houston to Dallas. I quickly called a cab and headed to the airport.

At the airport, I waited in line for 40 minutes and then spent another 40 minutes working with the Continental agent. During this time, the flight from Houston to Dallas got cancelled, I was put on a 9 am flight the next day from Houston to Dallas, I then got bumped from that flight and put on a 7:15 pm flight Friday night to Dallas. Whew! I was already exhausted at this point and my journey was just beginning.

I spent the next 7 hours hiking through airports, waiting, sitting and just wishing to be home. I knew I could get to Houston without a problem but I didn't have much confidence that the Houston to Dallas flight would go out. But, I had already decided I would rent a car as a last resort and drive from Houston to Dallas.

Well, the flight did go out on schedule and I was finally in my bed by 9:30 pm. After all of this I have a greater appreciation for Steve Martin's character Neal Page in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles who all he wanted to do was get home for Thanksgiving and be with his family.

Changes

My sixth post on Dadbloggers is now available.

Read it here.

Happy Birthday Mom

Today is my mom's birthday. Happy Birthday Mom!

Now that I am a father I have a greater appreciation for what she did for my brother and me. The other day, after a long day with the boys, Shelley commented that my mom would have extra jewels in her crown in heaven for raising two boys. She also did this mostly by herself, which amazes me.

Fast Update

It has now been 66 hours since I started the fast and I am happy to say my caffeine headache has finally gone away. Praises for that. I am finding that my energy level is a little low and I have not been able to get out of bed the past few days to go work out. I hope my energy level returns to normal soon.

Sarah, the wife of one of our pastors, wrote a wonderful post on her blog that describes exactly what I have experienced. Read it here.

21 Day Fast

Shelley and I are starting on a 21 Day Daniel Fast along with our church. A Daniel Fast is one that is basically water, fruits, vegatables and nuts. Things that are not allowed are all meat, poultry, fish, dairy, sugars, caffeine, bread, fried foods and carbonate drinks.

The first day is water only so right now we are both very hungry. Tomorrow we will be able to start eating but again only fruits and vegetables.

The food part won't be too difficult for me, it will be going without Diet Coke for 3 weeks.

If you want to know why we are fasting, go here.

Pray for us.

Cowboys 20, Seahawks 21

It has taken me nearly 24 hours to get to the point where I could write about this loss.

I'm not sure what to think of this season. At the beginning everyone was predicting they were either an 8-8 or 9-7 team and that is what they were. But, after about two thirds of the season, they were being considered the best team in the NFC. And then, they last 3 of the last 4 in the regular season and lost their first game in the playoffs.

But, here are a few thoughts on the season.

1. I think we found our quarterback of the future in Romo despite how he finished the season. I think he has something.
2. Bobby Carpenter, our first round draft choice from last year, started showing something at the end of the season. He may not be the bust we thought.
3. Will Bill Parcells come back?
4. Will T.O. be back? I don't think the T.O. experiment went great but it could have been a lot worse.
5. There still seems to be considerable concern with the defense and I imagine this next draft will be dedicated to the defense again.

I think this team is heading in the correct direction but there are still a lot of questions.

I am the always hopeful and here is to next season.

Three Lions

We have a set of plastic animals that includes 2 tigers, 2 giraffes, 2 elephants and 2 lions. Over the last week or so, Seth has been insisting that there are actually 3 lions. We've had these animals for awhile and didn't actually purchase them but Shelley was pretty sure there were only 2 lions. After all, there are only 2 of the other animals so why would there be an extra lion. She has been debating this fact with Seth, but he has been insistent that there are three lions.

Seth has an incredible memory and I have found that if he is insistent on something there is a good chance it happened. I even jokingly said to Shelley that she better not argue with him.

Well, guess what we found last night. Yep, the third lion.

Another on going debate has been between Shelley's Aunt Kathy and Seth regarding the source of snow. Kathy has this crazy idea that snow comes from the sky but Seth insists that snow comes up from the ground.

I wonder when the science community is going to announce their new finding that snow actually comes up from the ground?

On an unrelated topic regarding our youngest, the 18 month old who thinks he is three, he has decided yesterday he is ready to be potty trained. Yesterday he sat on the potty twice. I guess I better go print out some college applications, I'm sure that is next.