2007 In Review

2007 was a tough year, maybe one of my toughest. I can't really give you one reason or one catostrophic event that made it so tough, but it has been very tough and I am praying for a great 2008.

Last January 1st, I posed a few questions to my self. They were:

1. What amazing things will God do in my life?
Like I said, 2007 was a tough year. But I am blessed in so many ways.
2. Is Seth riding his bicycle?
Yes
3. Is Chase potty trained?
Not yet, but he is close.
4. Where am I working and do I enjoy it?
I am working at National Bankruptcy Services and I am not really enjoying it.
5. What will become of my livetoshoot.com venture.
It is still going and actually growing.
6. What new interests do the boys have?
Seth likes playing the piano, playing soccer, t-ball, reading, riding
his bike playing with new laptop, power rangers, Lightening McQueen and
Spiderman.

Chase likes Kindermusik, playing the piano, Power Rangers, the Wiggles, Little
Bear, playing with his laptop, Spiderman, Dallas Cowboys and pirates.

7. What is something new that I will learn?
I learned a lot about the gun business and I learned that I can go 21 days
without a Diet Coke.


8. Is Thomas the Tank Engine still a major player in our household?
Not as much but he is still around.
9. Did Newt Gingrich announce he will run for President?
Unfortunately, he did not.

I will post my questions for 2008 in a seperate post.

Now for my 2007 review.

- Started a new gun business called Live to Shoot.
- Cowboys lost to Seattle in the playoffs when Tony Romo dropped the snap on a field goal.
- Bill Parcells quit and Wade Phillips replaced him.
- Did a 21 day fast and it was one of the hardest things I've done.
- Seth turned 4 and Chase turned 2.
- Michael Irvin was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame.
- February was 10 years since Shelley and my first date.
- A very dear friend suffered a horrible loss.
- I got my concealed handgun license.
- Seth learned how to ride a bike (with training wheels)
- We took a vacation to Oklahoma where we went fishing.
- I quit my job at Loanlink and started as VP of Operations at National Bankruptcy Services.
- We switched from satelite to AT&T U-Verse.
- We got hit by severe storms that caused us to replace our roof and fence.
- I took the boys on a tour of Texas Stadium
- We took another vacation to Memphis.
- I turned 41. :-(
- Seth started Pre-K
- Shelley's Grandmother died
- Seth blossomed as a soccer player.
- Chase started using the potty.
- Newt announced he wouldn't run for President
- We travelled to KC for Christmas (our 3rd vacation and it has to be a record for me).
- The Cowboys finished 13 - 3, won the NFC East and have home field advantage in the playoffs.

Christmas Day

Christmas Day started early for us. Seth woke up around 6:30 am saying he "couldn't wait any longer."

So, we all got up, ate a little breakfast and then read the Christmas story.

We then started opening presents. Shelley got everyone, including myself, a Dallas Cowboy sweatshirt and I have to say they were a big hit. We also all got our traditional Hot Wheels cars as well.

For the boys' Gold gift we got them each a OLPC laptop. I'll write more about this later.

We then ate lunch and got in the car to start our trip to Kansas City.

We stopped in Pauls Valley, OK for a little break and to see the old steam engine they have at the Amtrak Station.


The boys loved it but I found another reason to return to Pauls Valley. They have an Action Figure Museum.

Our journey that day was set to end in Wichita, Kansas where we spent the night. We arrived to about 3 inches of snow on the ground which officially gave the boys a white Christmas.

On another note, if you want an adventure, try finding something to eat on Christmas. The only place open in Wichita was Burger King..

Christmas Eve

Our Christmas celebration started this year as it traditionally does by celebrating on Christmas Eve with Shelley's family in Oklahoma.

This was the first Christmas without either of her grandparents so I was curious how it would be.

We arrived around 4:30 to find that our boys who had been there since Friday weren't there. They had gone with one of Shelley's cousins to find their "best friends." These are the daughters of another one of Shelley's cousins. These two girls are just awesome little girls who my boys really love.

Shelley's family is quite large and I was intimidated by them for quite sometime. They did nothing to cause this but their large number really made it hard for me sometimes. But, I can tell you they are the best people you will ever meet and that isn't more evident as to how they treat my boys.

We can be there for hours and never see our boys and not be worried in the least. There is always someone playing with them, taking care of them or just watching them and making sure they aren't doing something they shouldn't. The thing that surprised me the most is these duties usually don't fall on the adults but on the older kids. There are boys and girls all in their teens who are perfectly happy to play for hours with my two under 5 boys. They start teaching them early to care for other people.

Well, back to Christmas Eve.

The crowd started arriving around 5:30 and by 6:30 almost everyone was there. A count was done and there were over 50 people there which was a pretty good turnout.

As usual there was plenty of food and the traditional fried pies. My favorite is the apple but Shelley tells me that only the "outlaws" like the apple.

While it wasn't the same without Grandmother everyone was having a good time. But her absence became apparent when it was time to open presents. Without her leadership there was no one willing to declare it was time to open presents. So, there was a period of time when the kids were asking to open presents and all of the adults just stared at one another wondering who had the authority to give the okay. I don't know who did but it was finally declared ok to open presents and Seth and Chase were the first in line.

We had a great time and finally made our exit around 8:30 and headed back for our two hour drive to tuck our little ones in.

Cowboys 6, Redskins 27 (13 - 3)

Yuck!
I don't care that this was a "meaningless" game, they needed to show up and play. They allowed a division appointment to beat them and win a spot in the playoffs. They may meet them in the conference finals and they will now have the momentum.

I don't have a good feeling about this team and their chances in the playoffs. They will need to do some serious work and get their heads straight.

We're Back

We are finally home after being gone since Christmas Day. We drove to Kansas City and just returned today. I have lots of blogging to get caught up on and will try to do that over the next few days.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!

Blogging will be limited over the next few days.

Car Shopping

This past week my truck spent 3 days in the shop. My water pump went out and it caused it to over heat and blow out all the hoses. There was a time when we thought the engine block was cracked thus turning my 8 year old truck with 116000 miles into a big paper weight. So, I started thinking about getting a new vehicle. Well, the engine wasn't cracked but I think it might be time to replace my truck.

I'm considering either a Tahoe or the new Saturn Outlook. I actually went to a Saturn dealership this weekend and looked at them and even test drove one and really liked it. The salesman told me they had some good incentives on 2007s but the only 2007s they had were around $38K and I said that was out of my price range.

He said, "Is there a payment range you are trying to stay in?" and I replied "Yes, $0,I want to pay cash."

He didn't know how to respond to that.

Dallas Cowboys' Stadium Update

Here are the latest pics of the new Cowboys' stadium.

Cowboys 20, Panthers 13

If at the beginning of the season you had told me the Cowboys would have 13 wins I would have thought you were crazy. But, they have 13 wins and that is the only 2nd time in team history.

The win last night wasn't the prettiest and the most concerning issue is all of the injuries that we are sustaining.

We have 3 weeks until the first playoff game so hopefully that will be enough time for everyone to get healthy. Also, I am still hoping Terry Glen makes it back.

But, the biggest worry right now is next week against Washington. If we still have to win that game to get home field advantage, it could be a challenge. So, right now I am hoping the Bears beat the Packers.

Go Cowboys!

**Update - The Bears beat the Packers so the Cowboys have home field advantage in the playoffs.

A Chip Off the Ole Block

In my post, Dressy Christmas, I wrote that Seth had to dress "Dressy Christmas" for a Christmas pageant. We opted for Khaki pants and a blue sweater.
I also noted that I would support a National Dress Code of jeans and a sweatshirts.

Well, yesterday, Seth had a piano recital and he wore the same outfit but prior to that he had on sweats. As soon as the recital was over, he was pulling the sweater off and was putting the sweatshirt back on.

This is exactly what I would have done. :-)

Where Does He Get It?

I am known to be a person of very few words, so how did I get a son who talks constantly? Tonight, I swear Seth did not stop talking for an hour straight. He said more in that time than I probably said all week.

If the resemblance wasn't uncanny, I might question the paternity..

Christmas Lights

We continued a tradition tonight that Shelley and I started the Christmas before Seth was born and that is driving to a neighborhood that is very popular for their Christmas lights. There are some amazing houses in this neighborhood.

The boys also seem to enjoy the excursion and this year my favorite part was hearing Chase exclaim "Beautiful" at all the houses.

Cowboys 6, Eagles 10

A horrible loss. The Cowboys have put themselves in a must win position for their final two games to insure home field advantage. Also, they had several players go down with injuries.

So, with the loss, Romo looking mortal in front of his girlfriend, several key injuries and the prospect of having to win the next two on the road, it was a sobering day.

First, I am superstitious so I am Jessica Simpson doesn't come to any more games because it is obvious she is partly to blame for this loss.

Second, I hope the Cowboys will wake up and realize that things aren't as easy as they have made them look.

Finally, we can only hope that Gurode, Canty, Fasano, and Watkins injuries aren't too serious.

They did secure a first round bye with Seattle losing but until they have home field advantage, their work in the regular season isn't over.

Christmas at Our House

Fellowship Church has played a big part in my faith and me becoming a Christian. The first time I attended Fellowship when they met at McArthur High School in Irving, I walked away thinking I had never seen a church like that.

When I attended the first Christmas service at Fellowship, I walked away thinking I had never been to a Christmas service like that. And, each year since then, the Christmas services have been amazing.

Fellowship is very important to me and I like sharing it with others so that is why I am inviting you to come have Christmas at our House. Try it, I guarantee you will like it.

Dressy Christmas

One of the organizations that Seth is involved in is having a Christmas show that Seth is singing in and when we got the instructions it said that the dress was "Dressy Christmas."

What does "Dressy Christmas" mean and especially what does it mean for a 4 year old?

I hate dress code designations like this and if this was my event, I would find some excuse not to go just so I wouldn't have to worry if what I was wearing is "Dressy Christmas." But, it isn't so I decided to go on a search to discover what "Dressy Christmas" means.

I've searched Google, Wikipedia, dictionary.com, the urban dictionary and several other sources with no luck. I still don't have any idea what "dressy Christmas" is.

Note: If I was President I would create a National Dress Code, jeans and sweatshirts. If found deviating from said dress code you could be subject to a fine. That is my solution to solving the world's problems.

A Budget

If you want a humbling experience, create a family budget.

Despite being very aware of our finances and living well within our means, Shelley and I have never operated under a budget. That is all changing. I started feeling like we were spending a lot of unnecessary money, plus it has always bothered me that Shelley wasn't more involved in our finances.

So, tonight we sat down and created a budget. As we started reviewing what we had been spending and discussing what we were going to spend, I started thinking "maybe it is better just not knowing." I think Shelley had the same thoughts.

But, we created a budget and have even discussed giving each other an allowance. We haven't gone as far as the allowance yet.

We'll see how this goes.

Cowboys 28, Lions 27

2007 NFC East Champions and now 12-1.

This was a huge win because it gave them the NFC East and got them closer to securing home field advantage.

But, what about the Tony Romo legend? It just continues to grow as he took the team 83 yards in 2 minutes with no time outs to win the game.

The offense struggled at times, they had T.O. shut down and we had problems running the ball. But, the defense looked really suspect.

We couldn't get any pressure on Kitna and they ran on us pretty well.

But, in the end we won and their confidence just keeps growing. You can never count the Cowboys out.

NBC refuses to run an Ad thanking our troops

NBC has refused to run an ad thanking our troops because it is too controversial. Thanking our troops is controversial? Decisions like this are indictive of the problems in America.

Here is the ad, you decide.

Video Link

Chef Chase

We have our on budding Gordon Ramsay in Chase. Chase loves to cook.

His utensils of choice are a variety of pots and pans and wooden spoons. His ingredient of choice.....Marshmallows! He loves to spread everything out on the floor, mix it up and then serve you when he is done.

He also has a little bit of the feisty nature that Gordon Ramsay has. If he is cooking and we need to do some important activity like change a diaper, give a bath, go to bed, eat you will get a very stern "I'm COOKING!"

So, if you see a Chez Chase open in your neighborhood, try it out. They will have the most awesome marshmallow stew.

Christmas Pageant 2007

Seth was in his first Christmas pageant and I can see how easy it is to become "one of those types of parents" because all I could think about was why is my little star in the back row where no one can see him. They stuck him behind two Amazon like blonds who were only concerned about trading hair berets and not singing.

The only time we got to see him was when one of the Amazons fell off the stage (giggle). I know that is horrible.

We enjoyed it all the same and I know he did his best, even if we couldn't see it.

Chase Man

I have several nicknames for the boys.

Seth is often called "SRD" (his initials), "Seth Man", and "Big Man".

Chase is called "Chase Man", "Chasey Baby" and "Little Man"

Today I called him "Big Man" and he said "No" don't call me that.

I asked "What do you want me to call you?"

He replied "Chase Man"

R.I.P. Evel

Evel Knievel died yesterday at the age of 69 and with him died a small part of my childhood. There isn't a man between the ages of 37 - 45 who didn't set up a ramp in their front yard and jump their bikes while pretending to be Evel.


And who didn't have one of these?

An American Icon has passed and will be missed.