Disneyworld Secrets

May 30, 2007 by Leave a Comment

Another quickie. I have this google adword stuff set up on my site becuase it’s a good way to make pocket change. Once in a while I’ll look at what is popping up on this site as advertisements because I don’t like it when the “web crawler” (evil artificial intelligence) scans my site and posts an ad for something opposite of what I’ve written about (aka – advocating the “d” word I’ve written about or lawyers who help with it). Let me put this disclaimer on here for the web crawler – I said I look at what is popping up as ads but I don’t click on them. I’m not allowed to because then I’m paying myself for my own clicks and that will get me in trouble.

Anyway this isn’t turning out as quick as I thought. I noticed an ad for this site so I copied and pasted it in to a new window (you can feel free to click on the google ads – I won’t get in trouble for your clicks – in fact I get some pennies for your clicks so check some of the ads out and let me know what you find). I didn’t read all the marketing copy but it looks like a good deal – $20 bucks for some info that could save me thousands. Shawna and I did pretty good on our trip to Disney but we only got 2 day passes to the parks. Next time we’d like to get 7 day passes and stay in Orlando for 2 weeks but that’s looking a bit in to the future (I will not be going to those parks 7 days out of 14 with two children under 5 yrs old). The info this lady is selling might be something we’d like to purchase for future reference. Thought it was worth sharing in case you might have plans of your own…

Filed Under: Misc

Prom Redefined

May 25, 2007 by Leave a Comment

If you live in upstate SC you know who I’m talking about when I say “Hawk & Tom”. They are the morning radio show on B93.7 and I personally think they are hilarious. I don’t get to listen to them very often but when I do I’m always humored. Anyway, several weeks ago they hosted their first ever Hawk & Tom Prom. Shawna and I went with several friends. It was a blast.

Once again I have been slack with the camera but I bummed a couple of pics of some friends.

Below is a picture of the whole bunch of us at dinner (except for Ken – he got cut off on the left side) I’ll try to name everybody but I’m afraid I might have forgotten one couples names. From the guy front and center. I think he is Chad and I think his wife’s name is Amanda (I hope I’m not getting that wrong). Then moving around the table there is Chase & Crystal, Chris & Elizabeth, Lenny & Tathie at the far end, Me & Shawna of course, then Orion and Kim, and part of Ken and Christy. 

Dinner was excellent – great food and a lot of fun. Forgot the name of that place in Greenville where we ate but it was probably the best steak I’ve had in a while. Our server was a good sport too cause we were having a lot of fun and including him in the fun. We were having so much fun at the restaurant I didn’t want to leave there.

Special thanks to Orion and his special hook-up for getting everyone in our group tickets. And special thanks to Kim for giving me these pics. I want the pics off Chris’s camera but after the post about his birthday he might be afraid to give them to me. Here’s the beautiful couple Orion and Kim:

And I couldn’t post about this without including a picture of me and my gorgeous wife Shawna. Unfortunately her shoes and purse didn’t make it in to any of the pictures but she was extremely proud of her dress and stuff. I was just glad she was happy. As for me – that’s my high school tux except with pants that fit cause I’m a little, ok a lot, bigger below the chest and above the knees now.


My wife is so HOT! Uhhh, yeahh. Let’s just say I was the ladies man that night. Those Hawk & Tom characters knew what they were talking about when they said this prom would be better than your high school proms. I think dancing is better after marriage. Being allowed to legally partake of a drink probably helped a bit too. But one of the greatest benefits of prom after marriage is getting to go home with your date and we’ll just leave it at that. I will say it sucks to be a high school punk hoping to get what he should wait for cause it just ain’t as good as when you’re married.
This is another unforgettable moment because prom has been redefined for me. It used to be a part misery part shame experience because I don’t remember anything good about it from high school. But now it is an unforgettable moment with my wonderful wife and all our wonderful friends. Prom Redefined.

Filed Under: Family, Misc, Relationships, Stories

Philadelphia Trip

May 23, 2007 by Leave a Comment

Sunday I drove all the way to Philly. Why? I’m crazy is one answer. But I also had a meeting up there with a new client for my job. This was my third trip to PA and it looks like it will finally pay off with new business. Another good reason for driving instead of flying is because flights were a bit high. I don’t mind driving so I hit the road. Went up Sunday. Came back Monday. That’s a lot of driving in two days. So what do I do when I’m driving for such a long time?

– I think a lot – about a whole bunch of stuff. Some of the kind of stuff that makes it on this blog. I need to get comfortable using a voice recorder so I can remember what I thought about when I get to where I can type. I’ve tried typing while I drive and while it is possible it is extremely dangerous.

– I watch people passing – either I’m passing them or they’re passing me. It used to be I passed everybody but I’ve had so many tickets I’ve learned cruise control was made for me. Speed limits are so slow compared to what feels like a natural speed for me.

– I play my trumpet mouthpiece to whatever is on the radio. This gets me a lot of strange looks from the people passing, but it keeps me awake and gives me a little practice – just in case I get a chance to play for a wedding or something.

– I eat and drink – snacks, fast food, anything with caffeine.

– I hold it til I have to pee in a cup. I know that’s gross but sometimes it’s inevitable. Got between Raleigh and Petersburg with no good place to stop. Had to go. Good thing is I only stopped one time the whole way to PA and that was cause I had to get gas.

– I watch the gas gauge – Cause I have to use premium and it averaged about $3.35/gallon at all the places I filled up.

– I watch the odometer – So I can calculate gas mileage. I averaged about 26 miles per gallon and it might have been better than that if I hadn’t hit terrible traffic in DC and Deleware.

– I watch the clock – So I know how good I’m doing on time. Anybody with my personality understands this. You’re always trying to make your best time. This is a direct conflict with my effort to reduce my number of tickets.

– I draft – If a big truck is going 5 miles over the speed limit I’ll draft him as long as he’ll let me. This helps on gas mileage. Doesn’t happen often but I got a good 50 miles of draft out of a truck on the way back. Sometimes I’ll follow cars too but you have to get sooo close to cars for it to be a true draft – most people won’t let you draft their car.

– I watch someone draft me – At times when I’m the fastest mover in traffic I’ve had people get on my bumper and draft off me. I don’t mind until they aren’t watching when I have to use the brakes. Almost got hit in the butt at about 80 miles an hour on the way back. Bad words came out.

– I listen to the radio. It is interesting to see what are the best radio stations as you pass through several states in a day. Some places along the way the best thing to listen to is country. Some places it’s R&B. The commonality of all places is my wondering “why in the crap am I listening to this” and “how did these people get a job at the radio station”?

– I watch my map – I use Microsoft Streets and Trips on the computer. It’s poor mans GPS I guess. I check it frequently to see where I’m at and how much farther I have to go, and of course where I have to turn next.

– I call people – especially other Verizon users because it is free in-network. Sunday this would have been perfect because I could call non-verizon users during free nights and weekends, but nobody answered. I ended up not calling anybody on Monday because I wasn’t tired enough. I usually get enough phone to ear contact doing my job so I don’t just make random phone calls for the fun of it very often.

Anyway. I never realized driving was such a busy thing until I started writing it down like this. I’m definitely going to start speaking notes in a recorder while I drive in hopes it will make my time more productive.

Filed Under: Business, Misc

Who’s Reading

May 16, 2007 by Leave a Comment

My friend Joe showed me how to do some tracking of my website. I’m trying to learn more tricks to make it fun and stuff. Now that I’ve been tracking some stats I see that I’ve had some readers from some states and even countries I wouldn’t have expected:

South Carolina & Georgia
– these two are obvious cause I know so many people in these states. I’m getting a lot of hits from these two states.

Tennessee
– not sure who would be reading, but I do know some people there

Florida
– maybe some family or friends from a long time ago when I lived there

Indiana & Missouri
– no clue who these could be. Maybe someone who knows Shawna or her dad

Oregon
– I’m guessing this is someone who moved north from CA and knows Shawna or her dad

New Zealand
– Must have accidentally clicked on something and ended up on my site. Thanks for visiting.

Japan
– I hope you understand when I write something southern like “ain’t”. Come back now – ya hear!

Anyway…Thanks everyone for visiting my site. I really enjoy sharing my thoughts and I appreciate you reading.

Filed Under: Misc

Locker Room Modesty

April 24, 2007 by Leave a Comment

OK, I’ve been extremely busy and haven’t had time to post, but I’ve got a lot I want to write about. My thoughts are starting to come together so there will be more posts this week. But first I want to elaborate on something Perry said at church this past Sunday.

I don’t even remember how it came up in his sermon but Perry mentioned how men run around at the YMCA locker room naked. Normally Perry makes his points pretty clear but I want to go a step further than he did with this one cause I think he would agree but he didn’t have time to make this one of the points in his sermon.

We’re not talking underwear naked or towel naked. We’re talking butt naked. I can hear some of the high school comments now – “you gotta be proud of what you got” or “why are you looking”. Or there are some mature adult comments like “we’re all grown men” or “I stopped worrying about that when I was in the military” (cause they have to take big group showers and everybody sees everybody naked).

My response to the high school comments – just shut up! Or I could give them a high school response “it’s not the size but how many times you can make it rise”. As for the why are you looking comment – don’t tell me you don’t notice stuff floppin by at eye level while you’re trying to put your shoes on. During busy times you gotta be watching out or you might turn around and get a face full of a big hairy butt. Nasty old men can’t bend at the knees so they just stand there butt naked and bend at the waist to put their socks on first. PUT ON YOUR FREAKIN FRUIT OF THE LOOMS – NOW!!! That’s what I feel like saying.

My response to the mature comments. Yes, we’re all men. So you should be able to handle this criticism like a man. Put your drawers on! I feel like cramin your naked butt in one of those lockers to teach you what your mama didn’t. You just don’t walk around naked amongst people you don’t know.

That brings me to the military one where you DO walk around naked amonst people you don’t know. It’s not much different from the many years I played football. You might not know everyone well but you’re all there for the same reason, there is a brotherhood among fellow soldiers that makes it quite different, you’re all in shape in the military (or at least much better shape than most of the naked butts at the Y), and last but not least – YOU’RE NOT JUST STANDING AROUND TALKING!! In the military you don’t just stand around naked and talk. You get your shower and get dressed. You’ve probably got a time limit. At the Y these old wrinkly butt (at this point I’m dying to say the other word) men are standing around the scale talking about their garden or their job, all types of conversations. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some of those guys having a meeting in there one day – butt naked.

Here’s the deal. Old and young naked men alike. I ain’t no peach to see naked either, and I’d be more comfortable letting it all hang free too. But I’m respectful enough of other folks comfort and peace of mind to keep myself covered up – cause you don’t know me from Adam. (Speaking of Adam, him and Eve are the ones who made nakedness such a big deal.) Since I’m a man I can offer a solution to this problem you’ve got – works well for me. Follow this simple 10 step approach in the locker room:

1.    come in from your workout
2.    take your clothes off, all but your underwear
3.    take your towel and bath items to the shower (still wearing your underwear)
4.    take off your underwear at the shower
5.    now naked, take your shower (but close the curtain AND the door)
6.    get out of shower and dry off with your towel.
7.    This step is where a lot of men fail. Read closely. WRAP THE TOWEL AROUND YOUR WAIST (This should be done BEFORE you leave the shower area. Don’t wait until you’ve already walked through and bumped in to a half dozen innocent victims putting their shoes on)
8.    Go back to the locker / dressing area. (towel STILL around your waist).
9.    get out your underwear and begin putting them on with your towel still around your waist (most men should be able to get their feet in the underwear and pull them up to the knee – so you should be halfway to almost modest at this point)
10. Last but not least, QUICKLY drop the towel, pull your underwear the rest of the way up, and go about your business. You should have underwear on at this point and everyone else can handle seeing your almost naked body, as nasty as it probably is, better than we could have if you didn’t have on the underwear.

You have successfully acheived almost modest (total modest would be going home to take your shower) by minimizing the amount of exposure to everyone what no one wants to see. Go on now, talk to your buddy about the weather or politics or whatever. Have a meeting – I don’t care. Would you like some coffee – I’ll get it for you. JUST LEAVE YOUR DRAWERS ON!

Filed Under: Misc Tagged With: ,

Tile Work – Holy Cow

April 18, 2007 by Leave a Comment

HOLY COW is the only words I could think of to describe how my body feels all over this morning after putting tile down. My great friend Lenny, who happens to be blogging here now, has done tile work before so he is helping me do it in our bathroom. It looks so much better and it will be so worth it, but HOLY COW it is hard work.

I worked out at the gym yesterday pretty hard, and I did some lifts that I haven’t been doing in a while. Then I put my body to even more strain last night putting that tile down. This morning I’m feeling it big time. It’s worth it to have such a nice bathroom floor – especially compared to the previous crap that Regal Homes put on the floor. Don’t ever build a Regal Home. I don’t know anyone who has been satisfied well enough to recommend them to anybody.

Anyway, I have a whole new level of understanding just exactly what an old high school friend of mine, Shaun Kiniry, goes through on a daily basis doing tile work. I’m sure he is much more efficient at it than Lenny and I, but dang! That’s a tough job to do every day.

Filed Under: Misc

Random Thoughts

April 13, 2007 by Leave a Comment

A couple more random thoughts I had yesterday but I’m sharing today:

-NewSpring could be charging a premium for their premarital counselling service (but it’s a ministry). Here’s why I believe they could charge. If you don’t get good counselling before marriage you’re going to face one of two situations later – post marriage counselling possibly with an expensive professional or the dirty d-word that an expensive lawyer will handle (this is not to mention all the pain). Would you rather pay now or pay later? You’re going to pay. NewSpring is only charging enough to probably barely cover the cost of class materials.

-Sanjaya – unbelievable. I’m glad they went ahead and got rid of the girl who is taking the dress and move like a slut approach (repeat of that McPhee girl) because I think our culture edifies that poor behavior enough – especially in music. But dang Sanjaya… I can see it now. He’s gonna get signed and somehow end up with a hit in the top 40 and we’re all gonna eat our words of how awful he is. Ok, well maybe not all that. But if he does make an album I bet Joe Sangl will buy it…hahahaha Read his blog – he listens to Clay Aiken and everyone gives him a hard time.

– Big O that I mentioned in this post is going to be playing with a band at Wild Wings next Friday 4/20. I’m going to be there.

– This weekend I’m spending a lot of time at home with the kids and I hope to get started on a tile project in our bathroom.

Have a Great Weekend!!

Filed Under: Misc

Easter 2007

April 9, 2007 by Leave a Comment

Great Easter Weekend. Here are the highlights.
  • My family came to town. We spent some good time together. Dad helped me fix the dryer. We ate, went to church, etc… Lenny hung out w/ my family Friday night. That was fun. Tathie, his wife, should have been there.
  • Our church had 10,700 in attendance this weekend – www.newspring.cc. Amazing. I think my family is amazed all over again each time they come.
  • We had an Easter egg hunt and cook-out with Chris & Elizabeth Cashion’s family. It was a blast. Randy took us through some trails on their land. We were on a trailer behind his jeep and there was mud. Key word being “behind”, “jeep, and “mud”. Yeah, we got filthy. Shawna thought she would be real cool and duck her head under a blanket. Well she had to bend over to get her head under there which put her butt in the line of fire. When the ride was over it looked like she had pooped her pants – really bad.

Good times, good times.

Filed Under: Family, Misc

What A Week!

April 5, 2007 by Leave a Comment

It’s been a very busy week folks. I haven’t had a spare minute to write anything and it’s really bugging me. So a quick list of highlights since my last post:

  • Birthday party for Joshua, Mark & Michelle. I’ll post photos and a story about this probably tomorrow when I have some time early in the morning.
  • Work
  • Travel to and from Dalton for work
  • Got my dad to look at a car problem I’m having – a/c isn’t cold.
  • Work
  • 1st Wednesday service @ NewSpring, the greatest church ever. The service was awesome. Matthew Barnett from LA spoke (founder of the Dream Center if you’ve heard of it). Wow!! Reminded me of my pentacostal roots and proved to me that there are some cool pentacostals out there – just not in the Bible belt.
  • Work
  • Got a belt for our dryer – it’s making an awful noise. I’m going to try and fix it myself so cross your fingers.
  • Work
  • We’re dealing with insurance companies right now (Health & Life) so I’ve been getting phone calls and working on paperwork and scheduling a physical for bright and early tomorrow morning.
  • Work
  • Helping Shawna w/ kids while she goes through the chiropractor treatment.

Did I mention work? I have a lot of pressure to work harder which typically means longer hours. I REFUSE to neglect my wife and kids or my health and sanity, and I pray that I keep proper balance in my life.
My family is coming to town for Easter…going to church with us Saturday for Easter…NewSpring is doing the first of a new series titled “America‘s Idol”. It’s going to be great. We get to vote on which songs our band plays – and they rock. Also, at church Saturday the upstate’s most popular SECULAR radio station will be AT OUR CHURCH. That’s cool.
I’ll post some more tomorrow hopefully.

Filed Under: Misc

People Watching

February 28, 2007 by Leave a Comment

When Shawna and I first met I was working for Delta Airlines at one of the largest airports in the world – Hartsfield International Airport in Atlanta. And since I had the employee flight benefits I would take Shawna on some really cool trips (such as Disney World, Miami – South Beach, Colorodo – skiing…) Since we spent a lot of time in the airport we made almost a game out of watching people, but not just watching them – we would observe them and make up our own story about them. It was a great way to pass the time because I of course made up funny stuff, but I think we were able to learn a lot too.

Let me explain. I don’t believe you can ALWAYS judge (or make up a story about) a person by their outer appearance, but you might be surprised how often you can get close especially when you also observe a persons behaviors for just a few moments. How do I know this? I’m sure there are books by experts with supported research, but here’s how I do it. Observe your friends and family and relate their physical cues and appearance to their actual life story and circumstances. Also, know a few statistics about the majority of people (poor and middle class) and a few facts about the outliers (wealthy). Experience (of our own and others close to us) and observation is what helps us form more accurate impressions of people.

Call me crazy, but I’ve even guessed some things about people who I just met and found out later that some of what I guessed is true. All of us do this, but not everybody thinks about it like me – I’m a freak. First impressions often ARE accurate impressions. Like it or not it’s the truth, but some people are better at forming their first impressions.

The key word I used before is observed. You can’t just glance at someones clothes and whether or not they’re smiling to know much about them. You have to observe the look in their eye, their posture, how they walk, how they talk, etc. etc. etc. This is so interesting (and often humorous) to me that I want to share some of my observations and thoughts in future posts, so I’m going to make a category just for People Watching and post to it now and then. Check back… I’m often wrong, but it’ll be interesting to talk about what I think I’ve learned by watching people.

Filed Under: Misc
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