Baby Watch: Week 12

Hey everyone!
Sorry for the delay in posting, but things tend to get hectic around the holidays. Seems like cell phones are a hot item yet again this year.

We had an appointment today & all is well. We heard the heartbeat again, this was a nice STRONG beat. That li'l person is chugging away at 170 bpm! Of course, we've heard from a number of people that just by this little 5 minute procedure -- a heart rate that fast is usually a girl. Now we won't get to know the sex until the end of January, but supposedly the faster the more likely its a girl.

Its pretty interesting because we were pretty sure it was gonna be a boy & now, its all up in the air. (as it has been all along)

I really have yet to ponder the realization that I'm gonna be a dad. I mean, I feel like I know what that entails but I have no idea. I see our friends & family who have children & I think, "I can do this." I'll admit though, this is for the brief time that we are hanging out. I've not come to grasp what a life changing event we are embarking upon. This ain't babysitting!

I think that the unknown is what makes it so fun & anticipating. Mel is gonna be an amazing mother & I hope I can stay stride-for-stride with her. I'm trying to do my part to organize finances & the like (I know, scary -- ME & FINANCES) but for the first time ever, I'm really looking at all of our expenses & determining what is a need & a want.

We didn't really get much more update on anything other than all is well & the next couple appointments will have some bigger news....i.e. - the sex of the baby.

STAY TUNED!

"I'll be right here." - E.T.

Movie Recommendation: Hustle & Flow

Its been a minute, but here's the latest movie recommendation.... Hustle & Flow. Starring Terrence Howard as a guy who is trying to make ends meet as a drug dealer/pimp. He realizes what his life has amounted to & with the help of DJ Qualls & Anthony Anderson's characters he tries to record a demo tape to become a hip hop star. You might remember this movie recieved lots of attention a couple years ago. It won an Oscar for one of the songs from the movie & Terrence Howard recieved a Oscar nomination for his efforts as the leading roll.

The movie is pretty rough/blunt. It shows alot of situations where Howard & his "business partner" sitting in a car waiting for guys to drive up for some action. There's some drug presence/use & even some fighting.

I know, after going back & reading this...if you've never heard of the movie before, you might think, "this sounds HORRIBLE, why would I watch it?" I'll admit its not for everyone, (Mom & Dad, you prolly wont like it :o) but some others should watch it & see an overall good movie.

Welp -- thats it! Go out & grab the movie, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

"Now, where was I?" - Memento

Its official

Yes, ladies & gentlemen, It is official. Mel & I are going to be PARENTS! We found out a li'l while back & wanted to tell as many people as we could in person or through direct contact over the phone. For those of you who we have yet to contact, I do apologize for the informal announcement.

This is our first ultrasound picture as of 11/5/2007. I don't know if you can tell at the bottom, but according to the ultrasound picture, as of that date Mel was 6 weeks & 6 days along. She is obviously excited & I am as well. She has been awesome so far, not really having any problematic symptoms or anything. The past day or two she hasn't felt well, but we're not really chalking that up to the pregnancy.

I have been good too. Right after we found out I had a 24 hr flu -- I know, I thought that it was the mother who was to have the illnesses. I knocked that out after a day & have been healthy as a horse since.

We have another appointment this month & that one will be the big informative one. As far as we know from websites & such, our due date is 6/25/2008.

We'd also like to thank everyone for their congratulations & well wishes. It means alot & stay tuned to the blog for updates!

"Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads."

Monday Night Football

This post has more to do with LAST week's MNF game than anything else. I understand that Indy vs. New England is a big deal, but last week my all-time least favorite analyst/announcer for NFL football would not shut up about it. Tony Kornheiser really has no business being in the booth for MNF as I think Dennis Miller was better than he is.

Seemed like every time Kornheiser opened that ugly mug of his, he spouted off some stupid stat or remark regarding New England. Whats even worse, is that each time he prefaced it with, "Not to beat a dead horse," or "Not to keep bringing it up." Well, Tony, thats just what you did. You drove everyone nuts with your comments & frankly, I'd rather watch MNF in silence than listen to you. I feel that Ron Jaworski & Mike Tirico do a fine job by themselves without Kornheiser there to play the outsider/little brother role.

Whew, pardon me....I totally didn't expect that rant when I started.

"I do wish we could chat longer, but I'm having an old friend for dinner. Bye"

Wow....

Its been a while! A LONG while. So sorry to all the Logan's Run fans out there that have really been sitting on the edge of their seat for the next entry to the blog. If I know you all like I think I do, you are all hinging how your day will be based on the outcome of any given entry on this blog. HAHA, just kidding.

Well, where to begin? Lots has been going on lately & I dunno where to start. I think though, given that its football season, we can talk a bit about how this season is going so far. I don't mean the Colts.....I'm talking my two fantasy football teams: SexualChocolate & Logan Knows Best.

Logan Knows Best is my team in a league with all my buds from school. We've done this league for a few years now & while I normally start out okay -- this year seems to blow. I think I'm 7th overall in the standings because of my record, but last in points. My team is pretty hideous because some of the projected top players in the league have been injured or just busts. So I'm pretty much living "paycheck-to-paycheck" each week in hopes that the other team sucks worse. I'm basically playing not to lose. If you've ever played Fantasy Football, you know thats no way to play. At any rate, I'm at .500 with a 3-3 record & lets just say I dread seeing my lineup each week we play. Go easy on me this week, Jake.

On the other hand, SexualChocolate is my team with some buds from work & I am #1 overall in that league at a very hefty 6-0. I pretty much can do NO wrong in this league, it seems that I play the best people at the best times & have been pretty unstoppable thus far. Although the going gets tough from here on out, I must admit I like my chances week in & week out.

Fantasy Football is just awesome because it gives you a reason to watch all the games & while I'll always root for the Colts, rooting for individual players on my team just makes it fun. Whoever thought of Fantasy Football is a pretty money in my book.

Hopefully I can post to this blog with some consistency -- I've had a number of you tell me that you've been checking & its not been updated so I'll definitely see what I can do -- thanks for visiting!

"Take care now, bye bye then."

Movie Recommendation

This week's recommendation comes HIGHLY recommended. The movie is Shooter starring Mark Wahlberg.

This movie was in theaters for a while & previews did make it look interesting. But, honestly I didnt think this movie was gonna be as good as it was. It had a very "Bourne Identity/Supremecy/Ultimatum" feel to it.

Basically, Mark Wahlberg plays an ex-military gunnery sargeant or sniper. He got out of service after a mission gone bad & lives in the woods with his dog. One day a government official came to recruit him to help the Presidential Secret Service prepare for an assassination attempt.

The movie is alot of shoot-em up gunfights that many people may not like, but its really not too bad as its pretty well done. Even Mel liked it. We watched it with one of our movie buddies, her cousin Brian & he liked it alot also.

This movie is out on DVD now, so I suggest you go get it & watch it. You wont be disappointed.

"Here's lookin' at you, kid"

What a week!

Whew, this week has been awesome! Check the run down --

• Sunday - worked all day, not crazy busy -- but steady so that was good. Afterwards, went to a Fantasy Football draft & I must say, I should fair pretty well this season given all my guys stay healthy.
• Monday - worked again but got to check out our new store & everything looks awesome. The itch to move is getting greater & greater. My manager got me a Cookie Cake, mmm....
• Tuesday - I TURNED 28! Geez, Im an old fart but its cool cuz I dont feel like it. Basically slept in, then caught the movie "War" with Brian. (Stay tuned for my review, at least I think I'll talk about that in a future post.) Had a cookout with some family that night & got TOTALLY fooled with my present...Mel got me a Nintendo Wii!! Stayed up until about 3:30am playin' golf with everyone & Brian stuck it out til the early mornin' too. Good times
• Wednesday - Slept in again, played Wii for most of the day, realized our air conditioner was out so I was sweating all day long. Made an appointment for some help with that, & went out to dinner with Mel when she got home.
• Thursday - got up early to take the trash out & wait for the Dial One guy to show up. He got there around 9am & did work. $500+ later, we have a chilly house. Then my boy Cheever came down after he got off work & we Wii'd it up for a couple hours then went to lunch. Took a look at his future ride (hopefully) --- NIIIIIIICE. We came home & he took off for home & I cut the grass & layed low until Mel got home from work. Did a little Penn Station for dinner & came back to grade some papers, do laundry, & watched a movie. (My Fellow Americans -- good flick, but I'm not gonna bore you with a recommendation on it)
• Friday -- Up early to get some laundry done, gotta work @ 12:30 - close. Then another fantasy football draft late tonight.

What a week! It was fun while it lasted even though it seemed to go by way quick. Oh well, time flies when you're having fun.

This weekend entails work on Saturday & a wedding on Sunday. Hope everyone has a great weekend & a Merry Labor Day!

"Hasta la vista, baby."

Movie Recommendation

Welp, I'm already off to a bad start with this WEEKLY submission of my blog. But I did watch a movie that was worthy of a dishing on: The Pursuit of Happyness.

I liked this movie, but I wasn't really wowed by it like I thought I was gonna be. I mean, I'm a Will Smith fan. I like alot of movies he's in & the premise of this movie was pretty interesting, but I dunno -- I guess I was just okay with it at the end. It was obvious where it was going & I found myself waiting for the ending to come.

This story is based on true events of a man who is pretty much down in the dumps financially & has his son to take care of after his wife leaves them. He's doing his best to make ends meet when he decides to take an unpaid internship with a big insurance firm. Its pretty stunning the lengths he goes through to make sure he balances his life with his work.

Overall its a good movie, one that I don't necessarily think you just HAVE to watch, but a pretty good movie to rent to say you saw it. So go out & check it out.

Until next time!

Michael Vick

Normally I don't weigh in on current events much, I don't usually like to put my opinion out there on different things - I usually keep to myself, but this one I can't really help.
The entire fiasco that is Vick's involvement with dogfighting is disgusting. Not only for the pure fact that the idea of dogfighting is completely ridiculous, but also that he is one of the highest paid football players in the world jacks up the retardedness of this story exponentially. I just don't understand why athletes who get paid an insane amount of money would take their skills, money, lifestyle, etc for granted. There is absolutely no reason for Michael Vick to have anything to do with dogfighting. As a matter of fact, there is no reason for a bum off the street who conjures up just enough money in his li'l cup to have any involvement in a dogfight.
What joy is there to watch two beasts attack each other to the death? I'm no fan of pitbulls to begin with, but why on Earth would someone pay to see these animals kill each other? Im sure its not even the majority of pitbulls who rip the faces off little kids when they get out of their cages, but the fact that these animals are KNOWN for this behavior & people still breed them to be violent is beyond me.

Michael Vick deserves every bit of punishment he recieves. He seems to me to be one who gets away with just about anything because he's an exciting football player. He's had run-ins with airport security before & other incidents that ended up with a slap on the wrist -- IF that.

Honestly, I never thought he was that great of a football player to begin with. Sure hes fast, hes pretty exciting to watch. But he SUCKS as a quarterback more often than he doesn't. I've seen him give a stadium full of people the finger. What a mature guy. Dogfighting is right up there with flippin' off 70,000 people who PAY his contract directly or indirectly.

Again, this is my personal view on the subject, but Michael Vick doesn't deserve the $130,000,000 (weird to see it like that) contract that he has. He blew that entire contract & the privilege to play the game "he loves" when he first thought in his mind that being involved with dogfighting was a good idea. Way to go Mike, way to be one of the most selfish, egotistical, morons on this planet.

Until we meet again....

Movie Recommendation

I like to think of myself as somewhat of a movie buff. I dont mean that I look for the plot to be intriguing, or the writing to be stunning, or the cinematography to be dashing. I mean, I love to watch movies. I dont in any way, shape, or form feel that I am a good critic of movies because I'm actually a fan of some of the popcorn type flicks. You know the type, they have no point, theyre pretty stupid but either hilarious or stars someone that you just have to watch. For instance, Dumb & Dumber. Stupid movie, but gosh, I LOVE that movie.

My point is -- I think I want to start a little weekly (hopefully) Movie Recommendation part to my blog. Again, I dont claim to be the "all-knowing movie god," but for anyone who cares, I'll put up a movie that I've seen & recommend & tell a little bit about it. I think it would be neat too, to get either conflicting thoughts about what I've put about a movie or thoughts from people who are in agreeance with me. This will also give me a reason to post more often & maybe even become FUN to read.

So without further ado, my first Movie Recommendation!

Today, I went with Mel's cousin, Brian to see The Bourne Ultimatum. Allow me to preface this with the notion that I thoroughly enjoy all of the Bourne movies, but I think this one might be my favorite. This 3rd installment brings Jason Bourne back to the U.S. (see the first two if you dont know what I mean) to get to the bottom of who he is & why.

These movies are kinda "Bond"ish, in that man vs the world sort of way. The coolest thing about these though are that Bourne doesn't have a bunch of cool gadgets to help him out....his cool gadgets are his hands & driving skills. "Ultimatum" has a ton of action. The fight scenes are friggin' awesome & as in all of the Bourne movies, the driving sequences are pretty tight too. Its about 2 hrs long & theres enough going on that you dont get bored with it but not so much that you're confused or trying to catch up.

I thought the coolest idea in this movie was the implementation of the CIA. This movie shows off alot of cool things they have the capability of doing. Basically, if they want information about someone -- they can get it. Kinda scary, especially if this is even CLOSE to what they have access to. Nothing in this movie seems far-fetched either. Just about everything that happens you'd think could happen in real life, I think with the exception of 1 or 2 parts of the chase scene. If you're the type that thinks the government is spying on us or has motives of some sort, some of the stuff in this movie will probably help support your theory.

I went to see this movie because I usually have to watch all movies that are sequals, prequals, or trilogys. BUT, these movies are so dang cool, how can you NOT want to go see it? Matt Damon is a pretty good actor in my estimation & does yet another good job in "Ultimatum." So, everyone go see this movie, I dont think you'll be disappointed.

Until next time!

Brickyard

This past weekend my guys & I continued a relatively new found tradition -- the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. G's family is gracious enough to allow us to buy their tickets off them so we can go. Jake, G, Cobb & I have done this for the past 4-5 years & its a BLAST!

We have pretty dang good seats in between turns 1 & 2 right in the middle of the short chute.

Our day started at about 9:30am with Jake making "scrambled pancakes" then we loaded up the coolers & headed to the track. Sometimes I wonder if Cobb thinks he's in actually IN the race when we drive there -- but yeah. We have a pretty easy route to get there -- its not packed, its cheap & we park close enough to walk but far enough to not get caught in the traffic....although we walk about 2.5 miles to our seats!

We hang out, have fun, talk about the race, catch up on each others lives, & poke fun at each other (like G bringing South Beach bars to the track...yeah. We cheer on our individual favorite drivers, talk trash, then when the race is over, we trek back to the car.

I gotta say, these guys are 4 of my best friends. We've known each other since college & we have a great time whenever we hang out. I cant think of a better group of guys to have as friends & the only thing that could make it better is if Cheever could roll with us.

So guys, if youre reading this -- Thanks for being great friends. It means alot to me that we've been buds & here's to many more fun times to come.

Michigan: End Game

Sorry all, I got home & things got busy...not work related, mind you. Just met up with family & friends so heres the much anticipated, long-awaited closing to our Michigan trip:

So we got up & did make it back into South Haven. Mainly, we just wanted to swing by this nice little bakery to grab some home made fudge for Mel's parents -- they dig it. Kinda funny about this place, the lady who helped us cut off a piece of fudge (we asked for 1 lb.) She put it on the li'l scale thing & it came up to 1 lb. EXACTLY....I'd had never seen it before & maybe I'm really losing my mind, but I was rather impressed by that. Not .97 lb or 1.02 lbs. -- 1.00 lbs. is what the scale read. Pretty cool, so anyways the lady went on to say that it'll be a good day cuz she cut a perfect pound of fudge AND that her "mooching boyfriend" was moving out! HAHA this lady was about 55 yrs old & that comment just fell out of her mouth, AWESOME.

After that we made our way south to a few other stops, I believe Van Buren beach was one -- not too bad, except for this beach was the ROCKIEST beach I'd ever seen. I dont mean like pebbles between the toes, I mean like the size-of-my-fist-hurt-you-walking-around-on-the-beach rocks. We didnt really hang there for long, but we did manage to find a li'l spot to soak some rays.

After that we headed to St. Joseph. Pretty neat little town, about 25 minutes south. We ate at a restaurant called Schu's. It was nice, we ate outside & just enjoyed the day. Next we kinda drove around St. Joe's a bit, got a look at the beach which was kinda crowded, but we just drove by -- you could come pretty close to driving ON the beach, as close as any we had visited.

After St. Joseph, we headed to our final stop -- Warren Dunes. This place was pretty cool -- had dunes, although not as cool as Silver Lake, but this is where Mel FINALLY accomplished her mission: To swim in Lake Michigan & feel as though she was at the ocean. Not only did she do that, but she managed to get me to do the same thing! We swam in the lake for about an hour straight & I must admit, it was AWESOME!

We stuck around there for a bit then loaded up the vehicle & made our way home.

Goodbye for now, Michigan -- its been real!

Michigan 2.0

Day 3 led us south to Holland, Michigan. There wasn't really a whole lot going on that we saw in Holland -- except for a few HUGE houses that backed up to a lake. We did go to Holland State Park & checked out a pretty cool beach. The water was really active with waves -- not big waves, but lots of rolling waves. It was almost like we were watching the lake perform for us -- really neat.

After Holland, we went to Saugatuck/Douglas. Saugatuck had a great harbortown with shops & restaurants. We found a little bar & grill called Wally's. It's a nice little place, kind of a hole-in-the-wall type bar atmosphere. After lunch, we headed down the street to the docks & walked around looking at all of the huge yachts. (more on that in a future post)

We took off out of Saugatuck to find the Saugatuck State Park -- which we found with ease. What we DIDN'T find was the beach. We started up a trail that was actually a pretty good hike. However, we never got to the beach because we kept going UP the trail -- not many beaches I know are UP a trail, usually they're down a trail. We stopped, turned around & took off....we were so tired because of the walking & the weather (another overcast/dreary day)

So we headed down to South Haven -- one of our last stops on our trip. We found our hotel to check in & relax. That ended up being a little nap & cleaning up before we headed for dinner. Luckily, we're right down the road from South Haven & we found a great Italian restaurant called "Tello's Trattoria". Okay, this place wasn't great-- it was UNBELIEVEABLE. Mel tried a new dish, Gnocchi Verdi -- & she claims it was one of the best Italian dishes she's ever had. I had Spaghetti e Polpette. Basically, spaghetti with italian sausage. It was amazing! We walked around a little longer then back to the car.

We ended up calling it a night & headed back to the hotel. We plan on heading back to South Haven tomorrow to get a better look at things.

Until next time!

Greetings From Michigan!

Yep -- you heard me right, we're vacationing in Michigan. Mel's spent the last few weeks (since shes off work) planning out a quick getaway vacation. So here we are!

Yesterday we took off around 9am & drove up to Silver Lake. This is a destination that Mel's been to a number of times before & she wanted to share it with me. There are HUGE rolling sand dunes that separate Silver Lake from Lake Michigan. We had to climb an extremely steep graded dune RIGHT after we got out of the car. I thought this task was gonna be tough, but not impossible. Half-way up, I realized that this was next to impossible. We drove about 5 hours then climbed this hill -- my legs were BURNING! After a short break we walked around some more up & down dunes as well as along the shores. Boats were lining the shore as well as people out swimming & riding jet skis. There couldn't have been a more perfect day.

Mel & I found a spot on the beach where we just sat, talked, & enjoyed the sun....so much so, that I got a li'l crispy on the right side of my face.

After that -- we checked into our hotel. The hotel was very nice & unique in the fact that there were 7-8 rather large turtles in the middle of the hotel. This area was similar to an exhibit you'd see at the zoo. It was fenced off to guests, but is open to see them. Although this was unique in itself, we witnessed one male mate with a female! Interesting to say the least, but even worse was when we went back to check 'em out & he was mounting a different one?! Weird.

After we got cleaned up from the day, we went to dinner in Pentwater -- a nearby harbortown. We ate & walked around. After walking around, we headed back to the hotel but stopped by a local putt-putt course. This place was great! Kinda like the courses you'd find in Florida -- winding around in the trees with waterfalls, hills, etc. It was probably one of the best courses we've played.

We headed back to the hotel & relaxed -- even swam & hit the hot tub!

Day 2 began with breakfast at the hotel then back to Silver Lake to check out a cool lighthouse followed by lunch at a local joint in town. The weather wasn't nearly as good as yesterday. Overcast, even sprinkles throughout the day. So, we decided to make our way down to Muskegon to go through some parks & check out various beaches. We found our next hotel, then headed to Grand Haven which, we must admit, we like ALOT. The long boardwalk of restaurants & shops was awesome. Its a nice harbor-type town with lots of people walking around & neat boats to look at. We hung around for the World Famous Musical Fountain show, then we headed back to rest for the night.

Tune in tomorrow for more of the Michigan Road Trip!

Happy Father's Day!

To all the fathers out there -- Happy Father's Day!

I don't know about most families, but I know in my family my parents really sacrificed alot for my brothers & me. I know that my dad had other things that he would rather be doing instead of coaching years upon years of Little League, going to basketball games, & dozens of marching band contests. He did all that because we wanted to. I know that he got us involved in activities that would allow us to grow into great men. But my dad was always unselfish & always put his family first. Working to support us as kids, then as we grew into young men in high school, then as we went off to college -- I know it was special for my dad to see us do all these things. Never once did he let his own personal feelings come into play. Even to this day, he wants to make sure that my Mom is taken care of before himself. A true gentleman.

Our parents played a huge role in how Rob, Randy & I turned out. The connection between father & son is undeniable just as mother & child. Boys always have special connections with their fathers & I never realized the extent of this until we recieved our wedding video back from the videographer & my dad said into the camera, "Pat, you're my best friend."

The first time I saw it, I teared up & thought -- "Wow, I'm my dad's best friend???" I guess I never realized it & now that they live out-of-state, its kind of sad to think back at all of the great times we had when we were younger & how its harder to get together now that we're all adults.

I love my dad so much & while day-to-day activities make it difficult to keep in touch all the time, he needs to know that.

Happy Father's Day

2 Years....

Hola!

Today Mel & I celebrate 2 years of marriage! How crazy is that?? We've been together for like 7 years if you count the dating & such, but 2 official years married. We looked it up, & supposedly its our Cotton Anniversary. Haha.

I've been off work, so we have spent the whole weekend together -- with the exception of Randy & I golfing for the first time this summer on Saturday. Of course, he beat me by 3 strokes....I'll get him sometime this summer.

Tonight we dine bigtime! Im taking her to a surprise dinner somewhere (I'll tell ya later). Here's a hint: I made reservations. LOL.

Who knows what we'll do afterwards but at least we'll be together!

Hope all is well with everyone,

Hasta la vista!

Yikes, been a while!

Hello again!

Well, things have kinda been crazy as of late -- I finished up my tour of duty at the Castleton Store & have since moved on to the Greenwood Store. Here's my Week 1 analysis:

My new location is CRAZY. From the customers to the employees, its crazy. Crazy busy, crazy characters, crazy everything. Don't get me wrong, I think once I adjust to the scene & get comfortable -- I think I'll fit right in. HAHA (interesting to think)

Now my previous stores have been way more organized, structured, & stable. Hopefully, I can implement some things that will allow the new store to have some of that as well as keep everything loose.

So far the people have been nice & welcoming -- I'm sure they think I'm a little too quiet for their environment, but if they only knew! I've not yet come out of my shell, as I tend to hold back until I get comfortable with the new surroundings.

I'll tell you though, my favorite things??
1. The last time I filled up my gas tank, was last Thursday!
2. I've come home 2 times already for lunch with Mel! (the other times I went some staff &
today I met Mel & others at the mall to eat, how great!)
3. The latest Ive gotten home, was like 10:30pm....& thats only cuz were open til 9 now & we got
held up with some long transactions. The other day I got off at 5 & got home around 5:15ish -
sweet.

I'll admit -- Initially, I dont like the change, but I think its cuz there are alot of things different that I would like to change, but know its not necessarily my right/boundaries to do so - but once Im comfortable, I'll implement some things to smooth out processes.

Well, thats the update -- stay tuned for more!

Friends

This past weekend was a rather eye-opening one for me. Mainly because I hung out with my friends for most of the weekend due to a good friend's wedding. (Congrats guys -- although now when we yell, "Hey Cheever!", are you both going to look?)

Anyways -- my wake up call came when I found out that 2 of my other close friends are possibly moving away to pursue job/life opportunities in another city. Granted, Chicago isn't all that far away by any means, but its farther away than the north side where they are now.
I'll be the first to admit, I'm not always there to hang out as often as they get together, but its still nice knowing they're up there & able to hang out when the time is right.

Another bit of news I got is that my best friend is seeing someone he's very interested in & apparently all is well on that front. You go, G.

I guess the fact that I've known all these guys since college & we've all been pretty close since then, has given me a pretty secure feeling that they'd always be around. I'm pretty much in my ideal situation with my wife, job, house, location, etc. But, its kinda selfish of me to think that this "ideal situation" is ideal for everybody. When this weekend I found out that it may not be for them.

I completely respect them for following their heart & where they feel they should go & what they feel they should pursue. But, selfishly, its kinda unsettling to know they may move on & the rare times we spend together now could become even more rare in the near future.

Enough about that -- I've learned to let the chips fall where they may & let God do his work. Our job is to make the most of the time we have & let it ride.

Here's to fun times this summer.

Until next time!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms in the world! Mothers in most families, are the foundation that families are built on. They are strong & nurturing as they raise their children to be the best people they can be. There is nothing stronger than a Mother's love for her children & her want for them to grow up to be happy & healthy. Today we celebrate all of the special things Moms have done for us throughout our lives. Mel & I love all the special Moms close to us in our lives:

A few Moms close to our hearts:
Mom Logan, Mom Burnett, Grandma Turk,
Grandma Marshall , Debbie L., Karen M.,
Patty G., Mary T-D., Rose T.,
Jessica L., Nancy R., Sherry T.,
Laura R., Amy R., Emily B., Erin D.,
Maya L., Jamie P., Heidi V.

We love you all!

Good News - Greenwood here I come!

After living in Greenwood but working in Castleton for 2 years -- I've finally gotten the opportunity to transfer south to the Greenwood Store. This is awesome on many levels, yet scary on others.

First & foremost, the store is literally 10 minutes from my house. I'll be closer to my house, Mel, Nala -- all of the family that lives in Greenwood. Randy is never too far away at his place either, so hopefully this will allow me to see him more with Cy & Nettie.

The opportunities that will arise in this new venture will be pretty exciting too. They're planning on re-locating the Greenwood Store to a bigger, better site in the coming months. This will allow me to experience the trials & tribulations that come with transferring/opening a new store. The manager of the store is a pretty well-respected figure as is her boss, my new DM.

Some of the bummers of the deal is that I have been in the district around Indianapolis for my entire 5 year career at Verizon Wireless. The friends, colleagues & contacts I've made up there have been great - & will hopefully continue to be.

While this is a big move for me, all-in-all I feel it will be great for my career & allow me to further my successes with the company!

Thoughts & Prayers

In light of the recent event at Virginia Tech University, we would like to send our thoughts & prayers to the victims, relatives, students, faculty, & community in Blacksburg. Even though we have been removed from college life for a few years, its still fresh in our minds. We cannot even comprehend the tragedy that has occurred on that campus. It will be a struggle to return to any amount of normalcy there, but judging by the stories all over the news -- The Virginia Tech community seems to be one that will join together in strength, unity, & support to accomplish just that -- a return to normalcy.

Our hearts are with you.

New designs??

Hey everyone! As you can see, I'm messing around with some different designs & such. No, I didn't make these myself or anything -- I've looked around for them. If you get a sec, check it out and let me know what you think. I'll prolly change 'em around from time to time.

Holla!

Biltmore Estate

Mel & I took a much needed vacation this past week with her parents as well as her aunt & uncle. We went to the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina. If you've never been, I highly suggest it.
This Estate is magnificent! The house is an enourmous 175,000 sq. ft. monstrosity that is decked out with nice sculptures, woodwork, tapestries, & paintings.
The first night we arrived, we ate at a restaurant on the estate called The Bistro. It was a great dining atmosphere!
The next day, we ate breakfast at the hotel, then we toured the house. It was nice because we had a few options to tour:
1-just walk around the house on our own with a booklet that gave information on the rooms.
2- Rent an audio player that allowed you to take as much time in each room & hit a number associated with the room to hear audio about it. (this is what we chose)
It was really cool to go through the 60+ rooms on the tour & see all the details of the rooms, as well as the way the people lived there.
After the tour, we ate lunch at the Stables which they converted the old horse stables to a restaurant. Following lunch, we toured the vast garden area on the house property. While everything wasn't quite in bloom, most of the tulips & some other flowers were....just beautiful!

Day 3 brought on tours of the grounds of the estate. Legends of the Land was a bus tour that took us around the property to tell some of the history of the land, some of the intricacies of the land, & fun facts as well. We also went on a horse carriage ride around some of the "backyard" of the Biltmore House which gave a pretty realistic ride around as they did back in the day. Ending the day with a tour of the Winery & dinner.

Day 4 was basically pack up & check out day.

Overall, a great time had by all. We had a nice relaxing time with family & we highly suggest everyone go & visit the Biltmore Estate!

The Prestige

Okay, I realize its been a while since I last posted. But, Mel & I watched a movie the other night & I've been telling people at work about it -- spreading it around my friends, so I figured I'd post about it cuz I like it that much.

I had seen the previews for it when it was new, but I never had the chance to get to the theater to watch it. It came via Blockbuster Online the other day & we watched it. The movie is The Prestige.

It stars Christian Bale (Batman Begins), Hugh Jackman (XMen), Scarlett Johansson (Match Point), & Michael Cain (Batman Begins). Its directed by Christopher Nolan (Memento, Batman Begins).

First of all, the cast really made me want to see the movie. My favorite movie is Batman Begins & most of the people involved with that are involved with this so that was money in the bank. But, the movie is mainly about two magicians who started out as friends, but then became rival magic acts. Each trying to expose the other by figuring out each other's tricks & trying to make them better for their own benefit.

Not really going for a full review here, but just wanting to let you all know that the movie was great because it had suspense, a sense of mystery, & at least for me, the ending shocked me! The Prestige will have you guessing & trying to figure it out. Plus, it was kinda neat to see how they did some of the tricks.

Thats all for now -- go out & rent The Prestige, you'll not be disappointed!

Stomach Flu = WORST TIME OF YOUR LIFE

Okay, so I just got over the stomach flu -- it began Monday night as I went to Circuit City in Castleton to help my boy John with his inventory counts. I had a full feeling - not really a stomach ache, but just felt full. However, about 20 minutes into the 40 minute drive I broke out into a cold sweat & really began to not feel well. I'm sure you'd all not really care to hear the details, but long story short: I hit the restroom a few times while I was at the store & right when I got home that night. I've been laid out since Monday night.

To make matters worse -- I was supposed to go to training for work this week in Detroit. I really thought I could pull through Tuesday. I was supposed to fly out Tuesday around 6:30 & be there for training...then fly back Friday afternoon. I actually got out of the shower & laid out my clothes that I was going to take with me. I had to cave in & call my District Manager to inform him that I just couldn't fly. It was really the training that had me worried, it was the being in another city, no one to contact in case something went wrong. Plus, I was highly contagious so it wouldn't have been good anyways.

I've never called in sick a day in my life that I can remember & it actually upset me to do that this week. I dunno, I guess it happens to everyone at some time in their life.

I am feeling better & returning to work tomorrow -- back to the grind after a long month of training.

PS - Sorry John, I didn't know what I had, let alone that I was contagious. Get well soon!

Happy Valentine's Day

On this Valentine's Day, a note to the Melsther:

Mel,
Here we are again, another Valentine's Day celebrated together! Over the past few years, we've celebrated many holidays, birthdays, events in our lives together, but each & every one is more special than the previous. No matter what we do, as long as we're together, everyday is special.

I love how every moment we spend together is spent as best friends as well as husband & wife. I love how after we disagree, we end up laughing with (& sometimes AT) each other.
I love how you are the nicest, most genuine person I know.
I love how you have been so supportive of me in the things I do.
I love how you keep me level-headed.
I love how you make me a better person.
I love how you love me.

Here's to many more Valentine's Days together.
Love you always,
Patters

2007 World Champion Indianapolis Colts

Quite an interesting ring to it, don't you think? Unbelievable to me even now, the next day -- that the Colts are crowned the champions. Peyton got the monkey off his back: people telling him that he can't win the big one. One thing that I disagree with, but understand the thinking is that Dominic Rhodes & Joseph Addai should've been co-MVPs of the game. Peyton was great, yes, but the two RBs were the reason Chicago's defense was out of the game.

An awesome time, for sure -- now....if the Pacers could figure it out too.

Super Bowl I-65

Well what a weekend! Two awesome games -- honestly, Colts vs. Pats III was one of the best games I've seen in a LONG time. The time was spent with friends downtown Indy....starting at Hard Rock Cafe. The waitress we had, was.....well, less than impressive. So after some drinks & appetizers we headed to Jillian's. We were up on the arcade level where we found a booth & staked our spot in the crowd. Pretty good deal: was busy, but not CRAZY crowded. Basically watched the entire game there. Mel was wearing her Marvin Harrison jersey -- which we've deemed as a bad-luck charm in the past. This was solidified by the lousy first half the Colts played. She felt the need to take the jersey off by halftime & the Colts go on to score 32 points in the second half of the biggest comeback win in Conference Championship history. Could that REALLY have made a difference?

But after the interception to end the game, the bar BLEW UP & everyone took to the streets of Indianapolis. That was BY FAR the craziest environment I've ever been in. People were high-fiving as we walked by each other, shouts of "Go Colts" were heard all over the city. Strangers were joined as friends, and Patriots fans grinned as they realized that Peyton & Co. finally beat their Brady Bunch.

Although I'll never forget that night as long as I live -- I HIGHLY doubt I'll participate in it again. Took almost a FULL HOUR to get out of the parking garage. The waits to get tables were, as you can imagine, atrocious. Drunks of all kinds were annoying.

In the end though, Peyton got the monkey off his back & paved his way to Miami to battle the Bears.

Chicago meets Indianapolis in the Battle of the Midwest.
Super Bowl XLI is now Super Bowl I65.

Congratulations, Colts.

2007

Well, 2007 started off with a bang for me. FIRST, I didn't get a job that I had kinda hoped I'd get. (honestly, I hoped for it, but given experience & stuff I didnt think I'd get it) So that kinda bummed me out.

But the BIG bummer so far this year -- our new car got knocked in the side this past week. Nothing HUGE, but he got me pretty good. It was a 16 yr old kid driving a Land Rover who must not have seen me as I was leaving a parking lot. He came down the aisle where he was parked and just kept coming. Its been an ordeal cuz the kid's mom chose to pay out-of-pocket instead of insurance. So I've been messing with that.

What gets me is that we've only had the vehicle for about 3 months, its the first vehicle that we've bought/paid for on our own -- just our first car. So its special & having it damaged kinda ticks me off. I dunno, what do you think? I'll post the damage soon.

Hopefully this isn't a sign of things to come in 2007.

Welcome 2007

2006 is history. Pretty weird to think that or say that. But now we have to get used to writing & typing 2007. It's something that normally takes about 2 months to get used to, but I managed to pick it up pretty well today. Probably the weirdest thing so far this year, being in the wireless industry, is that our 2 year contracts -- are out until 2009 ! Thats kinda weird if you ask me.

Anyways -- I kinda thought about having a New Year's Resolution. Then I thought, "Why would I do that, I never follow 'em" But this year I may do something. I've got a membership to Cardinal Fitness that I've only used a handful of times, so I think I might try to pick that up.

Who knows, all I know is that 2007 promises to be an exciting year & I'm sure that big things will happen.

Happy New Year, everyone -- CHEERS!