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!