Z is for Zoo

Well here we are! The final letter!  This has truly been a tough challenge.  I want to thank you all for reading my blog this month.  From now on, I will probably post something once or twice a week.  I don't plan on totally going away.  As you can see, my blogs are about whatever I am feeling.  It is just a little bit of this and that. 



Levi taking it all in at the Aquarium




Some of my fondest memories growing and also in my adult life were going to the zoo.   Every year during elementary school, we took a field trip to the Omaha Henry Doarly's Zoo.  It was so much fun.  I know my jaw dropped to the floor the first time I saw an elephant up close.  I remember seeing my first seal show.  It was real fun watching them jump through hoops.  It is amazing how the trainers can train them so well.



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Watch out Levi!  That tiger is going to get you!



My wife and I had the great experience of taking Levi to the Omaha Zoo a couple of years ago.  It was called Snooze at the Zoo.  It was where you actually got to camp out at the zoo.  I don't know who was more excited, me or Levi.  They took us on a tour of the jungle.  I know I was freaking out because I was afraid a bat was going to get me because it was pretty dark in there.  We had a little bit of a light.  We got to see a lot of the animals at night and we along with the other campers had the zoo to ourself.  After we got back,  we played some games, and had ice cream.  We actually camped out in the aquarium.  We  got to sleep with the sharks.  Sharks and stingrays were swimming around us while we were sleeping.  Also, the penguins were in the aquarium which is my favorite bird. I find it amazing how fast they can swim and how long they can stay underwater.    It was pretty amazing.  The next morning they took us on another tour before the zoo opened.  We got to see some feeding which was neat, and then we got to spend the whole day at the zoo.  Levi had so much fun on this trip.  I would totally recommend this to anyone with little kids.    Everyone had such a good time.



Levi barking with the seal!



As far as my favorite animals at the zoo.  When I was a kid, my favorite animal was the tiger.  I loved their sly style.  I just thought they were cool looking with their black and orange stripes too.  However, I have a new favorite animal now.  It is the polar bear.  I just think they are magnificent.  I love the white coat, which really isn't white when you see it up close.   I love watching them swim, and usually they are pretty entertaining to watch at the zoo.  We saw one polar bear some kind of dance.  They like playing around with the balls too.  I can't wait to see the one at the Kansas City Zoo.

Well that wraps up my A-Z.  I hope you enjoyed it.

Y is for Youth

My brother and I were happy kids!

Levi and his best friend Dhiren! Look at those smiling faces!

I believe that children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be

These are lyrics from the song Greatest Love of All by Whitney Houston.  I think a lot of people are worried about our youth.  A lot of people are thinking "Oh My Gosh, This is the generation that is going to take care of me.  We're in trouble now!"

I am excited that the children are our future.  Sure, there are a few out there that cause trouble, and the youth that misbehave seem to beworse than it used to be.  However, everytime I go to church on Sunday, or go to school projects,  I realize there are outstanding kids out there.  They are caring.  They are smiling.  They are so excited about the projects they are working on.  When I see this, it makes me excited about our future.  I am excited that these creative and smart kids are going to be the face of our nation.

Teach them well and let them lead the way! Show them all the beauty they possess inside!  I know some kids are brought up in different situations.  Some are raised rich.  Some are raised poor.  Some are raised in crime ridden areas.  Some are raised in the ritz.  The biggest thing is to show them love.  I think rich people have to watch this.  They get caught up in the money and think they can buy their child's love. Obviously, there are great wealthy parents out there but I honestly think they need to be the most careful.  If you are in a crime ridden area, show your kids love, make sure they don't get involved in things they shouldn't get into. Show them the difference between right and wrong.   I think some of the most well behaved and loving kids I have seen are from low to middle income families.   I think these people usually put family first.  Either way, show your kids love and the beauty they possess.

Give them a sense of pride to make it easier.   If kids do something well, tell them they did a good job.  I see a lot of times when kids do amazing things, and the parents either yell at them about something else or ignore the good deed.  Show love when they do something good.  Discipline them if they do something bad.  I know that sounds easy enough.  I think there needs to be more of it.

Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be!  For the most part I grew up poor as a kid.  However, I felt rich.  My parents and grandparents always showed me love.  I was lucky to have great parents who praised me when I did something good, and disciplined me when I did something bad.   Everytime a child laughs,  think back to your favorite childhood memories and smile. 

X is for Xanadu

Xanadu is defined as place of great beauty, luxury, and contentment.  As Misty and I celebrate our 4 year anniversary today, it brings back great memories of our 1 year Anniversary trip to Jamacia.  Couples Resort San Souci was a beautiful Xanadu on the gorgeous island of Jamaica in Ocho Rios.

Let's start with the beauty.  Couples San Souci is a gorgeous resort in Ocho Rios.  The ocean was a gorgeous blue-green.  The views from our room were breathtaking, as we could see the beach and ocean.  We did an excursion out to Duns River Falls.  It was beautiful.  It was real tough to climb but we did it.  There was also gorgeous foliage along the trails on the resort.  Every morning when I woke up, and walked out on the balcony and said this is one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Luxury-  We ended up getting the prime minister suite when we stayed there.  We were told it is where the prime minister stays everytime he visits.  It was a huge suite, with a separate living room and bedroom area.  It wal like we were in a first class hotel.  All the workers at the hotel treated us like kings.  As a matter of fact on of the workers would always call Mr. Prime Minister every time he saw me.  We decided to do a special dinner, out in a gazebo overlooking the ocean.  It was truly amazing.  We had our own server that catered to only us.   Being an all inclusive resort, we were catered to in every single way.  One of the things we really enjoyed was spa day.  We got a couples massage.  It was truly one of the best massages I have ever gotten in my life.  When she was done, i almost fell over when i got up because I was so relaxed. 

Contentment-  We were definitely content with staying there a few more days. The Jamaican attitude "Everythings going to be alright"  and "No Problem".   That is what we felt like when we were there.  We were sad to go and can't wait to go back.

W is for Wacky

Enjoy these wacky photos from Face in Hole.

Dad, is that you?????

One Big Happy Family!

You can rescue me anytime!

Look at these Angels!

Up Up and Away!

Yep, I'm a stetson man!

I didn't know Paris and Misty were BFF

A hunka hunka burning love

Aren't we cute?

Me and all my playmates!

Groovy man!

Rock On!

You Can't See Me!

Bruce, what are you doing in here?

Linds with Orange County Chopper Dude

Are you ready for the wedding Friday?

Beefcake!

Brothers!!!

To make your own memories, go to http://www.faceinhole.com/

V is for Victory

Growing up, I learned very early that I didn't like to lose.  I really wasn't that great of a loser.  Victory was the only option.

Whether it's cards, sports, board games, etc, etc, etc.  Whatever it was, I wanted to win. 

As I grew older, I realized winning wasn't as important.  Don't get me wrong, I still like to win.  I still will throw a fit once in while but I have mellowed through the years.  I have realized that as long as I have my lovely wife Misty, my friends and family, and Jesus, I have already won.  I am already victorious.  Victory is mine.  I think I started to mellow on being so competitive after I got married.

I wasn't always like that.  The thing I never liked to lose at was tennis.  I think it was because it was the one sport I was actually decent at.  I remember my friend Brian and I had a huge rivalry.  I didn't want to lose to him because I had something to prove.  He didn't want to lose this plump out of shape guy.  I won more times than I lost. when I lost I wasn't happy.  One time, he kept on egging me on.  I was actually beating him. He kept on rushing the net, and I kept on hitting winners down the line.  He said that I didn't have any game.  Eventually, he got under my skin, and I actually threw my racket towards him.  Not one of my proudest moments.  I remember breaking a few rackets by slamming it on the tennis court.  I was a sore loser.  I wasn't proud of my actions, but I think through those actions, it made me realize I needed to change the way I went about things.  I have mellowed through the years.  I haven't got a chance to play as often as I want.  Stupid knees and heels.  But when i get healthy. I challenge you Brian to a "friendly" game of tennis.  Don't worry I won't throw my racket at you.

Bowling used to be heated.   Brian has definately got the upper hand in bowling.  I don't get upset anymore when he beats me in bowling.  He is just better than me.  I am just hoping I get lucky and beat him again some day. 

I still get excited and get pumped up when I play well, but I don't let it bother me nearly as much when I don't play well.  Like I said before, I have already won.  I got Misty, family and friends, and Jesus.  Victory is mine.

U is for Upbringing

I was sitting here on this Easter reminesing about my upbringing and the traditions we had growing up.

For instance, the Easter bunny must have knew our family liked to hunt for Easter Eggs outside.  The only time the Easter Bunny would hide eggs inside is if it was raining.  There were days when it was 30 degrees outside but we still went outside to hunt Easter Eggs.  My dad would bundle me up and we would go out on my Grandpa's and Grandma's farm and hunt Easter Eggs.    When you are growing up, you don't think about different ways people do things.  My wife told me the Easter Bunny always hid eggs inside when she grew up.  Once in a while the Easter Bunny would forget and do it outside. 

Another tradition we had was at Christmas.  My mom would make sugar cookies for Christmas, and my brothers and me always decorated them every year.  Still to this day, when we go home for Christmas, we have Christmas cookies to decorate.  Also growing up. my mom would make us go to bed by 9:00.  And she said if you  listen really hard you can hear Santa coming.  All of a sudden, we would hear footsteps on the roof, and Santa would yell  "HO HO HO, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!"  It was amazing how much Santa actually sounded like my dad.  :) 

I am hoping in the future if Misty and I have children, we can create our own family traditions. 

T is for Theatre

When I was growing up, I knew acting was something I wanted to do.  I remember playing Dukes of Hazzard at recess and I would always act like I was Luke Duke.  It started at a young age.  I remember my brother and I doing funny skits on the tape recorder. 

Through junior high, I was usually the one picked on during school.  I think it was because I didn't have an identity.  I loved to play sports but I really wasn't good at it.  I was a B Student, so I wasn't dumb but not the smartest.    I was just average.  There is nothing wrong with being average, but I wanted more.

I remember going to a school play when I was in junior high, and I knew it was something I wanted to do. 
I got into theatre my freshman year in high school.  I was lucky enough to be cast in every play during my high school years.  My first big part was in my sophomore year in a musical "Gaslight Girl"  I played this recovering drunk named Milo Smark.  To this day, it is probably the most fun I have ever had on stage.  I remember going out for the curtain call, and as soon as I stood on stage the crowd stood up and gave me a standing ovation.  It was one of the biggest thrills in my life.  I went onto win Best Actor at my school that year.

After that play, I got my nitch in high school.  It was in speech and drama.  I had the respect of the student body, and it felt good!  :)

Why did I love acting so much?  It was a release for me.  It allowed me to be someone totally different than I was.  In class, I might be the quiet shy kid.  On stage, I came to life. 

I did a total of 12 plays in high school.  I also did a lot of acting in speech contests.   After high school, I went onto Northwest Missouri State and was cast in 3 plays there.  After getting out of college, I stayed involved in theatre and performed in a lot of community theatre and church plays .  I  have done 6 shows in community theatre and 3 church plays.

I have had the great fortune of playing a lot of great roles.  My favorite roles I have played include Milo Smark of course in Gaslight Girl, Bernard Mergendeiler in Feiffers People, Starbuck in The Rainmaker,  Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird, Oscar in The Odd Couple, Detective Troughton in Run For Your Wife, Howard in Moon Over Buffalo, Daniel Webster in "The Devil and Daniel Webster" and Judas in The Living Last Supper.

I haven't performed in a little over 5 years now.  I am definately getting the itch to get back into it.  My dream would be to start a community theatre in Odessa, Missouri.  I think it would be great for Odessa and great for Lafayette County. 

S is for Siblings



From Left to Right:  Troy, Dot, Larry, Margie, Rick

 Growing up, I was always the baby of the family.  Of course, getting ready to turn the big 40, I don't feel like the baby anymore.  I was blessed to have two brothers and two sisters.  I would like to use this post to talk about my OLDER siblings.  Had to do a little bit of a jab.

I mentioned in my last post that there was one more Richard that was a huge in my life.  That would be my brother Rick.  We were like two peas in a pod.  The thing I admire most about my big brother Rick is his heart.  There are many times where I was having financial problems, and he was always there to help me.  He eased a lot of my tensions.  There were many a nights I would go to his apartment in Hamburg and we would watch movies.  We did the fun brother stuff, like make funny videos.  We got quite the collection of just stupid dumb stuff we filmed.  It was great.  Rick is really good with money, but if he splurges it on something, it is usually on electronics.  He has all the cool toys.  I really admire that my Rick has stayed close to home all these years.  I am sure that my mom appreciates it.  It takes away a lot of my worry about my mom being lonely.  I know Rick is right there.  Rick was my best man in my wedding, and he always will be my best man.

My oldest brother is Larry.    Some of my fondest memories was when Larry would take me for rides on his motorcyle.  We would go to the top of the vidoct and pump our arm so the semis would honk thier horns.  Larry was big into the sports cars. I remember the Chevy Nova, and the Monte Carlo.  He loved cars and anything that moved fast. Unfortunately Larry hung around the wrong people in his adolescent and it got him into trouble.  As Larry got older, he became wiser.  He married a lovely girl named Jill who I think is a true miracle to him, and they have two wonderful kids Isaac and Rebekah.  I am so proud of him for being a good husband, father, and provider.  I am so impressed with his skills with fixing up cars.  He has a a great shop to do his work.  What I am really impressed about Larry is he is not afraid to speak his mind.  You might not always agree with him but he says what he feels.  I love you Brother

Then there are my sisters Dot and Margie.  Unfortunately, I don't get to see them often. They lived with their birth mother.    Thank God for Facebook so we can always keep in contact.  I remember growing up I couldn't wait for Dot and Margie to come visit.  We hung out all the time.  It was so nice having big sisters.  We goofed around all the time.   Dot is one of the strongest people I know.  She has been through a lot and she always comes out looking good.  She always looks so happy in her Facebook pictures.  I know she is a great mom.  I was touched that Dot came to my wedding.  It was so nice seeing her.  Margie is probably is one of the most independent people I know.  She is also a great mom.  Margie and I have similar personalities.  We both like to be the center of attention a lot of the time. :) I haven't seen Margie in a long time.  Hopefully we will cross paths soon.   Another thing I admire and am jealous about is they both travel a lot.  I love seeing the pictures of their vacation.

I am also blessed to have such wonderful brother in laws and sister in laws.  Jill, Chris, Shelly, John, Brian, and Levi, I love you all. 

R is for Richard

I have had the fortune of having 3 special Richard's in my life.  One of them I will be talking about in my next post.
A tribute to my dad. That is my dad singing

Today I am going to be talking about my two dads.

 My dad was a very special man who was taken away from us way too soon.  Please check out this video tribute that my sister Dot made.  That is my dad singing.  He was into country music.

My dad's name was Richard.  He went by Dick. As I talked about in my blog about baseball, my dad and I had baseball in common.  We watched sports together all the time, especially Cubs baseball.  My dad was always the life of the party.  He is always the one cracking the jokes.  He would talk to you like he knew you all his life.  He loved to sing country sings.  Mom would get the accordian or guitar out, and he would sing country music.  He was a big fan of Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash. He also had some hilarious songs he would sing that wouldn't be appropriate for this blog.  :) My dad also had some funny sayings as well.  What are you smart feller or fart smeller?  You're as sharp a rat turd and that's sharp on both ends.  Have you been drinking muddy water, because I can't see the TV?  :)

The funniest story of my dad was when my dad found a snake in the garage.  It was a huge snake.  My dad, like Indiana Jones, was afraid of snakes.  He ran out of the garage a million miles an hour.  Our neighbor Frank came over and was laughing his butt off and he killed the snake with a hoe.  My dad, thinking the snake was dead holds up the snake to show it off and the bottom of the snake starts to coil and he threw the snake up and ran away.  I was crying I was laughing so hard.

My dad was a very hard worker and provided for his family.  He worked on the Railroad, and sometimes would work very long days.  It was a hard job. Then he would come home and work on things in the garage.  I definately didn't get any of that fix it up stuff from my dad.  My dad came to my baseball games, and he swelled up with pride when I got my first base hit, which happened to be a double in the gap.  He was standing up and he had the biggest grin on his face that I ever saw.  I wasn't all that great at sports.  Theatre was my thing.  He came to all my plays, and was bursting with pride after every performance I did.
He was very proud of me.

He definately expected that we treated mom with respect.  I remember I told my mom something I shouldn't have, and he shoved me to the floor.  "DON"T EVER TALK TO YOUR MOM LIKE THAT AGAIN!!!"  I definately didn't after that.

My dad was so proud that I was the first Thieman to go to college.  I wish he could have seen me graduate.  I wish he would have had a chance to meet Misty.  I miss him and I hope he is proud of the man I have become.

Who would have thought that 13 years later after my father's death I would get a father figure back in my life and his name happens to be Richard as well.  He is my father in law Richard Corn.  He goes by Rick.

In a lot of ways he reminds me of my dad.  He has a great sense of humor.  He is a hard worker.  He puts his family first. 

He likes to raz me about my clumsiness and lack of home improvement skills.  However, he is always willing to help me out.  He fixed our lawnmower after I accidentally put gas in the oil tank.  He fixed a couple of our ceiling fans.  He is a jack of all trades.  Right now he is working on remodeling their basement.  He actually let me do a little demo.  That was actually kind of fun.  The biggest project we worked on was our deck.  As you can see in the picture, I actually helped out with that.  I never got a chance to do this stuff with my dad.  Before I met Rick, my knowledge of home improvement was probably a 1 out of a 10.  I am probably at least a good solid 2.5 now.  :)

Something he can do that my dad couldn't do is cook!  We enjoy going over there, especially if we here Rick is grilling something.

I am so happy that God brought me to this family.  They all have welcomed me with open arms.  Rick is a pretty cool dude, and I am so glad to have him in my life.

Q is for Quest

X Marks the Spot!  Our quest is to find the treasure!

Where is this treasure?  You just need to plug in the coordinates in your GPS and it will lead you straight to the treasure.  What is this treasure hunt called.  It is called Geocaching?

Misty and I got started on this hobby last year and it is a blast.  You might ask what is Geocaching?  I know I never heard of it.

Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online. Geocaching is enjoyed by people from all age groups, with a strong sense of community and support for the environment.

Caches can be anywhere from the size of fingernail to a big army case.  Some caches contain a treasure.  You are more than welcome to take an item but you have to replace it with something else.  Most items in there are just little knick knacks.  After you find the cache, you also want to make sure you sign the log.  There are almost 1,400,000 caches around the world.  To learn more about geocaching and find the caches nearest  you go to the website below.
http://www.geocaching.com/

Shelly and Misty near a cache we found at the Battle of Lexington

Here are a little bit about our stories of Geocaching.  The first time we went Geocaching, we went around the Lexington, Missouri area.  There was a cache close to a bridge.  It had very steep stairs and we went up and down those stairs a 1000 times and couldn't find it.  After we went back second time with Shelly, we found it right away.  We also found some caches over at the Battle of Lexington Warfield.  It was so exilarating after you look and look, and you finally found it.

Then Misty found out about caches close to our work.  Misty and I carpool to work, and I used to work 9:30-6:00.  Misty had to be at work at 8:00.  So every morning, I would go out to try to find caches close to my work before I had to go in.  I probably didn't find more than I found, but the the thrill of the hunt was so much fun.

Misty and Brylly standing in a train with a cache inside of it

Misty had  a cache close to her work that she was bound and determined to find. I tried to help her find it one day, and I think people thought we were crazy.  You are supposed to kind of look for it nonchalantly.  Nonchalant is definately not in my vocabulary.  She did end up finding it after about a month.  There was much rejoicing!

Shelly, Misty, and I at a park.  The cache was actually inside that pinecone.

When we first went Geocaching, we looked for stuff based on the clues on the website.  We didn't have a GPS unit.  However, we knew we were going to St. Louis later in the year.  It seemed like a great time to buy a GPS.  After we got our garmin, it made things a lot easier.  I then got a 2nd GPS unit for free, which is supposed to be a little more accurate.   I would recommend anyone who wants to take this hobby up,to get a GPS.

Misty found this cache at a rest area on our way to St. Louis

One day Shelly, Misty, and I decided to do a whole day of Geocaching.  We went to the Liberty, North Kansas City Area, and i am guessing we tried to find about 15-20 caches that day. We went to parks, big wooded areas, parking lots.   We probably only found about 1/2 of them but it is really fun.  When Misty and I went to St. Louis, we stopped and found a couple on our way out there.

Found this cache in a wooded area by Happy Rock Park in Gladstone

Our journey has taken us to warfields, beautiful parks, wooded areas, rusted train cars, Wal-Mart parking lot, Rest areas, and in the middle of nowhere.  We can't wait until our next quest.

P is for Pizza

When the moon hits your eye like a big-a pizza pie, That's Amore! 

I love PIZZA!  Deep Dish, Thin Crust, Pan, Stuffed crust, frozen!  I just love pizza. 

My love affair with pizza began when I was a little kid.   We would always look forward to Saturday night because Saturday night was pizza night!  Most of the time, it was just Totino's Frozen Pizza.  Once in a while, we would have Pizza Hut or Breadeaux Pizza.  I remember if we didn't have pizza on Saturday, I was disappointed. 

Of course on the Totino's pizza, we would have always add more cheese to it.  You have to add cheese! I always got Pepperoni or Combination.  Rick always got hamburger.  Mom got either cheese or canadian bacon.  Dad would usually get either hamburger or sausage.  Larry I think just ate anything.  :)  I remember that after I was done eating my pizza I would always go to see if anyone couldn't finish theres and volunteer to help them out.   I just loved pizza.

Once, I went to college the Saturday night pizza thing went away, because it would turn into Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night pizza.  I was introduced to other pizza places like Dominoes, Papa Minskys, UNO's, and many many more.

When I think of the best Pizza places.  Two come to mind.  One is a chain and one is local in Liberty Missouri.  The chain pizza is Papa Johns!  It has the freshest ingredients, the best crust.  They always deliver their pizza with a garlic dipping sauce.  It is the best.  The local place is called "The Dish"  They have the best Deep Dish pizza out there!  I am sorry Chicago, you have nothing on the "The Dish"  Yum!   My favorite pizza to get is actually from Pizza Hut.  It is the Stuffed Crust Pizza.  There is cheesy goodness in every bite!

I have to admit if I could go back to Saturday Night Pizza Night, I would.  I just remember as a kid, this was something we always looked forward too.  Some people say, you need to break your traditions and do things outside the box.  I think some traditions is what makes a family.  Saturday night Pizza night is definitately a tradition I miss.

O is for Outstanding



Levi and I at the zoo in Omaha

 You might of saw in my last post that I said I was really happy to spend an afternoon with Levi. 

As I said in my post, I really wasn't looking forward to going to my inlaws house.  I was tired and I just wanted to stay home.  Misty put the guilt trip on me and I went.  I was in my paint clothes because that is what I was supposed to do.   I thought they were crazy to have a paint brush in my hands.  Usually gallons of paint or paint splatter end up everywhere, but I was there to help paint. 

Little did I know is my mother in law knew of my shortcomings and put me on Levi patrol.  She asked me if I could help Levi clean his room while Misty and her painted.  So first of all I went into Levi's room and I think my jaw went to the floor.  I was like, where do you even start in here?  So I decided to do my method of cleaning.  You start in one corner and move to the other corner, and if you weren't sure what something was, you threw it in the closet. :)  He had so many toys, and instead of cleaning, he of course wanted to show me his toys.  That boy sure has a lot of toys.  After we got to a certain point where you could actually see most of the floor, I said that is good ending point for today.  There is still a lot to do in there. 

After that Levi, had to show me this rocket game he was playing on the computer.  It was real fun watching him play.  I think he had more fun hitting planes and crashing than actually trying to win the game. 

After dinner, I decided to get on the trampoline with Levi.  I haven't jumped on the trampoline for ages.  Levi was tickled I got in there.  I started jumping on the trampoline, causing Levi to fly in the air.  He even stood off to the side of the trampoline when I tried to do my own thing.  I was trying to to do the classic jump, land on my butt and back on my feet.  I came so close but couldn't quite accomplish it. 

That might have been the most time I had ever spent with Levi where it was me and him.  We had so much fun and I we had really good bonding time, and at the end of the day he gave me a big hug.  That truly made this day Outstanding!

N is for Next

Do you ever sit around and think about what is next in my life?  I know I do.   I am really good at saying all the nexts I want in life but rarely put it in motion.  Do you ever feel that way?

Misty and I have talked about getting laminate throughout the house.  We have talked about making our master bathroom bigger.  We have talked about doing landscaping.  I always say that is the next thing on my list.  That is just in the house.

How about life?  What is next in life?  What is next in my family life?  What is next in my relationship with God?  Getting healthy is the next thing I am going to do.  Next, I am going to get more involved with charities.  What is next in your career?  I have to admit I haven't been focusing on the nexts. 

I always make excuses.  I don't have enough time.  I don't have the money.  I am too tired.  I need to rest.  My body hurts.  I have said them all. 

The other day, I was complaining because I didn't want to go to my mother and father inlaws  house.  I was tired and I just wanted to stay home.  I am so glad I went because I had a great time with my little brother Levi that day.  If I woud have stayed home, I probably would have laid around and watched TV.  It wouldn't have been nearly as rewarding. 

I have decided that I going to try not to use these excuses anymore.  If it involves money, find out how much it is going to cost and make a plan to save for it.  If it involves getting healthier, make a plan of how your are going to improve it.  I am not naive and think I am going to be able to change over night, but I am going to really try.  You aren't going to get to your next next unless you are willing to stand up to the plate and do something about it. 

M is for Mom

I knew I wanted to write about my mom and my mother in law for the letter M.  It is hard to come up with words to describe people that have totally shaped your life.  These poems sum up what I think of my mother and mother in law. 

 

Mom, you're a wonderful mother,
So gentle, yet so strong.
The many ways you show you care
Always make me feel I belong.

You're patient when I'm foolish;
You give guidance when I ask;
It seems you can do most anything;
You're the master of every task.

You're a dependable source of comfort;
You're my cushion when I fall.
You help in times of trouble;
You support me whenever I call.

I love you more than you know;
You have my total respect.
If I had my choice of mothers,
You'd be the one I'd select!

When you gave birth to your first child
I wonder what you thought
As tears flowed down in joy that day
For the treasure God had wrought

As you looked into your baby's eyes
And held her tiny hand
Did you know how thankful I would be
For the girl you made a woman

No girl grows into such a woman
Without a mother's care
Teaching her and loving her
And always being there

And now I look into the eyes
Of the daughter you raised to be
A woman who stands above the crowd
And it's your eyes that I see

Those beautiful brown eyes of strength and hope
And of character so rare
The eyes of love and faithfulness
And wisdom that you shared

I want to take this moment
And thank you for the one
That you have shared and let me love
Your work of art, your daughter

L is for Love

On April 28th, 2011, Misty and I will be celebrating our 4 year anniversary.   I gave you the story of our engagement night.  Now I am going to give you the story of how I fell in love with Misty.

Misty lived in Odessa, Missouri.  I lived in Gladstone, Missouri.  How in the world are these two people met to be together going to meet.  After giving up on the traditional way to meet girls, I decided to go online and got an account on Yahoo Personals.  I tried to get clever and created a Top 10 list of things that I look for in a girl. Next thing I know, this beautiful brown eyed girl Misty wrote me and said she thought my ad was original and she really liked it.  We exchanged a ton of emails.  This was happening during the spring of 2006.  Then all of a sudden, like an idiot, I stopped writing for a few weeks.  My friend Jerry was getting married and I was his best man, so I was busy planning stuff for that, but after the wedding, I started writing again.  Misty said she was getting ready to delete me off her contacts. 

So after a lot more emails, I really wanted to meet this girl who I could tell was amazing in her emails.  You could see the kindness, the sense of humor.

The problem was Odessa and Gladstone are quite a distance apart. However, Misty recently had a got a promotion and was working as a Store Manager at Dress Barn in Zona Rosa.  I was really nervous to meet her but finally we had set a date to eat at Tomfooleries.  I was so nervous.  I didn't want to screw this up.  So we met at Tomfooleries.  She came out the door and greeted me, and I was like "Wow, She is beautiful!"  Of course that made me more nervous.  So we sat down, and were having Idol Chit Chat.   Actually we were talking about American Idol.  We both were huge Taylor Hicks fans.  I think during dinner I actually spit my food out.  I probably was messy.  I was thinking this is going really great.  Not!  After dinner we went Miniature Golfing and then went to play pool.  I had a great time with Misty, only to learn later on Misty didn't feel the same connection.  I pretty much begged her to go on 2nd date with me, which she agreed too.  We went to see a movie.  There was a little more chemistry there, but still she wasn't feeling it.  She decided to give me one more chance.  We met for dinner at Granite City.  I could tell Misty had a hard day at work.  I just was comforting her.  After dinner, we went to Barnes and Noble to hang out.  We got some of those "What If"  and that is where Misty finally realized there was something there.  She realized in my answers that I was worth pursueing. We had a quick kiss at the end of the date.   I could tell there was a big shift that night.  We officially became boyfriend and girlfiriend that night. 

After that, Misty and I met almost everyday after her work.  We had great talks and great smooching sessions. ;)  I was falling hard pretty early, but I wanted to make sure it was the right time before I would say it. 

Actually, Misty was the first to tell me she loved me.  We were at my mom's house.  This was the first time she had met my mom. We stayed the night at my mom's house in separate beds.   In the morning, Misty came over and cuddled beside and told me she loved me.  I was the happiest man alive!  I so loved her so much.

It wasn't too much after that, that we went to Odessa and we had the house to ourself because her family went camping.  I don't know why but I felt the urge at 3:00 in the morning that I needed to tell her I loved her.  She was half asleep, but I had done it.  I find it funny that both of us told the other they loved them at their parent's house. 

It wasn't much long after that we moved in together.  It wasn't much long after that we became engaged.  It wasn't long after that we became husband and wife.  From emails to marriage was a little over a year.

I am the luckiest man in the world!  I am married to this beautiful brown eyed girl, that has a huge heart, is hilarious, is a great big sister.  I am so glad that she is head over heels in love with me as well.

K is for KISS

You wanted the BEST You Got the BEST!  The Hottest Band in the WORLD!  KISS!!!!  Not the way you thought I was going to go with that was it. 

I have seen KISS in concert 6 times.  There is not a better live band out there.  No One puts on a better show than KISS.  I grew up with KISS playing in the house.  My brother Larry would have it blaring in his room.  "I WANT TO ROCK N'ROLL ALL NIGHT AND PARTY EVERY DAY"  I thought my mom was going to strangle him.   My brother Rick is a huge KISS fan.  I think he has almost every CD of KISS.  I liked KISS but I wasn't as big of a fan.  I liked bands like Huey Lewis & The News, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Aerosmith, Meat Loaf, and Van Halen.

I have seen great bands in concert.  Def Leppard knew how to put on a show.  They had a stage in the round.  The stage would rotate around so everyone got a good view of the band.  Aerosmith was awesome as well.  Steven Tyler is probably the best front man out there.  When he did "Dream On"  I was going crazy pumping my fist.  Van Haggar I mean Van Halen was great.  I would probably say they were the most crazy. I seen a Meat Loaf a couple of times.  What I love about Meat Loaf is each song Meat Loaf had a story to it.

None of those can hold a finger up to KISS.  They don't put on a concert.  They put on a spectacle.  First there is there characters with "The Demon", "Star Child",  "Cat", and "Space Ace"   That gives you the story like Meat Loaf.  Then there is the Crazy!  That would be Gene Simmons, especially when he does God of Thunder and he raised up to the rafters, and he has those devil eyes and fake blood starts coming out of his mouth.  I know it sounds gross, but it really a spectacle.  As far as the front man, Paul Stanley is the best talker.  He preaches the gospel of Rock N'Roll.   And then there is the stage show.  No one has more pyrotechnics.  No one has better effects.  During one song Gene and the lead guitar player are lifted up about 50 feet in the air on a rising stage.  At the end of a concert, there is so much confetti shot in the crowd, you can barely see the stage.

I have done many a KISS songs in Karaoke from Detroit Rock City, Deuce, Strutter, Beth, and of course Rock N'Roll All Night.  I actually performed "Rock N'Roll All Night" at Harrah's Lucky Break here locally.  Unfortunately, it isn't letting me download it here, but I had such a blast paying tribute to best live band in history.

J is for Jesus

Well Easter is just around the corner so I found it only prudent to talk about my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

You know in my posts about Ghosts I said there are certain things that I believe in because I have faith in them.  My faith says that Jesus Christ was born for us and died for us is my strongest faith.  Easter reminds us of what Jesus went through so that we can have a home in heaven some day.   I would suggest watching Passion of the Christ this Easter season to renew your passion for Jesus.  It really gives a graphic depiction of what Jesus had to go through before and during crucifixion.

The thought that one man could endure that much torture.  Getting whipped over and over and over again until he almost had not skin left,  being forced to wear a thorn crown.  Then he had the burden of carrying his own cross to his crucifixion, while being mocked and teased by the onlookers.  Even his disciple Peter denounced him 3 times.  Then to have stakes pounded in his hands, and left there hanging to die.  Yet Jesus was saying "Please forgive them Father, they know not what they do." 

Even though he was being tortured and teased, he was very compassionate for those same people, and gave his life so that they could have a home in Heaven some day.  Would you have that much compassion? 

This is the reason for the season.  Remember what Jesus did for all of you! 

I is for Ice Cream

Who doesn't love ice cream?  It is actually one of my favorite desserts.  You can't go wrong with a nice heaping spoon or two or 3 heaping spoons of homemade ice cream with chocolate syrup on top. 

My father in law makes his own ice cream and it is amazing.  After tasting his ice cream,  Misty and I had to get an ice cream maker so we could make our own ice cream. 

There all kinds of ice creams I like, but I would have to say my favorite is the classic Hot Fudge Sundae.  There is just something about that mixture of ice cream, hot fudge, whipped topping, with a cherry on top!  Yum! 

Who has the best ice cream?  Growing up I would have said Dairy Queen.  I remember going to Shenandoah Iowa on the weekends and either getting a dipped cone or a Blizzard.  I usually put Butterfinger in mine. 

Now, I would have to say Cold Stone Creamery.  My favorite is there Cake Batter Ice Cream.  The specialty I like is called All Lovin' No Oven.  It has Cake Batter Ice Cream, Cookie Dough, Fudge, and Whipped Cream.  Yum! 

So on the next hot summer day, treat yourself to some ice cream. You deserve it!