That Floor is Beautiful

(Photo is not the actual office...yet)

Mad props go out to Jase for helping me throw down the new flooring in our office, and to Bon for doing 95% of the painting. I am telling you all, the amount of work Bon does on a daily basis makes me look like a posh Miami grad.

Lots went on this weekend, hangin' with Slim's possee, we had a great time.

More to come, stay tuned...

New Rubber

We were outside last night, playing with Reese and hanging out when I noticed that my tire had gone a little too flat. Talked with the guys at the shop and they said they could get me in at 7am this morning. So I put on the donut last night with Bon's help and headed over to Big O Tires at the crack of dawn.

I had some dry-rot issues and I honestly could not tell you the last time I bought new tires. It was easily five years ago. So after reviewing their bald state with the technician I decided to take the plunge and put new tires on the beast.

She is riding like a dream...

Better Than Ever

What an amazing weekend.

As most of you know I went on the Walk to Emmaus this past weekend and words cannot describe my experience. I learned things about Christ, myself, and others that have changed my life. I could never thank The Godfather and Carrie enough for their role in this experience.

I did miss my girls a lot, but I know I will be a better husband and father for them moving forward thanks to this experience.

In addition, a few weeks ago I had scheduled a client experience at the Reds game last night, not realizing it was the date coming off of Emmaus. We had a great time though, sitting four rows behind home plate and you could get a pretty good look at Squibb and I on TV. (I saw us on the Sportscenter highlights this morning)

Getting back in the swing of things now with a renewed focus and passion, to all of you who read this I want to thank you for your friendship.

The Heat is on...

Hiatus

The blog will be taking a break until next Tuesday, so I wanted to leave you with something to enjoy...

Check this out...

From 1998 this appeared on CNNSI's web-site!

Things like this link pop-up when you google your own name...


Getting Picky About the NFL Draft

Posted: Wed April 15, 1998
Peter King's NFL Mailbag

The most exciting time of the offseason is at hand, and SI's football guru returns to answer your questions.

What is the status of the Sean Gilbert trade?
—Dave Bristol, Wilmington, N.C.

I talked to Washington coach Norv Turner Wednesday, and he told me in no uncertain terms that Carolina has to include its first-round pick in any trade package for Gilbert. I think the Panthers, who are holding out for a lesser package of picks, will have to give up the first-rounder. Carolina has little choice. By not getting this done before the draft, the Panthers risk paying higher compensation in 1999 draft terms or Washington killing the deal entirely. I see this getting done by midnight Friday, the night before the draft.

Given the fact the Patriots are not in a rebuilding mode, does it make sense for them to trade up for better picks?
—Len Berkowitz, North Easton, Mass.

Len, it makes sense for the Patriots to do two things in this draft—get a very good corner and a cornerstone running back. I don't think they'll trade up to get Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson, nor do I think they'll trade up to get Penn State running back Curtis Enis. If I were them, I'd trade up with Dallas at No. 8 and try to get Florida's Fred Taylor. When was the last time you saw a 230-pound running back who could run a legitimate 4.35 40—on grass?

Looking at the big picture, if I'm Bobby Grier on draft day, I don't pay a ransom for anyone. With the 1998 and '99 drafts, New England is in the unique position of being able to provide a talent base for the franchise for the next decade. The Pats have 10 picks in the first three rounds of the next two drafts, and if fewer than six of those picks make an impact, then Grier has failed to take advantage of hitting the lottery with all of the Jets draft choices.


Do you think that the Bears would be best served to pass on Randy Moss, just for the reason that they don't have a quality QB to keep both he and Curtis Conway happy?
—Jeremy Furniss, Frankfort, Ohio

I don't think there's any way the Bears take Moss, nor should they. This is not a throwing team. They don't have a strong-armed quarterback, and who knows how long Erik Kramer's going to be there anyway. I like what I think they're going to do: take the best offer they can get for the fifth pick Saturday, either from St. Louis or Jacksonville, then move down and get a player who can serve as the nucleus for their defense.

Game on

Looks like my trip is on, and you get to see a new pic of my girl.

An e-mail I received on Friday:

Skybus is pleased to announce that we've received our federal certification to fly!

Mom's Weekend

Happy Monday everyone. It was a jam-packed weekend that started Friday night with a mowing festival as soon as I got home from work. She ran like a dream and we had no issues, which was awesome! It was the first time I had used the bagger, we had a lot of dead grass kind of laying around. 3 hours later I finished the 8th 42 gallon bag full of grass that now rests against the side of the house until trash day! I am still sore.

Saturday started off with a visit from Mom and Grandma and lunch at Johnny Carino's. We all dig italian and wanted something a little different than Olive Garden. It is always good to see my momma.

Saturday night I headed back to Johnny Carino's again to hook up with a group of friends from 4 Corners. We were not able to secure a babysitter for The Reese, so Bon stayed behind. Although this time, they had a balloon magician at the restaurant! He could make 500 different animals! (credit for that statement goes to Trent). I feel terrible that Bon could not make it and she missed hanging out with everyone.

One last thing, a shout out to my man Justin Swartwout, who was stricken by the 4 Corners four-wheelin' injury bug. He severely broke his leg, and I am guessing will be out for softball this year. Take care dawg.

That is all for now, tomorrow I will review the movie "Pursuit of Happyness" for you

Friday Music Pick

Looking forward to Mom and Grandma coming to see us tomorrow and also mowing with my OWN mower tonight!

Enjoy the show, love these guys...

Miss Photogenic

Starting her young folks, love the Notre Dame pink!

Have to throw some mad props to Kim DeVilbiss. She came by the house last week and took some pictures of Reese, which turned out PHENOMENAL! We are extremely pleased. They turned out much better than any pics we have ever had taken in a studio. We will continue to use Kim in the future and I 100% recommend her to take pictures of your families/children.

To schedule a sitting, you can call or email Kim:

(513)541-2632

kimdevilbiss@fuse.net

Technology Rocks...

The Oakland A's said fans will be able to download tickets to their cell phones beginning Friday. As part of a deal with Major League Baseball's Internet unit, the A's said fans who buy tickets at Oaklandathletics.com can choose to have the bar coded ticket delivered to a mobile phone. The bar code is then scanned at a gate at McAfee Coliseum.

W Story

Now, I try to keep my political views out of the blog and keep it a "happy place", but I just could not let this one go. This was forwarded to me from a friend of a friend who is currently stationed in Mosul.

Jack Tilley, a Sergeant Major of the Army, was with a group of people who recently were visiting wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, DC. He saw a Special Forces soldier who had lost his right hand and suffered severe wounds of his face and side of his body.

Sgt. Tilley wanted to honor him and show him respect without offending, but what can you say or do in such a situation that will encourage and uplift? How do you shake the right hand of a soldier who has none? He decided to act as though the hand was not missing and gripped the soldiers wrist while speaking words of comfort and encouragement to him.

However, there was another man in the group who knew exactly what to do. This man reverently took the soldier's stump of a hand in both of his hands, bowed at the bedside, and prayed for him. When he finished the prayer he stood up, bent over the soldier, kissed him on the head, and told him that he loved him.

Sgt. Tilley was awed by the powerful expression of love for one of our wounded heroes he was witnessing! "What a beautiful Christ-like example!" he thought, moved to tears.

What kind of a man would do such a thing?

It was the wounded man's Commander-In-Chief, George W. Bush, President of the United States. This eyewitness account was told by Sergeant Major Jack Tilley at a Soldiers Breakfast at Red Stone Arsenal, Huntsville, AL, and recorded by Chaplain James Henderson, who was stationed there.

No Cheesesteak?

Bon has returned from her weekend excursion in Philly. She had a great time, and Reese and I managed to keep the house from burning down! We had the chance to head over to Chi-town and see Slim's posse and my mama. Reese had a rock solid time with her cousins and slept the whole ride home. One of the great pleasures in life I have learned, is when my baby girl has fallen asleep in the car for the night, I take her out to carry her upstairs, and she gives the greatest "Daddy I feel safe in your arms" hugs. It is absolutely priceless.

Reese got the chance tonight to see her Mom in volleyball mode. We headed over to Sports Express and watched Bon and Jill kick some tail. We came away very impressed.

Warning, I am on the verge of chopping my lettuce. It is getting a little long and it is summer. (Not real conducive to flowing locks...)

Peace out

Big Things

I apologize for the delay, a lot going on lately. Working on two papers for a final class tonight and had some car issues yesterday.

As I was driving around doing my thing, the car started making a weird noise. It was like little people were typing morse code inside the engine. I decided to take it by Oil Express and have them check the belts and hoses. It was not them, but something much more exciting, one of my spark plug wires had blown the end out and was not attached to the actual plug. Upon further investigation he revealed that the other three wires were fried and it was not going to be long until I was stranded on a road somewhere. They were extremely helpful and cut me a nice deal. If you live in the 'Nati I highly recommend them.

According to Sibcy Cline's web-site, the house next door to us is no longer available, sold already! Clearly they were informed of their potential wicked sweet neighbors and knew they had to buy.

At 12:01 a.m. tonight I will be watching Spider Man 3 with a group of friends...

Reese is having pictures taken this morning...

Bon is leaving us tomorrow for the weekend, I sure will miss her...

I give the Bears a "B" on their draft, Greg Olsen was a good pick, but nothing else moved me. I will give them a free pass this year.