Maturity?

It is a dark day my friends.

Instead of watching the NFL playoffs Saturday night I was instead tuned in to four hours of Presidential debates...

Am I finally maturing? I hope not, I just find this election extremely intriguing, and have re-opened the designation of my endorsement. I find myself in an interesting place because none of them are slam dunks for me at this point.

In addition, it looks like Barack Obama has some serious mojo working.

My thought process then becomes, what Republican has the best shot to give him a run for his money?

Expect more obscure rumblings about this election as time goes on...

Reese has her first gymnastics class tonight at the Y, should be a great time. Don't worry, we are not some uber-aggressive parents trying to make our child a star, it is mostly a social get together with 5 other 2 year olds.

Talk to you soon...

Rock On

I am anxiously awaiting the Iowa Caucus today and will be glued to some Fox News tonight checking out the analysis.

One of my growing favorite stations on XM is "The Boneyard" They play 80's and 90's hair metal rock. As I drove in to work this morning I was rocking out to:

Happy 2008!

The holidays were a little crazy, but now I am back to the daily grind and focused on the important stuff, like my blog. Here are some bullet points about things going through my head right now:

• I busted a gut laughing this morning when I looked at the Chillicothe Gazette online and found the following entries in the police report:

Theft - A newspaper was reported stolen from the 400 block of North Main Street in Frankfort between 6 and 7 a.m. Saturday.

Theft - Four wheels were removed from a residence on the 400 block of Douglas Avenue and replaced with old ones, reported 1:28 p.m. Sunday. (Key word, residence)

Burglary - Someone entered a home on the 0 block of Westfall Road, South Salem, and took popsicles, fudge bars and some change between 10:39 a.m. Sunday and 10:39 a.m. Monday. (I had 30 cents laying here and it is gone, call 911!)

• I am enjoying XM Radio, which I came away with from Christmas
• We have a ton of Christmas decorations and it takes some work to get them back in the attic
• Reese has started the "Why?" phase
• Daddy B, Aunt Krys, and RV will be here in 3 and a half weeks, cannot wait!
• Reese asks for Diesel (Beth's dog) everyday, clearly she needs a puppy. She even played catch with one of her stuffed animal dogs Saturday
• Reese's changing table has officially been transferred to a dresser only, she is too tall, what a dark day...
• I had some Mountain Dew yesterday for the first time in weeks and it tasted terrible, I have broken through, and actually prefer water at this point
• I also recommend Kashi products, we have been eating a lot of them and they are outstanding, including the pizza! Check out their website here
• The Wii is phenomenal, thanks Godfather for the experience, I see one of those in our future for 2008

Talk to you all soon...

6 days since a post...

Sorry, things have been hectic, there have been a number of times I thought, "Hey I should blog that," and then got sidetracked...

I want to touch briefly on "bold steps".

Ben has spoken of this a few times, and a group of our friends touched on this one night at our house.

God calls us to be bold.

And while sometimes that can be a little scary, it certainly stretches your faith and helps you grow.

Both of our mothers recently took bold steps, and we could not be prouder.

It wasn't that long ago that I called Bonnie an hour into a work day in Nashville and told her I had just resigned. She was 5 months pregnant with Reese, was working a temporary substitute teaching job, and I had nothing else lined up. All I knew is that I felt it was God's will that I not be employed there, so I resigned.

In a time where some referred to us as "crazy" or "secretly unhappy", Bon and I had one of the best times in our marriage, we drew closer to each other and closer to God. I would not trade that experience for anything, and I am sure Bon would not either.

I carry a different perspective now on life, and honestly crave that time of reliance on Bon and more importantly God. In fact, we feel that pull to grow again in our faith, and are talking about what are next "bold step" is, so stay tuned.

I do not tell this story to be some T.O.-esque self-hype machine, it just seems like we have a lot of friends and family who are in the middle of a bold step now, or are fighting the urge to take one.

Life is ultimately about experiences, not stuff, in this season of mass commercialization and overspending, take an opportunity to invest in yourself, your family, and your relationship with God.

Take a bold step, trust and pray for God's will, and enjoy the ride...

I'm Getting Old

I have recently come to the realization that I listen almost exclusively to talk radio all day, (Dave Ramsey, Glenn Beck, Colin Cowherd) and actually made the effort to watch yesterday's Republican debate in Iowa on the Des Moines Register website.

Why Do I love listening to the Herd?

This guy talks great sports and gives some great general life advice in this clip

Click here

If you have a few minutes, this is also worth your time to listen to, he completely cracks me up!

Click here

Something Old School Returns...

American Gladiators!

(Click words to see promo video)

True Story

Rarely does a news story involve someone in your family, but he is OK, just rattled and bruised. (Bonnie's Dad for our friends who may not know the relation)

Propane tanker roll-over crash closes highway

By Daniel Wells

Staff Writer

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

CLEARCREEK TWP., Warren County — A tanker truck carrying 9,000 pounds of propane rolled over Tuesday night near the intersection of Township Line Road and Old Ohio 122, shutting down the highway for hours.

The driver, Clark L. Grabill, 61, of Frankfort, Ohio, was headed eastbound on Old Ohio 122 when he swerved at about 8 p.m. to avoid a deer entering the roadway, which caused the right front tire of his 1997 Kenworth to slide off the side of the road into the ditch, according to the Ohio Highway Patrol's Post 83 in Lebanon.

The tractor and trailer disoverturned and disconnected as Grabill tried to steer out of the ditch. The tractor came to rest on its side across Old 122, and the trailer remained on its side in the ditch, according to troopers.

No propane was leaking from the truck and the driver suffered minor injuries but refused treatment at the scene, according to the Clearcreek Twp. Fire Department. He was cited for failing to maintain reasonable control.

Sad Day

Mumra has prevailed.

For the first time since the birth of the CDFL, the storied ThunderCats franchise will be left out of the playoffs. I am honestly numb, and not sure what to do with the rest of the football season...

Vendication...

Maybe you should have run a little harder this year, schmuck, (Cedric Benson, Bears RB). In a similar set of circumstances 5 years ago the Bengals went ahead and gave my boy Jon Kitna his bonus. I do not believe the Bears will be as generous...

Cedric Benson's leg fracture is not as serious as Rex Grossman's similar injury from 2005, that only kept Rex off the field for four months.

On a related note, Benson ended his season just 27 yards shy of a conditional bonus that would have paid him $1.73 million, which is cathartic news for the fantasy owners disappointed by him all season.

Source: Chicago Tribune

The Mist...

Had the opportunity to check this movie out last night with a couple of the fellas. I would rate it as rentable on DVD. Hartsock hit it right on when he said you look at movies differently once you are a Dad, especially in those child-father moments of movies. This will definitely challenge that for any parent.

Rockin' the skully

Funny Reese Story...

Bon was busy in the next room this morning, and a Christmas cd was playing on the stereo in the kitchen. She hears the music stop, some rustling around, and a different cd start playing, nursery rhymes.

She steps into the room and Reese declares, "Momma, I did it!"

She is already gaining on her Mamaw Kathy in terms of technological prowess...

Love you Mom :)

(Hope you all enjoy the new layout)

Info

Details on the 4 Corners "My Christmas Gift" can be found here...

Staring at December

I am trying to recall all that has happened since my last post.

Turkey Day for one, was a blast, and I enjoyed the second annual 4 Corners Turkey Bowl. The competition was intense and the game ended in a 10-9 shootout.

Bon made a phenomenal meal, and we chilled the rest of the day, putting up the tree and other decorations.

Friday we made a trip up to Dayton to see Reese's Auntie Rie who was in from Philly. We are very much looking forward to the summer when she is back in Dayton for good! We are so happy for her and her impending marriage this fall. Later on that evening we were blessed with the presence of the coolest little man, Blake. Watching the two of them play together is hilarious.

We watched Shrek 3, and I have to tell you, I was less than impressed. It was OK, but it was not up to my Shrek expectations.

Saturday the whirlwind continued as we dropped by Slim Shady's crib, and Jase and I continued on to the OU-Miami game. Mad props to Guido for the hook-up on sideline passes and getting us into the locker room pre-game. I have been extremely spoiled the last few weeks at football games. It was good to have some solo time with Slim and actually have a chance to just rap about life.

Sunday included a powerful message from Ben, and it always seems to be a little more intense when communion is served. They also laid out an awesome plan for Christmas outreach, I will provide more details on this in the near future.

One more week in this course of school and then we are down to the final two classes, it almost does not even feel like it is true.

Another random thought...why does the train that runs near our house have to ring its horn continuously for 3 miles at 6am every Sunday morning?

Strong Weekend

What a weekend, filled with family and friends, including Carleigh's 2nd birthday party.

Reese did really well, and even scored some more Christmas presents yesterday. I feel like I am really slacking on the blog, but there is just not a lot happening right now. I do have some new pics of Reese that I can throw up tonight while Bon is at volleyball. I have a little more homework to do and will be staring at one more week for this course. That will leave the final two...

Blog

I picked up a couple of great CD's last week. Make sure you pick up
Mat Kearney and Shawn McDonald next time you visit Best Buy.

Sitting in a meeting downtown, still enjoying the vibe from last
weekend's Irish experience.

Unreal

There are so many people to thank for this past weekend. Mom, Jase, Amber, Pipes, Guido, Jake, Shelly, etc, etc...

We had an amazing time, and while it was difficult to experience the game in Air Force gear, from the Air Force sideline, I am now an even bigger Notre Dame fan, despite the loss.

The campus is amazing, and everyone from fans to gameday staff were extremely friendly. No one was dropping f-bombs on us or throwing beer cans at us. It was a genuine football game experience.

Top that off with being on the sideline at the end of the game and grabbing a little piece of Notre Dame Stadium to take home with me. I intend to pot this little piece of grass memorabilia and keep it alive.

We also scored some sweet gear afterwards, including a jersey and cheerleader outfit for Reese.

I will try and get the pics downloaded as soon as possible to share.

Despite being 1-9, Go Irish!

RIC Part II

(Do we look alike?)

As promised, it is now time for the Richmond trip recap. I actually made the flight this time! The weekend included Nathan's football game on Saturday, where the Glen Allen Ravens won the West division title thanks to their starting MLB, Mr. Braine. Later that evening, it was an all out war with a five person Monopoly battle. True story, $$$ and I were the first two out, and six year old Garrett went on to win the title. Sunday included some NFL and general schmak talk.

One of the keys to the weekend was the plane trip in both directions. If anyone has anything to share with me, now is the time, I am a big boy. No one sat in my row, on either flight. I swear to you, I was the only person on the entire plane with a row to myself. What is the deal? I know I don't look intimidating, so please help...

Bon and I are heading to South Bend tomorrow morning, there will be a mobile post, get ready...

From the Blackberry

Isn't technology amazing? I am posting this from my new phone. Maybe
this will help me pick back up on frequency.

I will post later about my trip to Richmond and my new complex...

Blog

Is this on?

I found it!

This is my new designated Halloween song, and the video is from one of the funniest movies ever, Back to School.

I am now 31 physically, but have successfully maintained my mental age of 15...

Happy Halloween!

Enjoy your day! I know I will.

Great story for you, Bon and Reese had gone card shopping for me yesterday. Reese picked out a card with a puppy on the front that had those big "googily" plastic eyes. As Reese is holding it, Bon turns to look at something, turns back around and Reese had bitten one of the eyes of the card! Bon quickly retrieved it from the clinches of her jaws.

So this morning, Reese walks up with my birthday card in one hand and the bitten off puppy eye in the other. I love being her Daddy...


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Pigtails

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Good morning ladies and gentlemen. We have some downloaded some new pics of Reese, including the one you see here. She has been rocking the pigtails a lot since her hair is growing and getting longer.

Not much new happening, just rocking through the process, this will be a big week. Candy drop, birthday, and traveling this weekend.

I will be in touch if anything exciting happens...

Halloween is near...

While I should be doing homework, I am sitting here chillin', so wanted to throw up a quick post.

Not much really new with us, Reese is growing a ton and I have some sweet new pics to download tomorrow for you all.

It was an interesting day at work, got jobbed by a co-worker, I had kind of forgot what that felt like, but it was a nice reality check that not everyone operates by the same value systems.

Have I mentioned how much we love 4 Corners? Check out the latest event news here:

Halloween Helicopter Candy Drop

On October 31st the biggest party for you and your family is at Four Corners. A huge helicopter candy drop with thousands of dollars in donated prizes, costume contests, giant bouncies, free food and more! It all happens from 4:30 - 7pm on Halloween. Bring friends, family and neighbors to this awesome event in the fields near where we have Sunday services.

Go Tribe!

I suck as fan, the Tribe have been on this great run and I have yet to give them their proper love here on the blog. Heck I have not been a good friend to Heat Stadium lately.

I get to enjoy the game tonight with the biggest BoSox fan I know, Mr. Boston native himself, Squibb. He knows about my "history" and how one day many moons ago we shared an allegiance. He also understands what brought me to this point and respects my affiliation to the Tribe, so we get along swimmingly.

Happy 21st to Reese, (months), she is just 3 months away from the Deuce and making me laugh everyday. She is definitely crafty...

Work stuff is work stuff, 4 Corners is cranking, and 4 and a half months until school is over. This is definitely a sowing period for the furniss^3.

Peace out!

I missed a flight

It did not go down exactly like this, but pretty close...



I wanted to give the awesome pub for 4 Corners its due respect on the blog, so I have delayed posting for a couple of days.

For those of you who have not heard, I was due to fly out Friday morning in C-bus, heading to Richmond to see my main player, S-Braine, or $$$.

Due to a string of events I walked up to the gate at 6:15am, the flight was supposed to leave at 6:30am. So I knew I was a little behind, but still OK. I walk up to the attendant chick and told her I was ready to get on the Richmond flight.

She says, "It has already boarded."

I say, "OK, I still have 15 minutes, can't I get on?"

(Another guy walks up behind me in the same situation)

She walkie-talkies her cohort on the plane and says "I have 2 more for the flight"

Lady B responds, "the door is closed, they cannot get on, they are too late"

Dude who walked up behind me starts blowing venom at them, it was unreal!

I could go on for pages, but the end result was no reimbursement or retribution and I have booked a flight for another weekend.

Good times...

Mad Props to 4 Corners...

Check out a news story video about our church and what we have going on this Sunday here,

And another station picked it up here,

And, this story appeared in the Pulse Journal...

Four Corners Church lead pastor Ben Hodges said a congregation member called him as the church began spreading the word about Sunday's Porn Sunday service. Hodges said the person thanked him for addressing an issue that had contributed to their divorce.

"When you hear something like that," he said, "you realize it's a very big deal. It can be a devastating factor."

The church is one of four in the state, and the only one in the Cincinnati area, to take part in National Porn Sunday this weekend, a nationwide event intended to address a topic normally taboo in the sanctuary.

"I think we've always talked boldly about subjects," said Four Corners life groups and creative pastor Ryan Hartsock. "This is not the first time we've talked about sex."

Hodges and Hartsock said the service will discuss ways pornography affects perceptions of intimacy.

"I think we want to help people understand the problem," said Hodges, who added that Sunday will not include a sermon condemning all sexual activity.

"Most of what people have heard in church is , 'No, no, no,'" he said. "We're saying, 'Yes, with boundaries.'

The other part, is helping people who say, 'What do I do now?'"

The church will have resources ranging from books and software to counseling and support groups for people struggling with pornography or its effects on their families.

Hodges said the goal is not to stop pornography in one day, but rather to help people make sense of the issues surrounding it.

"You can't legislate morality," he said. "We want to help people work it out."

Four Corners Church is located at 7770 West Chester Road. Sunday services are at 10 a.m.

We Are Alive!

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(She is growing up fast ladies and gents)

I am so sorry for the extended break from the blog. Things kind of hit the fan in multiple phases and I just could not find time to write. The three of us are all doing very well, bottom line.

Here are some of the highlights:

• I was transferred at work. Basically another gentlemen and myself were traded for each other. I went to his territory, he went to mine. I believe there may have been cash considerations or a player to be named later traded with him to equal my value... (HA!) It is a very long story, but Bon and I feel good about it, and I think it will help us make some $$$ again. This year has been far less fruitful than year one.
  
• This class is kicking my hind quarters. I keep telling myself, only five more months. It is a lot more difficult to take on-line classes then I thought. I am basically teaching myself, which is not a good thing with this course.
  
• We have a new addition to the family, a Burgundy Belle Maple in the backyard. Guess I can check planting a 10 foot tree off my life list of things to do...
• We have been dealing with some issues in our extended family of life stuff, so please keep them in your prayers
• Notre Dame sucks
• The Bears suck

Now that I feel like I am starting to get some control back over my life, I will be more diligent.

Talk with you all soon,

The Heat

Great Article on ND Football

I agree 100%, you can read it here

New Movie

Monday night was a big deal at our house as the Backyardigans debuted a new flick, the Super Secret Super Spy. Bon put together a little party for Reese and she even enjoyed popcorn for the first time. She didn't miss a beat plucking the snack from the bowl between her Mom and Dad while keeping her eyes focused on the spy plot unfolding before her eyes. I would personally give the show a B-, I had pretty big expectations, and while there were some good parts, I expected to laugh more. Reese has yet to give it a grade...

You have heard the adage that you don't get second chances, well in this instance folks, you do. Another home on our street has gone up for sale, three doors down, they were good friends with the people we bought from. So for those of you who missed out on the chance to be our neighbors, you can still be on the same street. You can check out the listing here.

Peace out...

Cool Story

Kitna says concussion symptoms magically disappeared

---

Associated Press

ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Detroit quarterback Jon Kitna was one of the NFL's most thankful players Monday.

Kitna was knocked out of the game against Minnesota on Sunday with a concussion, only to return and lead the Lions to an overtime win over the Vikings.

"I've never felt anything like that, and for it to clear up and go right back to as normal as I can be, is nothing short of a miracle," Kitna said Monday. "I just definitely feel the hand of God. That's all it was. You can't explain it. "I have no headaches, no symptoms, no lingering effects. But that was the worst my head has ever felt, and the worse my memory was in the second quarter. Yet, after halftime there was nothing."

Kitna said it was the third concussion of his NFL career, and the first since 2001. After saying he knew who he was during the game, a reporter asked Kitna if he knew where he was. "Barely," he said.

He was knocked out of the game in the second quarter and appeared to be out for the rest of the day, standing on the sideline without a helmet. But the team cleared him to play in the third quarter and he came back in the fourth. Kitna passed a follow-up examination Monday morning.

"He's fine," coach Rod Marinelli said. "He didn't have any symptoms, no headaches." Kitna ran the ball twice on the final possession, leading a game-winning drive when Detroit trailed or was tied for the third straight game, including a win last season at Dallas.

"It was a courageous effort," offensive tackle George Foster said.

Da Zoo

We had a solid time at the zoo on Saturday, the Slim Posse made it down for the festivities. Unfortunately, Reese woke up with a cold, but did pretty well for the day. She failed to get a nap before hand, so the wheels fell off about 3pm and she finally gave up in the stroller.

This Notre Dame thing is killing me, they may be the worst team in Division I. What I do not understand is how you can run off Ty Willingham after three years, and in year three of Charlie things are worse than they have ever been. I was not pleased when they fired Ty in the first place, and the two years of success Charlie has had were with Ty's players. It is going to be a LONG season...

I have another beef, why is Faith Hill doing the Sunday Night Football intro? Pink was perfect, and now she is gone, I mean Faith's voice is meant for sappy ballads, not getting people fired up. Pink has that edge we need. So in protest, I will load and play this video while Faith is muted on our television...

Tags?

(Not actual license plate)


So I walk out of the office yesterday morning, and just happened to glance at my license plate. The numbers "3-07" were staring back at me. That's right folks, I have been driving on expired tags for 6 months...

I am not proud of it, but fortunately I was not the one who had to go and face the firing squad at the DMV, it was my lovely bride. You see, March is her birthday month. So the clerk asked Bon to try and explain to her why we were just getting around to this, and Bon replies, "honestly, we forgot." Great stuff, that's one of the reasons why I love her folks, blunt truth. So I am legal on the roads again, and approaching 160K miles on the Corolla, til death do us part...

For your Friday musical selection, how about The Cure...

Have a good weekend

Blah

Not much to report here, one friend lost his mother on Monday, and another friend got some bad news yesterday, so we are just really thankful for what we have and ask that you enjoy the good stuff, I know we will on Saturday, with the Slim posse at the zoo.

Peace out

Has Football Started?

Sorry for the delay, been busy.

Now that ND is 0-2, the Bears lost their opener, and two starters on defense, I find myself asking the question, has football season really started for me?

What an action-packed weekend, Saturday we hosted our Life Group from church for a luau. I have seriously not mowed the lawn in 5 weeks, and just as everyone arrived on Saturday, we got absolutely dumped on! We were sent scrambling pulling the tables inside that Bon had decorated so well. We made some game plan adjustments, and fired up the grill in the garage before moving it just outside the door once the rain trickled back a little. The only bad part, was that it seemed too short, we would have loved for everyone to stay longer and hang out, we really enjoyed it.

Earlier in the day, Reese and I had a "whirlwind adventure", as Shrek would say to Donkey. After running a quick errand to Target, we walked out and found a giant nail stuck in one of the back tires, and it was losing air quickly. We bopped over to Big O and they patched it up for us free of charge. The bad thing was, it took about an hour for them to get to it and Bon's cell phone had gone dead, so we were stranded. We walked the parking lots and ran over to Home Depot to kill time, she was great the entire time.

Sunday was filled with football, we barely left the family room all day once we got home from church, Reese threw around a ton of high-fives.

Peace out...

My Foe & Serious Dough

Alright, there is a big bee's nest in the ground down by our fence line. They had dug a nice size hole as an entry point into their secret lair and I had strategically blocked it with a huge rock.

As I was out watering our desert last night, I noticed that had found another entry point, so I went to block that one too. Needless to say, one of the fifty boogers got to my leg and latched it's little fangs into my steel wheel. Now, it has been a while since I was stung by a bee, so I may have grown allergic to 'em, cause that bite still hurts, and I feel a little light-headed today. It is almost like the venom has taken over my body! I am hoping this subsides and I am able to focus on the football game this evening...

Also, we had stopped in to Petland on Friday night, looking around, cause as you know there are spring puppy plans in discussion. They had an English Bulldog, and out of curiosity I stopped back by there to talk with them about some ads and inquire as to the price of the dog, for craps and giggles, and I seriously started laughing when he said with a straight face, $3,400! I said, "No, seriously, how much?" his response was the same. That is close to what it costs to get Reese from the hospital in Nashville! I think I will keep shopping...

I love tracking this company...

Apple Launches New iPods, Slashes iPhone Price

By Peter Kang

CNBC.com

| 05 Sep 2007 | 03:47 PM ET

Apple announced a major overhaul of its entire line of popular iPod portable media players and, in a surprise move, cut the price of its recently introduced iPhone.

Shares fell on news that Apple would be slashing the price on the lower-end iPhone by 33%, to $399 from $599.

"We want to make the iPhone even more affordable," said CEO Steve Jobs, at the launch event in San Francisco.

Jobs said Apple remains on track to sell 1 million phones before the end of September.

In addition, the company said it will no longer be selling the 4 gigabyte version, according to Jobs.

Apple's bold move comes just hours after Microsoft reduced the price of its Zune digital music player by 20% to $199 as the software maker steps up its efforts to take market share away from industry leader Apple, which has sold over 100 million units since its launch in October 2001.

Earlier, the co-founder of Apple introduced the new lineup of iPods will now be equipped with the same touch screen technology utilized by the recently launched iPhone mobile handheld. The revamped product, dubbed the iPod Touch, will feature wireless connectivity and will allow customers to download music with the bundled Safari Web browser.

"We're approaching holiday 2007 and today we're going to refresh or replace every single product on this lineup," said Jobs.

Apple said it will launch a Wi-Fi music store to complement the new wireless technology and signed a partnership with Starbucks.

"Starbucks really has become this 'third place' between home and work," said Jobs. "We are in a unique position to leverage the innovation and global footprint ... to literally transform the marketplace."

The 8-gigabyte version of the iPod Touch will retail for $299 while the 16-gigabyte version has a price tag of $399.

Apple has sold more than 110 million iPods to date, Jobs told the audience.

The new iPod Nano, a smaller version iPod, will be redesigned with a 2.5-inch LCD screen and will be able to play video content and video games. The 4-gigabyte version will cost $149 while the larger 8-gigabyte version for $199.

The hard drives for the new "classic" versions of the iPod will be upgraded to 80 and 160 gigabytes, with respective prices of $249 and $349.

Apple's chief executive also said a new version of its iTunes store will support customizable ringtones for use on the iPhone. The ringtones will cost an additional 99 cents on top of the price of the song.

In usual Apple fashion, the company was vague on details of the product launch ahead of the event. Analysts widely expected the product to be a touch-screen iPod similar to the iPhone.

Ahead of the event, Apple fans and Wall Street analysts alike speculated on several other potential products such as an iPod equipped with Wi-Fi, an iPhone Nano or a content announcement that would bring the Beatles catalogue to iTunes.

The stock gained 11% in the last five sessions in anticipation of the product launch.

Peter Kang is a markets reporter for CNBC.com and can be reached at peter.kang@nbcuni.com.

© 2007 CNBC.com

URL: http://www.cnbc.com/id/20605162/

Fantasy Sports Graveyard

My fantasy baseball team is officially out of it and my WhatIf Sports squad failed to make the playoffs in my organization's history. (Yes, these are not real, and I am big dork)

On the bright side, the NFL kicks off tomorrow, and hope will spring eternal for my fantasy football teams.

I think everyone is close to 100% healthy in our house again, so that is a big plus.

Check out this catchy tune...

Shell-Shocked

I gotta tell you, I did not see that coming!

I think this is God's way of giving me the fall Saturdays to focus on schoolwork, instead of being concerned with a national title race.

I can take the heat when necessary, so for all you Bald Nut fans, you can talk your schmack to me and I will take it.

I will say Jimmy Claussen actually looked decent during his time, so at least we have something to look forward to!

The one good thing is that I am not a Michigan fan, YIKES! At home, to Appy State!

Mad props to OU, the Bobcats start out 1-0.

Quick, funny story for you all from Saturday...

We had run some errands, and arrived home. I pulled some stuff out of the back of the Trotter and left the tailgate up since my hands were full. Due to habit, I hit the button to shut the garage door and thought nothing of it.

Later on, I came out to dump some rash in our big bin and noticed the tailgate was still open a little, but the garage door was down. On its way down it had grabbed the tailgate and pulled it down putting some serious scratches in the body in the process. By far, the biggest DOH! moment I have had in a while, so we will be getting that fixed.

Two days until the NFL season kicks-off!

Interesting...

Bush Tries to Calm Markets With Mortgage Plan

By Reuters

Reuters

| 31 Aug 2007 | 01:31 PM ET

President Bush tried to calm financial market turmoil from the credit crisis by announcing proposals intended to prevent homeowners from defaulting on risky mortgages.

Rising U.S. defaults on so-called subprime mortgages to less credit-worthy borrowers have caused volatility in financial markets around the world and raised concerns that the U.S. economy could fall into recession.

In trying to soothe those worries, Bush said the U.S. economy was healthy enough to weather the credit crisis and that the subprime market problems represented only a "modest" part of the economy.

"The recent disturbances in the subprime mortgage industry are modest. They're modest in relation to the size of our economy," he said.

Read more here:

URL: http://www.cnbc.com/id/20521776/

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Happy Labor Day Weekend

Big get well shout out to my nieces, Addie and Carleigh who got struck down with some crazy sickness over the last few days. Hope you feel better girls.

The crushing news of yesterday was the demise of softball. To make a long story short, I had been told by the complex that we had until today to get our money and registration in. I called yesterday to make sure we were on the up and up, and TADOW, we were blocked. They decided to just keep what they had and not take anymore squads. Very big disappointment, I feel bad for all of the guys who were going to play.

Also, the Irish begin a new season tomorrow against an actual viable opponent, imagine that OSU fans. Opening with Georgia Tech instead of Youngstown State, who the Bald Nuts start their season with, simply embarrassing.

Have a great weekend everyone...

It is my intent to provide you all with a music clip each Friday, to get the weekend kicked off right. Let's get it started with one of my favorite old-school bands, Blackstreet.

Feeling Blah

Something looking an awful lot like a 24 hour pneumonia struck Bon down yesterday hard! She sounded awful, with a symphony of deep coughs. I stayed home as much as possible, and had the opportunity to cook up dinner. (Hamburgers and Mac/Cheese, one of my specialties). Reese was in a great mood, which made things a little easier and we all sacked out a little early.

Seems like she is feeling better this morning, so we will take it easy this weekend and see if we can get her back to 100%. I cannot handle her workload, it is crazy!

Furniss Pawn

Things have been a little "lean" to say the least at the day job, but we are plugging through. In an effort to supplement our income we have become an independent pawn shop.

I sold my school books for some nice coin, and Bon pulled off a sweet deal. Here is the story:

Bon and Reese attend the local YMCA almost everyday. One day, Bon overheard two ladies talking about how one of their sons was interested in learning the drums, but she hated to drop money on a brand new snare. Little did they know that we still have Bon's drum, which has not been opened out of the case for at least 10 years. Being the savvy investor she is, Bon saw an opportunity to cash in. She was able to unload the garage space-eater for some greenbacks. Very nice move, facilitated by keeping her ears open, (or maybe it is God working again)...

School is Tough

I have seriously felt some struggles this week with my schoolwork, as it has been cranked up a few notches for the stretch run. There has been some difficulty with the on-line software for the course which has added to the mayhem. I literally probably dedicated 12 hours over the last 3 days to this stuff.

I feel like crap today, btw, sinus headache, and wicked tired.

Bon, Reese, and I went on a lunch picnic yesterday with a group of folks from church and had a good time. Reese was running all over the place and even got a little wet in the giant sprayer/mister thing.

Big 4 Corners fantasy football draft tonight at BW3. We were able to score a cool promotion where we get $100 in free food for having our draft there.

Talked with Daddy B yesterday, which is always a pleasure, I cannot wait until he moves up here. We miss him and Aunt Krys so much.

Talk with you soon...

Staying Course

Not much new happening, homework has been a little difficult and we have been transitioning into the new office downstairs at the house. The dining room now looks a little bare, but we will take care of that in time. Big fantasy draft tonight at CCM, looking forward to a down weekend.

Interesting Times...

Foreclosures Climb 93 Percent From Last Year

Tuesday , August 21, 2007

LOS ANGELES —

Foreclosure filings rose 9 percent from June to July and surged 93 percent over the same period last year, with Nevada, Georgia and Michigan accounting for the highest foreclosure rates nationwide, a research firm said Tuesday.

The filings include default notices, auction sale notices and bank repossessions. The figures are the latest measure of the ailing housing market, which has seen defaults and foreclosures soar as financially strapped borrowers have failed to make payments or find buyers.

In all, 179,599 foreclosure filings were reported during July, up from 92,845 in the year-ago month, according to Irvine-based RealtyTrac Inc.

A total of 164,644 foreclosure filings were reported in June.

The national foreclosure rate in July was one filing for every 693 households, the firm said.

"While 43 states experienced year-over-year increases in foreclosure activity, just five states — California, Florida, Michigan, Ohio and Georgia — accounted for more than half of the nation's total foreclosure filings," said RealtyTrac Chief Executive James J. Saccacio.

Nevada posted the highest foreclosure rate: one filing for every 199 households, or more than three times the national average. It reported 5,116 filings during the month, an increase of 8 percent from June.

Georgia's foreclosure rate was more than twice the national average, with one filing for every 299 households. The state reported 12,602 foreclosure filings, up 75 percent from June.

Michigan reported 13,979 filings in July, a 39 percent spike from June.

California, Florida, and Ohio were among the states with the highest number of foreclosure filings in July, the firm said.

California cities continued to dominate top metropolitan foreclosure rates.

The state reported 39,013 foreclosure filings last month, the most by any single state, but the number of filings rose less than 1 percent from June's total.

The state's foreclosure rate was one filing for every 333 households, RealtyTrac said.

Florida's foreclosure filings fell 9 percent between June and July to 19,179. The July figure represents a 78 percent jump from a year ago.

RealtyTrac did not say if a single property received more than one notice. The company did not break out the exact property count.

In recent months, the mortgage industry has been battered by rising defaults and foreclosures, primarily driven by borrowers with subprime loans and adjustable rate mortgages.

Lagging home sales and flat or decreasing home prices have made it more difficult for homeowners who fall behind on payments to sell their homes and clear the debt, spurring the rise in foreclosure activity.

Puppy?

Bon and I are planners, not so much fly by the seat of our pants. Last night we started talking about a dog. Reese absolutely loves animals and Chubbs will not give her the time of day. Plus, I have always wanted a dog. I stopped in to Petland last week to talk about advertising and they had a white bulldog that was way cool, just chillin'. So we are pretty close to agreeing that in the spring we will adopt an English Bulldog pup. By then, Reese will be a little more apt to help us pick her out and possibly help with a name. I love the name Shaq for a dog, but not sure if that really fits a female. I will definitely keep you all updated as this situation progresses.

The Bears looked decent last night, I actually think our defense will be better than last year, and that is wicked scary my friends.

Peace out for now...

Latest...

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I know I am a little biased, but she is so beautiful, I absolutely love being her daddy.

There is a sense of relief this morning, as last night I completed the last on-site course in the MBA program. I am on-line now the rest of the way through the end in March. I am sure it will go by fast and I will be moving on to the next chapter in the chronicles.

One more day of classes in C-bus and I will get my official certificate. Basically this just means that I can schedule the mortgage license exam.

It seems like I have had very little time with Bon and Reese over the last couple of weeks, so I am definitely looking forward to some down time next week.

Election Link

I know this is dangerous territory and opens me up for criticism, but I have added the Rudy 2008 news feed to my blog. As in most elections, I do not completely agree with 100% of the platform for any candidate, including Rudy Giuliani. With that being said, at this time, I feel like he is the best person for the job and the news feed is for just as much my benefit as yours. It gives me a spot to come everyday and get the latest news on what is going on with his campaign. I find politics very interesting and most of you know it is on my personal agenda to run for public office when our kids are older. I enjoy debates and will never sacrifice a personal relationship over political views, as a matter of fact the Godfather and I have differed on things and it has never been a problem, I still love him.

Should be interesting...

Very Cool Story

Last Saturday a woman took her son to Georgetown to watch the Bengals. While there, the 6th grader got quite a few autographs on his Bengals hat. But when he got to his favorite player (Palmer) there was no room left for Carson to sign. So Carson took his own hat off signed it and gave it to the young man.

Gaining Knowledge

This past weekend was filled with more classes. I am in the process of gaining my mortgage license and attended classes in Columbus on Saturday and Sunday. Once things are finalized here in a few weeks I will be able to help any of the blog readers with mortgage stuff in each of your individual states. How cool is that?

Got a chance to spend Saturday night with Jase, Mom, Funk-E, and Carleigh. Addie was off getting fake ink at the Ross County Fair. One of the highlights of my visit was Frankfort Pizza. I grew up on that nutritional goodness, and man it tasted good.

I actually did learn a ton over the weekend and will drop nuggets as stuff comes up. One of the coolest things that I have already taken advantage of and would highly recommend is the credit pre-screening business. Credit agencies sell credit reports to businesses. (This is where you get the hundreds of credit card offers.) You can register at this website to block this. In addition to creating excess junk mail for you, credit agencies also have a process called trigger data. If I pull Jase's credit report for a re-finance, the agencies see that and sell his info to other mortgage businesses. Jase may then receive twenty phone calls saying, "hey, listen to our deal." Registering on the site blocks that crap too, and any future bright ideas they have. If you do not feel comfortable doing this via the web you can also do it by mail.

Check out my new bio on-line, and the rest of our magazine staff here.

Soulpatch Power

In the last couple of days I have had two guys stand in admiration of my soulpatch and tell me how they have never been able to grow facial hair in that area. Apparently this is a special gift from God...

Ironically, all three of the gentlemen listed as my blog "teammates", Hartsock, Steve, and Trent also have this blessing.

So whenever I get down and think about things I don't have, I will stick out my tongue, feel the patch, and thank God for giving me something special...

The Heat is Chilled...

Folks, it is not often that a new product moves me and gets my 100% endorsement. In fact, the last time it happened was probably the Code Red movement. But it is game on for Miller Chill!

Mad props go out to Bon for picking up a sixer this weekend, and despite her complete rebellion against beer, tried it and said, "if I ever HAD to drink a beer, this would be it." That is all that needs to be said folks, a ringing endorsement by Bon, and Miller Chill has now taken a seat in Furniss lore next to the Grand Daddy, Code Red...

This cannot be for real...

SCLC To Honor Vick At Atlanta Convention

They have to be hungry for PR, read it here...

Big Ern, meet Smooth Addie...

Every time we get a chance to head to Chillicothe it is a whirlwind. Took the trek on Saturday morning and made it to Addie's 4th Birthday party at the world famous Shawnee Lanes. This photo comes courtesy of her Daddy, the real Slim Shady, as she strikes a pose for spectators with an impending strike looming. Everyone seemed to have a great time, and Reese got to pound some cake and ice cream, so all is good. Mom treated us to lunch, always good to see her, and we even got a chance to stop by and see Martha for a bit. She seems to be doing well following her most recent surgery and has endured more pain in her life than I ever want to realize. It was a little difficult to stay awake on the ride home, but we made it.

On to Sunday, I have to tell you Ben is on fire right now. I am going to take the audio from these parenting sermons and play them back to myself about every six months just to make sure I am staying straight. We had a pretty good push for the first sports sign-ups and I hope some folks are able to grow in their faith through these groups as I did.

Most of yesterday afternoon was spent on Economics homework, and chilling with my girls.

Peace out...

Mid-day Update

Need an afternoon pick me up like I do? Check out this video of Reese taken one year ago this week!


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Downer Day

Obviously are prayers go out to those in Minneapolis and the bridge collapse yesterday. One of Bon's college roommates lives there and has some family, so we are hoping they are all OK.

Another story from the 'Nati yesterday that just blows my mind involves a murder-suicide. You can read about it here.

We did a whole lot of nothing last night, just chilling and watching Reese entertain us. She is definitely growing up!

Peace out...

Welcome to August

Another month gets rolling today.

Bon and I had a solid dinner last night, celebrating the Ocho at Benihana. I had some lobster and Bon scored some sweet chicken dish with plenty left over for lunch today. Reese had a phenomenal time with Blake, The Godfather and Carrie.

Be sure to check out our 4 Corners link to the right. Ben had a great message Sunday that you can listen to or watch, there are some pics from Sports Camp, and also a list of school supplies which can be purchased to help out some families in the community.

Does anyone want to buy some advertising?...

The Ocho

Bon and I are celebrating our eight year anniversary today. Does not seem like it has been that long, honestly. Going for a nice dinner tonight and Reese gets to spend some time with her boy Blake. So it is a win-win for everyone.

Speaking of Reese, she had her 18 month check-up yesterday and passed with flying colors. She is right where she needs to be and gives the docs a good laugh when she is in there.

Join along, and celebrate the Ocho...

I am Parrothead

The last few days have been a whirlwind, the concert, Beth in town, etc.

Let me start with the Thursday tailgate. Great time, great food, plenty of adult beverages and cornhole. The rain held off for all but 15 minutes, which was not bad at all. Buffett's crew has a guy who walks around the tailgate area during the day, taping people, and putting them on the big screen during the show. Well, wouldn't you know it, Pipes and Spencer made it. They were imitating a pug with a special talent for consuming beer, classic! We all made it back to the house in one piece, the concert was a lot of fun, and Reese enjoyed the parade of boys out of the basement the next morning. She sure does like dudes. I would definitely go back to another Jimmy show, very laid back, good tunes. He even played a cover of "Brown Eyed Girl", one of my favorites for obvious reasons.

While Beth was in town she decided to take over the Reese Saturday night and give us an opportunity to hit the town. We had a cool dinner, ran into some friends from church, and then went to a movie! Ocean's 13, and it gets two thumbs up! It is tough to beat any original in a series of sequels, (although Red Dragon also comes very close to Silence of the Lambs for me), but this flick totally crushed Ocean's 12 and is definitely buyable when it comes out on DVD. Reese had a ton of fun with Grandma and gave her a ton to laugh about.

Back to work today, looking for the Benjamins...

Peace out!

In honor of Reese enjoy this clip with a little extra funk:

Margarittaville

Been a little since the last post, but the madness has just begun...

Pipes and BG are en route to the house. Guido, Spencer, Fischer, Ondrus, and Austin are hooking up with us in the morning as we head to Riverbend to start tailgating at 9am! Everyone keeps telling me that I am in for a treat, being a Jimmy virgin, I am not sure what to expect, but the hype is strong to very strong. Expect a full report on Friday.

Last night I had the honor of helping out with the 4 Corners Sports Camp. Thanks to Swartwout for letting me help. It was a great time and some of the kids had skillz! Including a girl who gave me a vision of Reese in five years, dominating boys at their game, she scored 4 TD's!

Afterwards, hooked up with some great guys at TGIF for some grub and drinks. The burger was awesome! We had the chance to talk some business and play a little name that tune with the 80's music being played. I am very blessed to have numerous solid dudes in my life.

Keep prayers up for a couple of grandparents, Bon's grandma Martha and the Godfather's grandpa. Both are having pacemaker procedures.

Peace out...

150K

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Corolla has rolled over 150,000 miles! When we bought it eight years ago it had 32K, clearly she has been a champ. My goal is to get her to at least 200K and then we will see what is happening.

Friday night had a solid dinner with the Godfather fam, and when I got home I just felt like mowing, so was able to knock that out. Saturday we did a lot of chillin' and painting, finishing up the cornhole set with a sweet Notre Dame logo. Had a short visit with Beth who is now up in C-bus with Grandma Martha preparing for surgery. We are keeping the weiner dog for a few days, so Reese is having fun with that.

Our home will be invaded in just a few days as 7 guys will be crashing with us and we will be making our way to Jimmy Buffet on Thursday night. I believe our tailgate party is starting about 9am, good times...

Peace out

Tragic

A later post today will detail our latest and greatest, but wanted to pass on this tragic story.

Former major league infielder and current Tulsa hitting coach Mike Coolbaugh died Sunday night after being struck in the head by a line drive as he stood in the first-base coach's box in a game against Arkansas.

Unbelievable. Coolbaugh was knocked unconscious and CPR was administered to him on the field after he was struck in the forehead. The 35-year-old was still alive when he was put in an ambulance, but stopped breathing before arriving at the hospital. Coolbaugh, who played in 44 games for the Brewers in 2001 and the Cardinals in 2002, hit 256 career homers in the minors before retiring after last season. He had just taken the job as Tulsa's hitting and first-base coach on July 3. He is survived by his wife and two children, with a third on the way in October.

Worldwide

One of the cool new features I have added to the blog is a stat tracker, that shows me how many visitors I get a day and where they are coming from. I have been pleasantly surprised with the popularity. The blog is getting about 20-25 unique visitors a day, and spanning from Alaska (obviously) to Boston and down to Pensacola, Florida. I would have never have dreamed that so many people either thought our life was a) interesting or b) entertaining.

Keep 'em coming, tell all your friends, as Toby would say, "Let's spread this love like dandelions"

As Hartsock and I were shooting the bull yesterday, a couple of "Kwan" references and Jerry Maguire came up. This lead me to a hilarious video clip, with one of my favorite animals...

Back to Class

I return to school tonight after playing hooky last week. Apparently I did not miss much, but we will see how it goes.

Our whirlwind tour continued last night as Clark stopped by for the evening. Bon made a rocking dinner and we got him squared away on some technical stuff for something he is working on.

It sounds like we may have another visitor this weekend as well, we love it, the house is getting plenty of play.

Thanks again to the guys from CCM who for some reason asked me back to play some softball Tuesday night, I had a good time, but still need to get some work in the cage.

For the record, if I owned the Atlanta Falcons Mike Vick would be cut yesterday. Killing dogs? Seriously, get a brain in your head.

Reese turned 18 months yesterday, (applause), we have a cool video to post here as soon as I get it downloaded. You will also get to enjoy Bon's singing skillz.

And last, but certainly not least MAJOR PROPS go out to my boy, $$$, commonly referred to as S-Braine. He has a business about to launch which is off the charts sweet. I will post more info as it goes live and have added the link to his site in our "Sponsors" listing. I hope you all will help us spread the word and support him when the time comes.

Keep it real for now...

Power Packed

Wow, a lot went on this weekend, no way I could do it justice here.

Let's hit the highlights:

• Daddy B and Aunt Krys, nuff said really, always a pleasure
• Slim possee and Grandma-ma rolled down as well
• Tossed the pigskin with the fellas, did some grilling
• Bon made kabobs
• Reese got some new kicks (Croc style)
• Aunt Krys experienced Jungle Jim's and gave her another reason to move here
• Saw a ton of family at Jamie's that I had not seen in a long time
• Daddy B cooked up some unbelievable food, as usual
• When he moves back I anticipate gaining 15 lbs.
  
• Got home wicked late last night
• I administered the Heimlich maneuver to Jase after he repeatedly choked at Cornhole
  
• Reese is re-adjusting today after 4 days of big excitement
• Great message at church on Sunday, check it out at the church's website (link to the right)

Peace out for now...

My "Special" Holiday

Many of you know that I have a special affinity with the #13, it is my favorite number. It was my football number and I use it on any other jersey or t-shirt which requires a number. Heck, if Bon would go for it, I would have 13 kids. So I always look forward to the 13th of every month, especially when it falls on Friday.

Had a great time with familia de Guido last night. (I am on a Spanish kick right now, sorry) Hayden looks like a little dude and Reese is a big Jackson fan. Always good to see them, and I swear Reese said Uncle Guid.

Today she gets Auntie Rie! This is a stellar week in Reese's early life, let me tell you.

Peace out...

7'9" of New Husband

Worlds tallest man just got hitched, awesome!

Had a great dinner last night with a group of friends at a quaint little Mexican joint. I could definitely see myself going back but I think I will try something different on the menu. Reese had a good time where she stayed and passed out on the way home. I have said it before and I will say it again, holding Reese while she sleeps is one of the coolest things I get to do.

Big excitement tonight as Hayden Grooms makes his debut to the Furniss Family. Very much looking forward to seeing the Guido clan tonight at Casa De Fuego (our house).

Keep it on the down low that I am skipping class y'all.

Two Cars in The Garage

Bon is awesome, I got to tell you. Monday night we had started a little side project, finally organizing and cleaning up the garage. We got a little over half way done I would say and left the rest for yesterday. Well, during Reese's nap yesterday Bon went out and pretty much finished it, leaving only the hoisting of materials into the storage space above the garage. So, after I mowed last night we took care of that, and then I pulled both cars in the garage. It may not seem like a big deal, but I am stoked, I ain't gonna lie.

Looking forward to dinner tonight with a group of friends at a restaurant we have heard raves about.

I registered and received the books for my mortgage class in August, so that is exciting.

Life is good...

Reese, meet Tobymac

What a weekend!

On Saturday Reese made her King's Island debut. (I am sure this was the first visit of many in her life). We rolled up, rode a couple of rides with her, and hit Spirit Song. She was less than thrilled with the rides, clearly she is ready for something more exciting. Unfortunately, at her current height her options are limited.

First band she saw was Building 429, she was OK with it, but fell asleep in the middle of their set.

Then came Tobymac...

It was like she recognized his music instantly, we play it in the house a lot. She started clapping and dancing, and eventually ended up on the bench breaking down some moves for everyone around us to witness. We had a great time.

Yesterday Squibb and I shot down to the Reds game to take some clients. We were sitting three rows behind home plate and got some major face time on the tube. But, I got to tell you, it was HOT! And we both have a tint of red to our complexions this morning. Dang bullpen blew a two run lead in the top of the ninth, or we would have been out of there an hour earlier.

A lot going on this week, including a weekend with Daddy B and Aunt Krys, yeah!

Enjoy this video from Tobymac...

Hooligans

Quick story for you. Jase and Amber had their house vandalized a few days ago. Some young hooligans decided to spray paint vulgar stuff on houses down their road and smash some mailboxes along the way. The mailbox smashing I can live with, I've been there, but spray painting houses is too much.

(Seg-way to another story) In high school we were out smashing mailboxes one night and one of my boys took a big swing with the "aluminator" and struck a concrete lined mailbox! His whole body jiggled like you would see in a Tom & Jerry cartoon.

Which all leads me to my point that was recently stated on the Herd talk show a few days ago. The comment was, "Wow, since Zach Randolph got in trouble in Portland, you know he will get in trouble in the NYC."

Colin's response, "Which two cities do NBA guy get in the most trouble in?, Portland and Indianapolis. Why is that? Cuz there is nothing to do but sit around with your entourage, guns and dogs."

Similar story to the concrete jungle known as Frankfort, OH. The reason crap like this happens unfortunately is because there is nothing else to do.

Can someone put a couple of nightclubs or at least a stop light in the thriving metropolis that I grew up in? Please, save the next generation!

I'm out...

Independence Day

Happy 4th of July everyone!

We had a phenomenal time last night, what can I say our neighbors rock! I would say there were approx. 75 people here for our block party and the fireworks display was strong, to very strong. Mad props go out to Brian.

One of the coolest things is that the family who sold us our house and the family next door who recently moved out both came back.

Reese was less than thrilled with the show, falling asleep in Bon's lap about halfway through. How she fell asleep with that noise level amazes me. We took the monitor over to the central party point and was able to hang out and chat into the wee hours this morning. I took a 2 hour nap today if that tells you anything.

Back to work tomorrow.

Keep it real...

Are you kidding me?

A-Rod's wife sports vulgar tank top
/ Associated Press
Posted: 17 hours ago

The wife of Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez wore a white tank top with foul language on the back when she attended a game against the Oakland Athletics.

A common two-word obscenity ending with "you" was clearly visible when Cynthia Rodriguez, her 2-year-old daughter and an unidentified older woman took their seats Sunday in the players' family section at Yankee Stadium.

A front-page photograph Monday in the New York Post shows the back of the tank top with the obscenity printed in Old English lettering between the shoulder blades. The first letter of the first word is visible; the three other letters are intentionally blurred. The second word is 'You.' The paper's headline read: "F-Rod."

The Yankees had no immediate comment, team spokesman Jason Zillo said Monday.

According to the Post, the team's policy prohibits banners or signs that are not in "good taste" and also warns that security guards will eject any guests "using foul language" or "making obscene gestures." Zillo would not address whether the message on the shirt violated the policy.

Picnic Fun

We had a great time on Saturday with a group of friends at Sharon Woods. Great weather, good food and fun times.

Church was rocking Sunday, Greg did a phenomenal job. It was the first time Bon and I had sat together in service in weeks.

The weekend without homework was strong, to very strong, and I am looking forward to no class on Thursday night!

Big Birthday props go out to my grandma today, the big 6-9.

Keep it real,

(But first check out this crazy story)

Chicago Woman Born With Tiny Arms Denied McDonald's Service for Using Feet

Monday , July 02, 2007

A woman has filed a lawsuit against a McDonald's franchise, claiming that employees in two suburban Chicago restaurants refused to serve her because a birth defect forces her to use her feet as hands.

Dawn Larson was born with Holt-Oram Syndrome, which left her with diminutive hands just six inches from her shoulder, according to a report Monday in the Chicago Sun-Times.

"I drank my baby bottle with my feet," she told the paper. "Nobody ever taught me how to do it, I just did it. I can ride a regular 10-speed bike. I can swim. It has not been a problem in my life at all. It didn't stop me from having four boys. I've never dropped one of them."

In her lawsuit filed last week against the Rockford, Ill., McDonald's chain, Larson claims staff refused to serve her after she paid by credit card with her left foot for $23.59 of food last November, the paper reported.

"What's the matter with you? . . . You ain't got no arms. ... Let me see your arms," an employee allegedly told Larson with a tone of disgust, withdrawing the bags of food from Larson's outstretched foot, the paper said, citing the lawsuit.

The food was eventually given to Larson's son, but she says the incident occurred again three months later at a different McDonald's in Rockford. Both are owned by McDonald's Restaurants of Illinois Inc., the Sun-Times reported.

"We care very much about our customers and take this allegation seriously," Larry Taylor, director of operations for McDonald's Restaurants of Illinois Inc., told the paper. "We do our very best to serve our customers with the utmost care and respect. We have a strict policy prohibiting any form of discrimination in our restaurants. We have not seen the lawsuit and, as such, it would be inappropriate to comment."

Oh My Goodness!

Time to celebrate my friends, my Stats class is over and the Spice Girls are back!

Have a great weekend everyone, I know I will.

Gizmo?

Bon has returned from her Walk to Emmaus weekend, and Reese and I are so excited. We missed her terribly, although, as expected, it sounds like she had a phenomenal time. Thank you to everyone who sent her a letter.

I have been working on a couple of big school projects, as this Thursday is our final class of Stats. (This has been my least favorite course in the curriculum)

Thanks to Jum, I have decided to try out a new nickname for Reese. When she giggles it sounds just like Gizmo from the Gremlins movie. I asked her if she likes the name and she said, "NAAHHHH". I swear she has a southern accent sometimes.

I been saying it all along...

Firstborn sons have higher IQs, Norway study finds

By Ishani Ganguli2 hours, 13 minutes ago

Firstborn sons have higher IQs than their younger brothers, and their social status within the family may explain why, researchers reported on Thursday.

A study that used military draft records for more than 240,000 Norwegian men found that firstborns had an edge of 2.3 IQ points on their next oldest brothers, who in turn beat brothers born third by 1.1 points on average.

Men who had been raised as the eldest, whether they were born first, second, or third, had IQs to match their first-born peers. The same was true for those raised or born second, Petter Kristensen and colleagues at the University of Oslo report in the journals Science and Intelligence.

"This study provides evidence that the relation between birth order and IQ score is dependent on the social rank in the family and not birth order as such," Kristensen's team wrote in Science.

Their studies confirmed what many scientists had suspected for more than a century -- that firstborns have an edge.

But attempts to prove the effect have been disputed, in part because the circumstances of each family are different.

To compensate for this, Kristensen's team studied brothers raised in the same families.

And some scientists argue that birth order IQ differences arise in the womb, while others point to family interactions.

Emmaus, Part II

First off, I want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers for Katey's Dad Chris. It is way cool that many of you, who have never met him, continue to keep him in your thoughts and prayers. He is doing well, following his final surgery yesterday and all signs point to an almost full recovery.

Took Jum and Katey up to Beaver Junction this morning where my man Slim took over and transported them the rest of the way. It was great to see them, cannot wait until they are moved back here.

Reese and I are flying solo this weekend as Bon heads on her Walk to Emmaus. We will miss her terribly, but this experience will be awesome for her.

Can this be for real?

http://www.diet-water.com/index.htm

Keep it real...

Throw Some Up

We need some prayers for my sister-in-law Katie's Dad, Chris.

He was in a severe motorcycle accident yesterday and suffered a long list of injuries which include: a broken arm, neck, back, compound fracture of his wrist, dislocated hip, and bleeding on his brain. Witnesses say a van pulled out in front of him.

He is in UK Medical Center.

Camp

There is OU Football Camp tonight at King's high school, so I am going to swing over and hang with Guido for a while. Definitely looking forward to seeing him and any possible future Bobcats.

Just a little head's up that the blog may be getting a little deeper at certain points in the near future as Bon and I face some different things.

The first one, which is not as serious, but interesting, is who I decide to throw my support to in the 2008 election. I am still trying to do the research before I come public, but it seems to be a little tougher this year to decide. No one is a slam dunk at this point. For those of you who may not know, I intend to run for public office someday, I feel it is my American duty.

Another will be possible job changes and where we believe God is leading us to make an impact.

And thirdly, is just dealing with the time crunches in our daily lives and how a possible new baby would affect that. Let me be clear, there is no baby currently on the way, we are just talking about it.

I leave you with this funny anecdote about how goofy I was as a kid. I once shaved my football number in the back of my head. (My head was carrying a mullet at the time as well)

Peace out

BTW, check out this pic of my girl which appeared one year ago on this blog

New Church

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Four Corners has moved into the new digs, and Sunday was pretty strong. You can check out a video of the transformation here:

http://4cornerschurch.com/etc/Extreme_Makeover.mov

It is amazing to see the amount of work people put into this process, and for no personal gain, giving of themselves for something bigger. Straight up God work, awesome to see.

I also have a pretty funny story for you. I walk in the house yesterday to get lunch with my girls when Bon says, "Hey turn around again". Now either no one had noticed, or they had failed to tell me, but I had a huge hole in the right cheek buttocks area of my pants. Now I am pretty sure it was not there when I pulled them on yesterday morning and I did not hear a rip throughout the morning, so I am really unsure of how it got there. But needless to say, someone probably got an eyeful of boxer briefs yesterday morning.

Also, we will have a new neighbor this weekend, looking forward to meeting her. All we really know is that she is a huge Nascar fan.

Peace out

What a Blessing

I can relate

Wanted to touch on a subject which has been in the sports news headlines. The leap from Billy Donovan to the Magic and back again to Florida. You can get more details at this link: http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/6875046.

While I completely agree with my boy Colin Cowherd, I can agree with the other side as well. Cowherd says that you should think about all factors before deciding to sign a contract and once you sign a deal, you need to honor it.

In contrast, I know how it feels to make a decision and regret it fairly quickly. My first day at Dave Ramsey I knew I had made a mistake and needed to find a way to rectify it. Sometimes things sound better than the really are, and once you leap into the water, you may find that the temperature just is not right.

Funny side story. I was sitting in the parking lot waiting for Mr. Dipes, N2, Trey and Natureboy, having lunch at Willie's yesterday. Some of the homes down there rest on a fairly steep hill, so I assume using a standard lawnmower is not an option. The reason I say this is because he was mowing the yard with a weed trimmer. I wish I had a camera with me to post that photo up for you all, classic...

Peace out

Drenched

The Reese was feeling a little under the weather last night so I stayed back with her to chill while Bon went to the new church digs to throw up some colors (paint). We had a great time, including the popular bath festival. Last night she decided to take one of her toys, which can hold water, and douse me with aqua. My shirt was literally ringing wet, but she had a blast and even busted out the deep laugh where you don't breathe for a second, so it was all worth it.

You know, it is very difficult to beat holding your child in your arms. I love spending time with her.

Be sure to check out the newly inserted blog links which can hook you up to Hartsock, Steve and Trent. All good stuff to read.

Heading to the Emmaus reunion tonight with The Godfather.

Peace out