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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