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Sunday, July 27, 2008

Frontier Camp and Movies


We went to pick up Chandler yesterday from Frontier Camp. He had a total blast and said that it was the best of his three years at Frontier. His favorites were horseback riding and the skatepark. He learned how to ride a skateboard, so now he is ready to go it alone at home. 

On our way home yesterday, we stopped off at the Moosehead Cafe in Crockett with Tom, Vickie, Evan, Syd, Davis and Davis' mom. It was great and I have a feeling will become a new tradition as well. Following this was a stop off at Fish R Us to pick up a few big fish for the big tank. Great additions and will hopefully temper some of the aggressiveness.

Chandler is pooped and it will probably take a week or so to recover from his activity at Frontier Camp. Spencer is done as well. So, today should be an interesting day. We are headed off to the Y today to possibly re-join as a family.

Christa and I saw Dark Knight and Get Smart this week. They were both great. I am still amazed at the acting job Ledger did with Joker. I heard a person say this week that it wasn't that he did a good performance as much as he totally disappeared into the character of Joker...very well said. 

Get Smart was great. It didn't quite capture the TV version, but was still rather funny. I liked what Carrell brought to Maxwell Smart. He wasn't Don Adams, but then again...who is besides Don Adams?


Monday, July 21, 2008

What a weekend!


Truly as the title states...it was quite the weekend. It really started on Friday early...12:01 a.m. to be exact when I took Chandler to the 1st showing of "The Dark Knight". He did a great job helping the Mobley's move stuff from their house to storage that I decided to treat him to the movie earlier than I had even thought. I figured....hey why not create a little memory while I am at it. So, we went. I think I was the oldest person there! I got a good chuckle out of that fact alone. The movie was outstanding...and long. By the time we got home and in bed, it was 3:30! 

Friday night was the rehearsal dinner for Ricky and Mary's wedding. It went off great and the reception was a mini-reunion from my last youth group. It was amazing seeing faces that I hadn't seen in nine years. Some of them married and some of them married with babies!! Gahhhhh! Time flies. 

Saturday morning, I rose and met up with the Paisano/Red Tide crew for our normal Saturday morning jaunt. Following the first sprint, there was quite a bit of separation. I ended up in the fast group as we headed to the park. Once out of the park, we sojourned to Crosby at a moderate pace, but had fractured the group again. There was about 10 of us in the speedy group. Once we arrived at 90, I looked down at the clock and realized that there was no way I could get in 70 miles, so I told the group I had to go straight, hit Ramsey and get home...by 9:30. It was 8:00 and I had to be home by 9:30. I was 25 miles away from my driveway. I hit the bump of the drive by 9:15 dripping in sweat from the 95% humidity. 

Then it was off to do some shopping. Chandler needed some shorts for camp. I needed a tie for the wedding that didn't scream either power tie or Disney!! Chandler and Christa did a great job helping and it was Chandler's that won the prize for the tie to be worn at the wedding. 
Chandler found some shorts and some blue jeans for Frontier Camp and we kept Spencer happy with a couple of brand new Hot Wheels. All was well in the land of Cahill.

Back home we arrived and off to the showers to get ready for the wedding. It is always such a privilege to perform a wedding ceremony. But, to get to do the wedding of people that you know and care for, just makes it that much more special. Ricky and Mary were great. The wedding was beautiful and the reception was great. The mini-reunion continued as there were others that came who were not at the rehearsal. What a night. Definitely one of the best nights of the year by far for me. A lot of great memories that I will hold onto for a long long time. For those of the KCC youth group that read this and were there...Christa and I love you and am so proud of all of you. What a blessing it was to be able to be a part of your lives for a short period, and then be able to see how God has shaped and molded you more and more into His Son. You all are great!

Well...the weekend continued with Frontier Camp. It is that time of year. This will be Chandler's third and final year of regular camp. Next summer he will get to go to Teen Week. The timing of arrival was rather amazing as my sister pulled up right as we were hoisting out Spencer's ATSV(All Terrain Stroller Vehicle) from the back of the Pacifica. As we stood inline with the Dodgen's, Spencer was being entertained by Uncle Rick, and the rest of the boys were already reacquainting with each other and, I am sure, conspiring on what was going to happen this year. All 5 of the bosom buddies are in the same cabin!! Chandler, Evan (my sis' son), Brandon (Rick and Nina's boy), Bryan (a boy from last year), and Davis (Evan's bud from when they lived in Houston). They are going to have a blast. Chandler is riding horses for the first time this year and is also getting to do some more orienteering with Hans. He loves that part as Hans is pretty amazing with the kids. 

Back to the humble abode we drove. Pooped as we hit the door. Spencer got a good bath. He was still excited because he was able to see a horse up close for the first time. Sydney walked with the two of us over to a horse at the camp. While she was petting the horses nose, Spencer let a big pbtpbptpbptpbptpbptpbpt (I guess that is how you type that sound?). It was quite cute. He ran around the grounds with me for a while and had a good 2 1/2 year old time outside of his ATSV. So, he was pretty sweaty and dirty...as was Wooby. So, they both got a bath. Spencer then entertained us in his car bed by playing peek-a-boo with his blanket and was laughing uncontrollably as he was running on fumes. It didn't take him long to go to sleep.

Christa and I chilled on the couch and watched the TiVOed season premier of Psych to end our busy weekend with a good laugh. 


Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Spencer


The child was cracking us up last night when I came home from work. He would line up across the room in our game room/media room and say, "Two...GO!" Then he would take off and run right for me. I was sitting on the carpet waiting for him to mow me down. He would run right at me and 'tackle' me. I would roll to my back and then spring back up again (heck of an ab workout by the way!). He would then laugh almost uncontrollably back to his takeoff spot, and do it again. I lost count how many times we did this. 

His new favorite buddy is his new Nemo and Mickey that we bought him at The Disney Store over in the Woodlands. Chandler and I went to go see Hancock on Saturday out there. We went to the mall, ate some grub, and saw a sale at The Disney Store...2 for $20, so we bought a Mickey and a Nemo (Nemo was Chandler's idea and it turned out to be the hit!).

When I came home for lunch yesterday, Christa and Spencer were sitting on the couch together and they had just put Finding Nemo into the DVD player. Spencer was all curled up in Mommy's lap along with Wooby and Nemo. 

Chandler spent the night at a Brandon's. He was there all day as well not arriving home until after nine. Needless to say, he was quite tired. 

As far as the recruiting world goes...I had a candidate going in for an interview yesterday, but they didn't make the interview. Apparently the story is a car wreck. I need to do some more digging. As terrible as this sounds, I have had candidates lie to me about this kind of stuff just because they didn't want to go on an interview. In one instance, I had a person fake being in the hospital in the city of where their interview was supposed to take place! The way I found out that one was false was when I called the said hospital that they claimed to be in to see how they were doing and the patient information line said that no one had checked in with that name. I then checked the phone record of where the person had called from....yep...their home phone (which was in a totally different state!). They never left to go to the airport for their interview! I found this out when I called the hotel that the person had supposedly stayed in the night before and they stated that she never checked in to their room. Ever since this experience, I am leery of the 'car wreck'/accident excuse. 

Today is a new day. I am glad that it ended on the note of a laughing two year old running into my arms. That put a smile on my face.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Change of Plans

So much for the long date. Christa has thrown out her back again. It is now time for her to rest, take some anti-inflammatory meds heal up. We don't know how she did it, but we think it was in her sleep! Who knows?

I am going to spend the morning keeping Spencer busy...no TKD or cycling today. I will probably go up to the gym with Spencer later when they have child care going.

Bummmmmmmmmmmmmer.

Friday, July 11, 2008

Blessed


With what I do for living, life can be quite the roller coaster. At the same time, I continue to be reminded of just how blessed I am with what I do now. It gives me freedom as well as pressure to succeed. Two things that I believe most men need. It has been a good week business wise which is always a wonderful thing.

Facebook continues to blow my mind. I was hit with a couple of friend requests this week that were total blasts from the past. One of them was a guy from high school that I first met in 3rd or 4th grade. He was always a terrific guy...how he found I do not know. The other one was from my two short years at SHSU. Another great guy with a big heart. A talented photog who now does freelance work.

Christa and I plan a long date tomorrow as Spencer's favorite baby sitter, "Audeee", will be quite booked up the last few weeks of her summer before heading back to college. She has been an absolute Godsend and we wish there was a way to clone her so that we could have our own "Audeee".

Next week, I plan on booking a contractor to redo the siding as well as paint the outside of our home. It is desperately needed and I feel like we have a good guy for it. I'll have to post some before and after pics of the project as we get underway.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

The Tour...





This time of year is exciting. It is Tour time. My TiVO works overtime each morning recording the happenings across the pond so that when I arrive to my humble abode in the evening, I can watch with anticipation as the chess match on wheels unfolds before my locked eyes on the tube. I love to ride and I love to watch, so I guess I am a cycling nut. I have an understanding bride to say the least!

I won't bore everyone who reads this with a daily scribe of the race. I will say that it is tempting though.

Monday's are Tae Kwon Do teaching days, so Chandler and I headed out last night for just that. He takes with the junior black belts at 6:45 and then the adult class is at 7:30. I assist Master Battenberg in the classes on Mondays. It is quite fun and I pinch myself every now and then to see if I am in some weird dream as I am helping instruct other people in Tae Kwon Do. It boggles my mind when I think of how bad my knees are and how the Lord has given me a lot of strength to over come some pretty serious odds since I started training in 2002.

Spencer is officially cutting ALL FOUR molars. OUCH!! It is no wonder he keeps waking up crying in the middle of the night for the past week. Poor little guy.

Chandler and Christa are heading out to The Movie Tavern today for a flick and some grub while I pound away the phones. Spencer is at Mom's Day Out today, so Christa and "C" get to have some good mommy/son time today.

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Yearly TT...



I rose this morning and prepared for the yearly TT (Time Trial) with my fellow Paisanos and Red Tide cycling clubs. We meet at Ike Park just outside of Summerwood. The course is a little over 3 miles and has a tough uphill at the end of the course. By that time, the lactic acid is absolutely burning in the thighs and calves as you push and pull on the pedals. Last year, my fitness was at a much higher level and I was about 10 lbs. lighter. I finished fourth. This year, my goal was just to finish in the top 10. Both of our groups are faster as well as have had a few strong additions to our crews. Well...I wasn't too disappointed. I was only 6 seconds slower than last year...7:34...I am not sure what place I attained as they will be posted later, but I was pleased that I probably ended up in the top 10.

I am now chillin' in front of the tube watching the first stage of the 2008 Tour De France. Most people think it is boring to watch. To me, it is fascinating. It is chess on two wheels and one of the most misunderstood team sports out there.

Spencer is learning his new sit-n-spin that mommy bought him for a mere $7 at Wal-Mart. He loves it. He also likes to mimic Chandler mowing the lawn with his bubble blowing lawn mower. He mows strips of carpet in the game room and is quite thrilled with the job that he does.

Chandler had another friend over last night. We are going to head out to the mall later to run some errands and possibly see a movie.

Tonight is double date night with Rick and Nina. We are heading out to the Woodlands to eat at The Melting Pot and then who knows?

The pic above is a pic from about a year and half ago. It is of the group that I ride with, the Paisanos. We had just beat the Red Tide in the Team Time Trial. I'm the one in blue/yellow.

Friday, July 4, 2008

Video Shoot...


Yesterday morning, I met up with my two web designers for my company's site and we shot the welcome video. I still do not know if this is going to look good or look hokey. I guess I will just have to see. The rest of the site is starting to look much better than what I threw together. It is much more flashy (no pun intended of course...since we are using flash). It took about 30 minutes to set the room up and get a camera that had decent sound. It would have worked better with an actual microphone, so we will have to see how it looks in the final cuts. We shot it in front of a green wall and are going to have either a background behind me or my logo beside me. 

After that, I met up with Christa and Chandler to see Wall-e at lunch time. It was cute. I don't think I was as wild about it as I was about Cars and Ratatouie (sp?), but it was still good...very 2001 Space meets Disney...all that was missing was naming the computer Hal. 

Today is the 4th. God Bless this country that we live in. I praise God that we live in a country of freedom. We are having some friends over for lunch. I am BBQing fajitas and ribs. We are also going to just hang out and chill...probably play some cards and watch the kids play. We were going to hit the parade, but it looks like Chandler and his friend stayed up too late last night (2:30 a.m.!!), so they are just now starting to move around a bit. I might get on my Mt. bike and take Spinner out there for a little fun. 

I did get in 40 miles this morning on my bike fresh back from the shop this morning...it felt good to be back on the saddle after a week off. It is amazing what you lose in a week. Tomorrow is our yearly TT (Time Trial). There should be about 20-25 of us. I just want to finish in the top 10! We have had some very strong riders join our group over the last year, so I don't think I will get fourth like the last time out. It is also the start of the Tour De France!! Woohoo. 


Wednesday, July 2, 2008

July 4th Week...


The next two weeks are not the most exciting in the recruiting biz. I shouldn't universalize this, but most people are pretty checked out with July 4th coming (not to mention it being on a Friday). People just don't call you back very often from cold calls until after the holiday. But, this week is not a total loss as I am setting things up for later in the month. The good part to all of this is that I chose the perfect time for training on the software and to shoot the video for my updated website (this week!). 

Following the video shoot tomorrow, I will prep a candidate for an upcoming interview and call it a week. I will go pick up my bike from Better Bikes...ala Mike Carrol's bike shop in Atascasita and hopefully head out on a short ride that afternoon. I plan on getting in some good miles in the early morning hours since we are not heading to Covington this year for the 4th.

Spencer went to Mom's Day Out yesterday. He didn't nap at all, so when he came home, he was done and had a good afternoon sleep. Chandler had a friend over so that they could thrash to the new Guitar Hero game that he rented from Blockbuster. They also went to the pool and did some front flips off the board...so I was told. 

Chandler and I went to TKD last night to train. Tuesday's are Mr. Chan days. It is amazing how different instructors can take a class to a totally different focus for the night. Mr. Chan loves the fitness aspect of TKD, so we spent the first ten minutes doing some good warm ups on the kick pads and stretching. We worked on curriculum for the next 20-30 minutes and then the last 10-15 minutes of class was all balance and leg work. Needless to say...I am quite sore this morning. It was great though and I loved every minute of it. We worked with the medicine balls, did lunges, worked the tall steps, one legged squats, and then more medicine ball work. I don't know about the rest of the 20 people there last night, but I had a puddle below my little area!
My partner, Jack Kelley, was a stud. He was quite the encouragement and support that I needed esp. with the one-legged squats.