Guys Weekend...take two!

Had a great weekend as I spent it with Chandler and Spencer while Christa was out of town at the Ladies Retreat for church. We ordered Pizza Friday night and played a lot of Hot Wheels. Saturday we headed out to Tae Kwon Do for some teaching as Chandler helped out Mee-a with the Karate Kubs. God's grace showered down as Mr. Loyka showed up to help out as well. Following class, we (Mr. Loyka, Mee-a and myself) tutored on the students on board breaking as he is breaking for his black belt test tonight. Diane watched Spinner on the playground and gave him a new battery operated monster truck which he of course absolutely loved! It didn't leave him all weekend.

We grabbed some grub for lunch, Spencer napped, Chandler cleaned his room and I worked on music for a bonfire Saturday night. Ten years have passed by since last leading worship with a group of people. Talk about a trip down nostalgic lane! A good time was had by all. Mee-a came over to sit Spencer and she did an outstanding job. Chandler and I arrived back from the bonfire around 8:30. He was covered in soot from the fire as he threw logs and branches, etc. on the fire for over about an hour and a half. He and I watched Casino Royale that night (I fast forwarded past the torture scene.

Sunday arrived and we drove over to the Humble City Cafe for breakfast and then out to church for Sunday School. The amount of stuff to clean in Chandler's room building, we decided to skip big church and get back to the humble abode so that he could finish the room. Someone hit Spencer's "touchy" button the rest of the day, so I didn't get to really go anywhere as he was either sleeping or spending time in his room having a time out for having little melt downs. 

Christa pulled in the driveway around 5 or so and brought gifts! I got a creme brulee! Yummmmmm...

The weekend ended on a special moment as I caught a glimpse of Spencer in mommy's lap watching the Wizard of Oz. Great moment. 

The week...

It has been quite the up and down week. I set my goals for 2009. They are aggressive for this economy, but I believe that I can attain them with determination and focus. Work is a challenge right now as not many people want to move. Therefore, I am attempting to adapt to that in my daily routine with either getting a retainer (guaranteed money) or write jobs that I can get local talent for the open position.

I didn't get in much exercise this week as Christa was still sick. The doc changed her meds and now she is doing much better as of yesterday. She is out right now with Chandler on a date. They went to Chuy's and to go see Madagascar 2. I did about 60 miles this morning and felt good after which is a good sign especially for the knee.

I have decided to put off the knee injections as they are $600 per shot. I would need three and since it is a different type of injection than Synvisc, they would only last three months. $1800 for three months is a little crazy.

I have decided that I want to train for a few TT races next year. I have never done that before, so I will have to do some research on how exactly to train for that as well as diet, rest, etc. I need a new physical challenge to keep me motivated and on the bike. I think this would be a lot of fun and would help me get into some pretty incredible shape as well. I will probably have to drop 20 lbs. for in order to be competitive, so we'll see. 

I took some great pics of Spinner a couple of weeks ago. I posted my favorite of him jumping in the air to his "big boy" bed.

BROOMBALL!!!

Spencer's 3rd!!

Good news! No surgery. Bad news...I get to live with the pain in my knee for the rest of my life. Moving on....

Spencer turned three yesterday. We have come a long way since Texas Women's three years ago. What a time it has been. We had fun with some cupcakes and presents with just us (mommy, myself, Chandler and of course Spencer). He had a great time and wanted to blow the candles out about 4 or 5 times. I think that was his favorite part...along with getting a new Mack and other cars from Cars (the movie). 

Following all of the festivities, it was off to Broomball with Chandler and the Woodridge MS youth group. We drove down to the rink near Clear Lake and were there until midnight. It was hilarious of course, but I didn't get into the mix this time with my bum knee. I missed it. But, I got some good pics which I will post here soon. 

Christa is sick this weekend, so I am on daddy duty. Therefore...this entry will be short.

Saturday and Dewberry Farms

Saturday started with a feast for breakfast. We made pancakes and bacon...not the healthiest of breakfasts, but it fun nonetheless. After scarfing down our cinnamon/sugar pancakes and hickory smoked bacon, Chandler mowed the yard and Spinner and I played some cars. 

We all played outside together for a little while and then Spencer went down for a nap to prepare for Dewberry Farms. I cleaned my road bike up as I had not made the time to do that since the Bike to the Beach ride a couple of weekends ago and Chandler played with some neighborhood kids until the moment came to load the Quest and drive out to Dewberry Farms.

Once we arrived and made it through the line to get our bracelets for entrance, we chowed on some food and made our way to the haystack, big swing, rollerslide, pedal carts, corn shooters, etc etc etc.

At the end of the evening we met up with a large group from Sunday School and made our way through the cornfield maze. This was hilarious...I kept waiting for someone with a movie camera to come through filming a b movie horror flick. I held Spencer's hand through the dark interior as we walked through the stalks of crow food to the bridge to nowhere in the middle of the field. We climbed the bridge and gazed up at the endless amount of stars. You could not ask for a more beautiful night and weather. 

Following Chandler's hunting for rocks at the mill, we loaded back up and trekked back to the livable forest. Upon arrival, we crashed in our beds and I prayed that Spinner would sleep in a little...at least to 7:30! Great day...wonderful memories.

It's been almost a month...

This month has been a little crazy and I just haven't made the time to update the ol' blog. So I will do a quick rundown of the month's events.

The rides - I showed up for a good 102 mile ride through the Piney woods of East Texas the week before the MS ride only to have a major mechanical at the start with my bike. I had just checked everything out the night before. It turns out that my gear shifters had somehow incurred sweat from my hands and jammed a piece in the mechanism. Once it was fixed, it was like buying a new set. So...off to the Bike to the Beach the following weekend from San Antonio to Corpus Christi. 

It was a great ride. 3500 cyclists out pounding the pedals for MS. I saw some very moving moments. Two people in particular up a pretty good hill on the first day...riding a recumbent and using their arms to pedal as they had no legs from MS. They rode all 160 miles this way...inspiring.

Work - This has been the most roller coaster year that I have ever experienced. In the almost 10 years of doing this, consistency is usually the biggest struggle of any recruiter. When you throw in an economy that is touchy, a housing market that is dead in a number of different areas of the country and the fact that 90% of the people that I place are relocations, well...consistency is more than a challenge. God has been good as usual. He dropped a retainer in my lap in July and hopefully this week, I will close that deal. Keep praying...it is not done yet.

Family - Chandler has had a great year at Creekwood so far. He is enjoying theater, cooking and he loves his AP History class. I am a blessed dad to have such a great son. Spencer will be three this coming Friday. I am still blinking my eyes to the day he came into our lives. He loves to laugh and play with the hot wheels and yesterday, for the first time, really started enjoying playing with a basketball! Chandler was playing catch at 6 months old. They are so different yet so great together. 

Christa is basking in the backwoods this weekend in TN at a Tai Chi retreat. She so deserves this and I wish it could be an entire week for her. She sent me a picture of the cabin. It overlooks a nice wooded area with a creek flowing through. It must be so peaceful. 

Work and the Bike...

Work has been pretty frustrating since August. It is a good thing that I ride my bike. It is a therapeutic way to deal with the stress. This year has been interesting with the housing market in the toilet, it is difficult to relocate people. This is definitely the most challenging market I have experienced since being in the world of executive recruitment. I still have time to hit my minimum goal for the year, but I am running out of time of hitting what I really wanted to do.

This brings about some stress as it is challenging at times to keep spirits up for sure. I had a horrible thing happen this week as a candidate of mine came down with cancer and obviously pulled herself from contention on a position that she was about to have an on site interview. This is awful as the cancer has run in her family. Bad for my biz, but I can always get back on the phone and find more candidates. My heart just broke for her and her family, so Christa and I are definitely praying for her as she will start chemo soon. The wind is a little out of the sails today as my heart is a little heavy. This is why I decided to take a break and blog about it. Keep Jeanie and her family in your prayers.

The bike definitely helps. Next weekend is going to be nice as I embark on the two day MS 150 Bike to the Beach from San Antonio to Corpus Christi. This weekend I will do some long rides to train and get that last bit of training in before I hit the road next Friday for the Hill Country. Tomorrow morning I will ride about 40 or so miles and then Sunday I will do 100 miles in the Lions Club Biking for Sight ride out of Montgomery. It is a great tune up ride that I have done before...good hills and great support.

The challenge this week started on Sunday afternoon. Christa and I went to the Humble Blood Center and I gave blood. Probably not the best timing with only two weeks to go at the time before the Bike to the Beach, but I felt like I needed to after the hurricane. I am O-, so I am the universal blood type. Therefore, whenever I go, they ask the inevitable...either double red cell donation or red cell and double plasma. This time it was double red cell. When they do this, the donor can not give again for 4 months instead the normal two. It really takes a lot out of you. I attempted to ride the next morning on my trainer and bonked 30 minutes into it. I was exhausted all day. I quickly adjusted my diet to something rich in iron and high in protein (spinach and chicken salad every night this week!). I have also had about two yogurts every day, oatmeal every morning and tuna at lunch. This has helped a ton as yesterday I hopped on my TT bike and went all out for 30 minutes, did 11 miles and felt great afterward. I will know more as I get to mile 50 or 60 on Sunday...lol

This month...

Whoa...where to start...: 

1) Prep for home for hurricane

2) Take Friday the 12th off to find a generator knowing we would need one this time! Christa works her magic by finding one on kingwoodyardsales.com

3) Dad flees Clear Lake as he gets a mandatory evacuation

4) Hunker down in master bedroom for 12 straight hours as tropical storm and hurricane force winds slam kingwood and we get to listen to branches, pine cones, and other hard objects pelt the roof

5) Gaze out at destruction at 10 a.m. and notice that the gutter is jammed and the street is beginning to flood due to the debris blocking it

6) Walk out in wind and rain to unjam the gutters in the street and then watch as I realize that I just started a raging river! Where is my raft now that I need it?

7) Clean up and then go help the neighbor down the street who had a pine tree land on their house - realize how blessed we are that no trees fell on our humble abode!

8) Clean up more

9) Crank up the generator and move everything out of the outside fridge - meanwhile next door neighbor's generator dies and we now share our generator - a real blessing as we split the gas cost as well! Thank you Claudio and Debbie!!!

10) Monday hits and still no power...Tuesday...no power and laundry is starting to pile up. 

11) Wednesday - Good buddy invites us to his house - I get some work done and Christa gets 3 loads of laundry done and folded as my friend has power....

12) Dad comes through with a miracle by calling in a favor to a company he does consulting with in the Galleria and gets me an office space that I can use until my power comes back in my office space. WoooHooooo!

13) Thursday night - Neighbors two doors down show Star Wars on a big screen for the kids in the neighborhood - love all of our neighbors!

14) Got in a ride on Saturday! The bonus? Lights come back on during the neighborhood showing of National Treasure that night!!

15) We take in some Kingwood evacuees as they do not have power (and still do not!) yet. They stay with us until Tuesday. BTW...you are welcome back anytime Maddy!

16) Office power back Monday morning 

17) Been playing catch-up most of the week and am just now starting to get back into a rhythm at the office.

18) Realize that I have not updated this in quite some time due to the storm as I received a wonderful note from one of my favorite "teenagers" (ha...not even close any more...j/k Rebecca) giving me more memories of my youth ministry days (I loved giving you a bad time with the Michael W. Smith song...it always made you smile and laugh...thanks for the great memory!).

19) Rush to update my blog and realize that it is 8:21 and I still need to shower and get my booty to my office to get cold calling!!

Thank you to all of you for your prayers and support during Ike. Please be praying for all of those who are still without power, lost their homes and personal valuables, Galveston Island and all of those there, my dad as he puts his home back together in Clear Lake and my wife's sanity as Chandler starts back at school today finally and Spencer gets to go back to mom's day out as well this morning!

We love you. 

Wow!!

Having a Monday off is always a nice blessing. Being able to get out on the bike for a quick 4o mile ride is even more of a blessing. I took out my anniversary present this morning and was blown away at the speed in a pack of riders. My max was 34 mph...yes...that was on a straight, not a hill! Unbelievable. All in all we did about 42 miles and we ended up averaging 21.5 mph. It was a blast. 

Yesterday was FFL (Fantasy Football League) draft day. It is always a lot of fun and great camaraderie between all of us ribbing each other non-stop about pics, etc. Last night we were greeted with a bonus as our good friends from Austin were in town and dropped by for a glass of wine. Amy and John are always a blast to have over. We pick up right where we left off everytime. I just wish they were closer, so that the picking up was not so far between each other.

It will be a busy week this week as Spencer cranks back up Mom's Day Out, Chandler begins week 2 at CMS, and I will be getting ready for a wedding this weekend. Not to mention the normal cold-calling in a normal day. 

Gustav has hit land and has missed mom and dad in Covington...Praise God!!! They will get some wind and rain, but nothing like Katrina from 2005 for sure. Now the big prayer is that the levees will hold in Nawlins. 

 

Guys Weekend Out is always a good time with Chandler. This year we didn’t drive too far. With my father out of town suffering in Maui at the time share, Chandler and I escaped to their abode for some good ol’ father-son hang time. Friday night we found a new little café to chow, play some pool and a video game as well. On Saturday, we awoke to a Triathlon running down my father’s street. So, as we turned onto Nasa Rd 1 to head out to the Classic Café (a wonderful place for breakfast), we watched the cycling portion of the triathlon pass us. Naming the bikes as the sped past us with all of the riders in aero position, I soaked in the moment with Chandler.

Following the fajita omelet I scarfed down and Chandler’s pancakes, we cruised out to Galveston where we gazed at the scenery. I pointed out a number of old homes, the Bishop’s Palace, the Moody Mansion, and many other legendary homes down the main drag while driving into Galveston. I took us down to East Beach, the hangout when I was in high school for a lot of the youth group. Well…what can I say? It is gone!!! It is now a resort with only one pocket beach that you have to park and then walk to! No more driving right up to the beach, parking in the sand and having your car just a few feet away from you. From there, we drove out to the Strand and cruised down the street. I pointed out some places we would hit after lunch.

Chandler was aching for Rainforest Café. I was the skeptic as I had heard from a number of people that it was over priced and the food bad to mediocre at best. I was pleasantly surprised. There were salt water aquariums everywhere. Chandler and I took pics of a cool eel and then sat down to eat our fajitas which, surprisingly, turned out to be really good!

Off to the Strand we go. I promised to take him to the candy/ice cream/soda shop. It has been around for a long time and is always a must go-to place. I inhaled a sundae and Chandler enjoyed a milkshake. The great thing about this place is that you get the entire milkshake. They give you the canister that it is mixed in, so you really end up with two full milkshakes.

We bought a couple of t-shirts for Spencer at Big Dogs (which is going out of business!), strolled through Col. Bubbies and other shops and I ended up purchasing some new specs at the Sunglass Hut that were 60% off. They will be my new cycling shades.

By the time we finished, we were getting tired and it was really hot. We drove down the seawall and watched people roast and ended up eating an early dinner at Tortuga. We split the Quesadillas (obviously I was cheating big time yesterday!). We went to a pocket beach from there, threw around the football, collected shells, chased crabs and then proceeded to get eaten alive by mosquitoes after the sun went down. Following this day of gallivanting, we strolled back up I-45 to Grandpa’s house.

On Sunday we awoke and decided to not go to Schlitterbaun. Chandler wanted to take it easy. So, we went to the local putt-putt place and had a blast. After dousing ourselves in Off, we played 18 holes on the artificial greens and then it was off to Laser Tag. He destroyed me in both of course. From there, we played some video games and another round of mini-golf. We followed this up with Star Wars: The Clone Wars at the theaters. Then it was off to clean up, pack up, load up and drive back up to the Livable Forest.

Now it is time to plan for next year!

Ride Makers! The Build-A-Bear for guys!

Chandler and I are on our yearly weekend sojourn. We call it "Guys Weekend Out". We have been doing this once a year since he was six (2002). This year's version finds us in Clear Lake at Grandpa and Grandma Jan's house. They are in Hawaii for three weeks, so we have invaded their humble abode to hang out, go to Galveston and basically have fun together as dad and son.

We arrived to Clear Lake around 4:00 yesterday. Following a quite mediocre dinner at Rockin' JD's, we played a video game (which I lost of course) and then went off to the mall. I wondered, as I walked through this mall that I had been through a thousand times before when Christa and I lived here from 91-95, if I would run into one of my old teenagers. Sure enough! We walked into Game Stop and I was hailed by Stella Brown (her last name has changed now as she is married). I had forgotten her of course, but once she told me it, I remebered her like it was yesterday. She hung out with Leslie Larking all of the time and went to Friendswood Junior High and High School while I was here. Great gal and she was always a lot of fun to hang out and talk with while I served at Fellowship Bible. A great walk down memory lane.

Once we left Game Stop, I got some coffee at Gloria Jeans (the Starbucks before Starbucks was on the map) and Chandler ate some ice cream from Marble slab. Walking around the circlish (is that a word?) mall, we stumbled upon Ride Makers. Now my mind is totally blown. This place is Build-A-Bear for car crazed boys and girls. They have an entire wall of cars that you choose from to "outfit". You pick your shell (Chandler chose a Viper...yes...I gave in and bought him one!), shound chip (you know...a car has to have sound!), tires, rims, accessories (vinyls, lights, scoops, muffler tips, etc. etc. etc.). Once Chandler was finished accessorising his Viper, he stepped up to the assembly area which was loaded with a power tool to unscrew and assemble the car and a stop watch/clock to time yourself putting together the tires, rims and placing them on the vehicle (yes...very nascar). Chandler's time...an impressive 1:12.

Then it is time to register the vehicle at the computers (yes..just like Build-A-Bear's birth certificate). You come up with a liscence plate (up to 8 letters/numbers). Chandler decided to put "GWO 2008". Quite cool. You even get a box/garage for your car to take it home with you. One more fun part to all of this. One optional purchase for every vehicle is that you can make it an R/C! How cool is that?

www.ridemakerz.com

The pic above is of the mini-cooper. Chandler got the red viper...just thought I'd show that you really can customize it any way that you want.

Well...Chandler is putting on his shoes and both of our stomachs are growling for breakfast. It is off to the Classic Cafe for some breakky and then who knows?

TKD

Last night was a lot of fun. I was asked by Renee (Master Battenberg) to help her with Saftey Net Kids at my church, Woodridge Baptist. We were expecting around 30 kids. When we arrived, a few stragglers showed up. But, in classic Kingwood fashion, the flowed in around 10-15 minutes late and we ended up with nearly 50 kids and there parents. The room was packed. We had a great time. She taught the kids how to show confidence and defend themselves in different situations with strangers (what we adults would call predators nowadays). It is always such an empowering time. 

Chandler came with me and brought a friend. He took some pics for Master B and helped hand stuff out. He later commented to me that he was really glad that he joined me in this and was able to be a good black belt example to all of the kids. Most of them were 5-9 years old. The perfect age. Chandler is so good with kids. I can definitely see him teaching some day.

I got a lot of looks from some of the members that knew me as they had no idea I was even in Tae Kwon Do. The great part about this is that almost every person that knew me came up to me and asked more questions about self-defense, TKD, or the POWER program (great program that we do to teach women how to defend themselves - basically rape prevention). I was encouraged that people felt comfortable to come up to me and ask questions. 

Great night!

Full Weekend

The weekend started with a great friend of ours giving Christa and I a night out, basically 24 hours, to ourselves. I booked a night at the JW Marriott right next to the Galleria. We had dinner at The Melting Pot and then went to a local dive to watch the Olympics and Phelps win by a nose hair in the 100m Butterfly. 

We woke up the next morning to breakfast in bed. It was really nice as we ate eggs, bacon, fresh fruit, and great coffee from Starbucks downstairs. From there, we went to the Galleria, people watched, and got into a lengthy and fun conversation with one of the shop owners. He was a great person with terrific stories from his past as a high school band instructor in Lousiana. He now owns a store in the Galleria that is a specialty shop in martial arts weapons, crosses, etc. He also does a lot of repairing of different items ranging from knives to hair products! Pretty talented and wide-ranged guy. 

From there we went to grab some grub and watched the US upset the Chech. in Water Polo. What an amazing and tough sport. We also saw Taylor Phinney get destroyed in the cycling track pursuit. He is still very young and will be a force to be reckoned with in the future...he has the genes from his dad, Davis Phinney (one of the first Americans to win a stage in the Tour De France). 

We arrived home at around 4:30 to a spirited home. Christa and I were exhausted and went to bed at around 8:30. Chandler and Greer (one of his best buds) hung out and probably didn't go to bed until...well...who knows?! 

I took Chandler, Greer, and Spinner to church this morning. Today was my last Sunday of teaching Chandler's class before someone else takes the reigns next weekend. Christa and I are joining an adult class this year. It will be really good for us as we re-connect with the adult world. I still plan on helping out on Wednesday nights as well as trying out for the Christmas show. 

Chandler is signed up for baseball and has tryouts coming up on Tuesday night this week which will make this fall rather insane between baseball, TKD, church and me involved in the Xmas show...sleep will come at some point!

Chandler's Baptism

One of dreams came true on Sunday. Back in June, at youth camp, Chandler made the commitment to get baptized. He asked me to do it. As a dad...wow...what a privilege. Our pastor was gracious enough to allow me to do it as I am still officially a pastor. 

Tom, Maureen and Da, Christa's parents and grandmother, made the trip from Covington, LA in order to join the celebration. It was an incredible day. 

Here are the pics. 

DOH!!! Christa just blew my mind...speechless

I am helping Chandler refill the twine on the weedeater when Christa calls me to the back porch. I ask her to hang on a sec as I had twine up to my ears. She insisted that I come now. I figured it was important, so I gave Chandler the twine to hold onto. I look at the porch and she is standing there with a new Time Trial bike!!!! Wow!!! I am speechless...I have no speech. 

I have been wanting one for a while now just to train on and have fun with as triathlons are out for me due to the fact that my knees cannot take the pounding anymore. She has never done anything like this before. She said that she wanted to blow me away this time...well...she did!!!

TS Edouard, Cuz's and...yes...another Movie

On my Saturday ride, I usually hang out with the group at Starbucks. It is a great time to just hang out with the guys that I just hammered 60 miles with on a bike. This past Saturday was a little different. I didn't think I would have time for 60 miles, but did it anyway (with Christa's blessing of course). We finished in under 3 hours. Instead of Starbucks, I kept riding home hoping to catch them in time. 

Them...my dad and Jan were dropping off Chandler, Evan and Sydney (Evan and Sydney are my sis' kids). Sure enough, pedaling my Tarmac up to the turn of my house, there is my father's Denali in the driveway. I could not have planned it any better...twas a God thing. 

Needless to say, watching these three in action is quite entertaining...especially once you throw Spencer in the mix. We've watched Chandler's eels eat bloodworms, played a constant game of Need for Speed Most Wanted on PS2, made pizza, had burgers on the grill and constructed a fort in the game room of sheets, blankets, chairs and clothespins while watching Spongebob. 

I witnessed some of this yesterday as I stayed home from work waiting for TS Edouard to get "bad". It never did, so I didn't get any work done minus a few phone calls early in the morning. So, today will definitely be catch up day on the phone.

Christa and Sydney painted fingers and toes, watched a chick flick and went to a couple of stores yesterday afternoon late. So, I took the boys last night to Journey to the Center of Earth 3D. It was actually great. The 3D part was outstanding as I had no idea it was going to be in 3D until we arrived at the theater. 

Tomorrow we head up to Keller (Ft. Worth), to go see my cuz, Jennifer, graduate with her PHD in Viola Performance from UNT. It promises to be a great celebration. We head back early evening on Saturday as I get the privilege to baptize Chandler on Sunday morning at church. What a blessing as a dad. I am still humbled and thrilled that he asked me to do it and not one of our pastors. How cool is that?

16 years old...she is growing up!

Today she is 16. It is hard to believe, but quite true. 16 years since she was born. 

When she arrived, we all had the ooglie googlies. The great part about 16 years? I still get those feelings. What a blessing. I remember her cuddling up to me and gazing up with her hypnotic eyes. She still does this today at times and it is just as special now as it was then. 

No rebellion as of yet, but I will keep my eyes peeled for the signs. I don't think it will show it's ugly head anytime soon though. She is different.

She teaches me things about myself that 16 years ago I didn't think was possible. She has even changed me and chilled me out..........some (hee hee).

And if you were to tell me that 16 years would go this quickly back then, laughing to myself would definitely be an understatement. 

She likes to drive her new (used) car that I surprised her with the other day in celebration of this occasion. It is perfect for her and I think she is still pinching herself. I loved watching her face. 

Today will be that special 16th though. How can I put into words how I feel? How she feels? How blessed am I? She wants to spend it with me!!!! No friends...just me. 16 is pretty special. Maybe not like turning 20 or even 25, but 16 is pretty big. So, I will take her to a nice dinner and then we will finish our date (b/c it is important to date her) by laughing at Radio Music Theater.

16 years...a teenager. A whole life in front of her. This is the beginning of the rest of her life. I am truly blessed to be a part of it, be an influence, and be influenced at the same time. What a responsibility. What a dream. What a magical time. These are the things people wish for and I get to live it. 

16 years. I love you, Christa. 16 years of a wonderful marriage. Thank you for saying yes to this crazy and insane idea of being with me for the rest of your life. Unfortunately, the ride doesn't stop here, it just keeps on going like the Energizer Bunny. Happy Anniversary.

What? You thought I was talking about something else?!

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?

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

This weekend...

Christa finally got away with her bud, Nina for a girls weekend out. I hung out the boys all weekend. So, no cycling, but that was alright. Friday night, we went to black light mini golf as I stated before. 

On Saturday, my Grandpa and Grandma Jan came over with Pappa's BBQ for lunch. We all hung out. Chandler and Jan looked at cars in some mags and pics online. They discussed how fast cars go and of course their dream cars. It was great to listen to. We all laughed at Spencer of course doing his...well...Spencer things. 

That night, it was off to church to meet the new possible youth pastor at our church. Seems like a good guy. Played some dodge ball, etc. 

We went to church yesterday and Chandler had a friend come over for the day and spend the night last night. Christa got home around 5...just in time for Spencer to be excited and then throw a 2 year old fit b/c he wanted to play with the hot wheels track the boys weren't finished building yet! Welcome home, honey!!

We are staying in Kingwood for the 4th for the first time since I can remember. It will be a busy week at work though. Shooting a video...more software training, shooting a video for the website and attempting to get in a lot of cold calls before the holiday hits. 

Chandler doing his thang!

Back in February, Chandler tested for his 2nd Degree Black Belt in the AMAI (American Martial Arts Institute). He performed his 2nd degree form, broke two boards (one with a hand movement and one with a foot movement), sparred, and last but not least performed his 2nd degree double chuck weapon form. He only had a couple of months to learn and execute this baby, so I think he did rather awesome. After the testing, I shot this video a few days later after class one night for his Aunt Vickie. I promised her that I would post it eventually for her...so here it is!! 

Daddy duty weekend has officially kicked off. Christa headed out with Nina for a weekend of girly girl stuff, so Chandler, Spencer and I went to the local Black Light Mini-Golf and had a ball. Spencer was a little tentative at first, but he eventually found that it was pretty cool that his socks were now a bright purplish color under all of the blacklights...woobie glowed as well being that he is a dalmation (that is his blanky).

On the border was next...I cheated and ate some fish tacos (they were fried - yep...I will have to pedal that off later this weekend somehow!). Chandler had the beef quesadillas and Spencer had some grilled chicken (he ate the healthiest of all three of us!).

Off to Family Christian Bookstore after that in order to get the new Kutlass CD for Chandler and a devotional for him as well. Spencer brought home Dave and the Giant Pickle on DVD.

Off to bed when we hit the door was the two year old after two or three readings of a few board books.

The only bummer to the day is my tailor! Yep...I bought a nice new suit for a video that I am shooting for my company website and my tailor has lost the pants!!! I know these things happend and she is a wonderful lady, but the timing couldn't be worse. She said that she would pay for another pair, but I don't think Joseph A. Banc sells them individually, so this could get really interesting before it is all over.

Time to go hang with the older sibling for a while and then off to the workout room for some saddle time!

The pic is of Chandler dreaming by 'Bumble Bee'...the new Camaro from the Transformers movie at the Houston Auto Show back in February.

These Are The Days of Love - Justin Cofield Band

I had a little fun with our mac mini today...

The song is from the Justin Cofield Band. You need to check them out...they are quite awesome!

http://www.justincofield.com/

Today will be major catch up day as yesterday's 2 hour training turned into more like 3 1/2 hours after having an email snafu. Now that the email situation is under control, it is back to the phones.

Last night was a flashback moment for me as Chandler had a friend spend the night and they built a massive hot wheels track all night long. I went to bed around 1 a.m. and they were still actively engineering that puppy. I woke up this morning and it entails two rooms of track, 6 chairs, three colors of track and three hot wheels boosters. This is quite the work of art. 

I am way behind on my workouts this week on the bike. With the new software at the office, I have been transferring resumes into the system during all of my downtime...which of course when I would normally be training on the bike in the workout room. 

On a different note, for July 4th, we will be home for the first time since I can remember instead of going to Covington. Looooong story, but with Spencer going through his terrible 2's, the last thing Mimi and Papa need right now at the B&B is a screaming two year old when he doesn't get his way or just can't figure out how to communicate what he wants to.

The picture above is one of my favorites. We went to Disney World in 2005 when Christa was pregnant with Spencer. It is a classic of Chandler with his new 'buddy' Stitch. Geeeee...wonder where he gets it?!

Wow...

I am listening in on a large mass call for training for some new software for my company. It amazes how you can get 10 people on a call, but we get nowhere. Listening such an acquired skill!

Father/Son Retreat at Frontier Camp Feb 2008

Slideshow Below...

The slideshow below is from our Cruise last year. We celebrated our 15th Anniversary and went on Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas. Our friends, Rick and Nina, went with us and we had a blast!

Havin' fun at Mimi and Papa's

15th Anniversary Cruise on RC Mariner of the Seas. Here we are in St. Thomas on a little Sunset Cruise. This was September of '07

The video below was from last summer. Chandler and I went to Six Flags up in Arlington. I brought the camcorder and taped our roller coaster rides! This was one of them in the front car. Quite cool...I sound like a dork, but hey...all in good fun.

Good start to the day today...

I started my day today with a friend of mine. We left the humble abode at 5:30 for Katy and rode in the Pedaling the Prarie 2008 ride that benefited a Christian school out near the Katy area. We did 35 miles. It was much more tame than the 55 that I did last week with my Paisano crew where we averaged almost 22 mph.

Following the ride and drop off at home, I went up to the gas station to fill up the ol' Pacifica and gas cans for the lawn mower and weed eater...$76 later I am headed back home! These gas prices are just stupid.

Tomorrow we head out to my dad's house to hang out with everyone before my sis and fam move up to Keller. We will definitely miss them down here, but it will be pretty cool to go see them, ride the horse, jet ski and whatever other toys they end up coming up with.

I get to clean out the big tank later on today and will start getting the tanks ready to receive fish in the workout/fish room. The bike needs cleaning as well and then at some point, the lawn will need to get chopped as well.