Michelle

My 15 y/o year old daughter, Michelle, called Friday with some wonderful news. She received a letter from her Senator. The letter was to congratulate her on her FCAT (Florida Comprehensive Assesment Test) scores in math & english. The tests were taken the end of the school year. Michelle received a perfect score in both subjects. The letter praised her outstanding academics and work ethic.
Michelle was chosen (one of 20 in the state) to be a "schoolastic ambassador" to Australia for 2 1/2 weeks. The things she got to experience was incredible and an opportunity of a lifetime. Incredibly, while in Australia she ate crocodile and kangaroo...that's right, kangaroo. Believe it or not, Michelle said it tasted really good and went back for seconds and thirds. She got to hold & feed a koala, snorkel the Great Barrier Reef, and learned to surf.
She also received another letter shortly after returning from Australia asking her to go next summer to China for 3 weeks. Michelle had to raise $4,000 for her Australia trip and she will have to raise over $6,000 for her China trip.
I am a very proud of all my children and step-children and I am very fortunate when they do something out of the oridinary and makes me even more proud of them all.

Wordless Wednesday

Austin

My 13 y/o son, Austin is playing football once again thi year. I was a little worried at first because he had to move up to next age group because he is now 13, even though he roughly weighs 90 lbs "soaking wet". He is out weighed by an average of 35 lbs. That's quite a difference when you throw on the pads and start hitting. I still cringe at the thought of it.
Needless to say, I was quite ecstatic when Austin called me last Saturday when we were on our way to bowling. Austin told me he is the team's #1 receiver. I am a proud dad. I guess getting him that football for Christmas and him playing "sandlot" football with his friends all summer long really payed off for him. Austin does have great hands and eye coordination; he rarely misses a pass thrown his way.
Austin has his jamboree game this weekend and they play their first game the following Saturday. I hope things work out for Cindy & I to make the trip to Tampa to see his first game. I'm excited and I'm not even the one playing. Lol.

So close to a perfect game.

Saturday night was league bowling. Cindy, Robert (Cindy's dad), Lonnie (Cindy's future bro-n-law) and I are on a team together. The past 2 weeks we have taken 5 out of 7 points each night. Saturday night, we did the same and we are now in 9th place out of 18 teams. Woohooie!
I somehow injured my right shoulder Saturday before bowling and I wasn't sure how well I would do. Apparently I did better than I had ever dreamt. I start off with a strike, 2nd frame a strike, 3rd frame another strike. Half way through the game, I began to wonder, "Could I bowl a 300 game?"
The 7th frame...strike, 8th...strike. Now I began to get really nervous. My team purposely did not mention what was happening nor did I bring it up. I did not want to jinx myself. I was beginning to get extremely nervous. The 9th frame, another strike by dumb luck, the 10th pin fell at the last second. Whew!
By now the butterflies were beginning to set in. Slightly nervous I threw my first ball in the 10th frame...strike! I was so nervous, my legs were shaking ever so slightly. Trying to relax was not helping. I threw the 2nd ball of the 10th frame....4 pins were left standing. Damn! I was so close! I was happy for the feat I had just accomplished but also disappointed at the same time. I managed to pick up the remaining pins and end with a 286.
I'm sure it will be quite a while before I come that close again but I won't forget the excitement of the night. Our team took another 5 of 7 points and hopefully our good fortune will continue next weekend.

Keith

My son, Keith,( 17 y/0) had his 2nd surgery today. Several months back he was diagnosed with a family "curse", familial polyposis in his colon. For those who do not know, your colon is your large intestines.
Seven weeks ago, Keith had a colonectomy and had to have a colostomy. Today's surgery was to do the colostomy reversal, removal of it and hooking back up all the "plumbing" and live a normal life once again. I am happy to say that his surgery went perfectly. Like his first sugery, everything was mostly done laporoscopically, meaning no large incisions.
Familial Polyposis has plagued our family, on my mother's side for many years. I had the same surgeries 18 years ago, my mother had it, as well as my brother and countless cousins.
Keith's surgery lasted just a few hours with no complications. What a relief. I am so proud of him and how he handled the situation. Keith has aspirations to become a surgeon in the U.S. Navy. He has the intelligence, the determination and will-power to succeed at his career goal. If the the past 2 months is any indication of how well he will do, then he will become a great officer and surgeon in the U.S. Navy.
I am very proud of you Keith and love you very much.

The Mayonnaise Jar

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'Yes.'
The professor then produced two Beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed... 'Now,' said the professor as the laughter subsided, I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things -- your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions -- and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.
The sand is everything else -- the small stuff.
'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take time to get medical checkups. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first -- the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand. One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the Beer represented. The professor smiled and said, 'I'm glad you asked.' The Beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of Beers with a friend.

A few favorite wedding pics

Here are a few of my favorite pics from our wedding. We did quite a few fun poses for our photographer.

Enjoy!

Back like a bad rash

I have been a way from the "blog scene" for quite a while. A lot of things have happened over the past several months; all good, of course. Over the next several days I will elaborate.

A brief synopsis....

The biggest event in my life happened June 20th. I married the most incredible lady. I have previously written about her in several posts. Cindy made me the happiest and most fortunate man on earth. I married my soulmate. Not the lady that I could live with, but, in the fact, the one I couldn't live without. Everything I had ever prayed to find in a wife, I found in her. I am very blessed.

Secondly, I was lucky enough to find a better pest control company to work for here in Ocala. I started work just a few days after making my move in March. I have a great boss/owner. He gets out and works hard just like the rest of us and runs a route, etc. He's the type that wouldn't ask you to do anything that he wouldn't do. He's a very hard working, easy-going guy with a vast amount of knowledge. I respect him a lot.

My 17 y/o son, Keith, had major surgery 8 weeks ago. He was diagnosed with pre-cancerous polyps in his colon. He is recovering quite well.

My daughter, Michelle, went to Australia for 2 1/2 weeks. She was one of 20 kids chosen out of 500 to go as a "scholar ambassador" to other countries. She has already been asked to go next year to china. I'm a very proud daddy.

I will elaborate in future posts about all that I mentioned and much more.