Happy Independence Day! (Click For Fireworks)

On July 4, 1776, we claimed our independence from Britain and Democracy was born. Every day thousands leave their homeland to come to the "land of the free and the home of the brave" so they can begin their American Dream.
Are we losing our American way of life?
"Citizenship requires passing a test on American history in English. If that's true, then we do not have to create ballots in any language except English." Newt Gingrich

FYI - I Still Like My Piece of Crap Phone...

Movie Review

Mary and I saw Evan Almighty last week and we thought it was pretty good. If the theme of the movie had been as good as the animal training and special affects, it could have been a great movie. There's something about Morgan Freeman's role as God that grabs me. At one point, he laughs when Evan mentions "his own" plans. I think God has probably thought "my plans" were pretty humorous too. The movie is a bit cheesy at times but I thought it was a good family-friendly movie that at times had me asking "how did they do that?" It's worth a trip to the theatre.

Judges Are Everywhere!

Imagine....a panel of judges at your place of employment or at your home.
"That proposal was pathetic!No one would buy that. I must say, I have seen better landings than that. The takeoff was good but the landing was pitchy. I thought she could have handled that customer complaint much better. Are you kidding me? You call that good writing? I know 2-year olds who can write better than that. That has to me the worst job mowing a lawn I have ever seen. The roast beef....tough as shoe leather. Dawg....it just didn't work for me."
I guess we all have judges around us. It's probably a good thing we're not as brutally honest as some of the TV judges, especially the British ones. It seems a bit ironic that TV has so many judges in a society where we always hear "who are you to judge?"

An Expensive Hobby

You Have To Appreciate His Sense of Humor

I still like and respect this President.

Justin's Back From The Desert! Welcome Back!

The 816th EAS has flown about 370,000 passengers, 370 million pounds of cargo on about 80,000 pallets in about 20,000 hours of flying - all of this in direct support of the Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors and Marines on the ground in Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom. For every airlift sortie of the more than 13,000 flown over the past year, there were less convoys out in harm's way as a result.
"We're in the business of flying air convoys," said Colonel Eberhart, a Baldwin City, Kan., native deployed here from Charleston AFB, S.C. "What we do not only gets people and cargo to the right place at the right time, but it also reduces the amount of convoys and the threat for our ground forces in Iraq and Afghanistan - saving the lives of the people on the road."

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO ME - THE LUCKIEST DAD IN THE WORLD

BEST KIDS IN THE WORLD

A Dream Comes True...

Click on any picture and try one for yourself.

Our Anniversary on TV...I have the best wife.

Justin With His Crew....

At Sunrise, Waiting For The Crew Bus After A Loooong Mission (He's On The Far Left With The Headphones - Probably Listening To The Robert Randolph Band)

Classic

To Borrow a Baseball Term....She's Safe!

Makes me laugh every time! Reminds me of a golfer who has spent thousands of dollars on golfing equipment and attire and then hits a 3 foot shot off the tee that bounces off a golf cart.

Just Give Me The Coffee!

I go in to McDonalds to get an Egg McMuffin and medium coffee. Should be simple enough but, not so simple."Good Morning." "Good Morning" I said. "I'll have an Egg McMuffin and medium size coffee." "How would you like that coffee?" She caught me off guard. I wasn't expecting that question. "How would I like it?" "Yes, how would you like it;" seeming a bit perturbed with me for repeating her question. But I was stalling....not sure of how to answer. "Medium, I would like a medium." Slight smile. "No, how would you like it." "Hot....I would like it hot please." Slightly wider grin comes across her face. "No, do you want cream or anything?" "I can get it myself" I replied. "No....we get it for you" she said with body language that said; I can't believe we're doing it like this. More people are getting in line now. "Hmm...I guess I'll take one packet of sweetener and 1 packet of cream."
"What kind of sweetener?" Now I'm becoming perturbed. "The blue one is fine" I said quickly." Whew! That was a totally unecessary exchange. Just give me the coffee. Some things just shouldn't be complicated.

True Meaning of Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day!

"They came of age during the Great Depression and Second World War and went on to build modern America - men and women whose everyday lives of duty, honor; achievement, and courage gave us the world we have today." from Tom Brokaw's "The Greatest Generation."
And they were - the greatest generation. They understood sacrifice and service.
And ya know what? I think this generation of young men & women understand it too; better than my generation
GET THE FLAG OUT and remember those who made it possible and thank those who are making it possible today. Then fire up the grill and cook a burger or dog or what the heck, why not a steak! I still use KY made KINGSFORD CHARCOAL . No gas for me - grills that is.
Thanks for your service to our country Justin! We love you! WEATHER IN QATAR Also - we received an email from Justin letting us know that he is on the mission outlined in THIS REPORT FROM FOX NEWS Our prayers are with you.

And...check out this MEMORIAL DAY POSTING from my brother Rick

Elvis Spotting....at the DMV

That's right. Elvis man, at the Fayette County Department of Motor Vehicles. He looks great. The picture is a bit fuzzy because I took it with my cell phone through some glass. He seemed a bit honored that I wanted to take his picure. I got my new license plate and driver license with minimal hassle. It's official now....we're both Kentuckians again, thanks to Mary who pulled the necessary paper work and of course Elvis for processing everything so professionally. He offered me a nanner and peanut butter sandwich but I already had lunch. Elvis lives on baby - at the DMV!

NEED A LAUGH?

VA Tech

I walked on campus today and took a couple of photos with my cellphone. The building with the green barrier fence around it is Norris Hall, the building where all but 2 people were killed. The other photo is of students and staff cleaning up all the flowers, etc from the make-shift memorial that thousands of people contributed to. It was sad to see them putting all the dead flowers into trash bags. No one spoke as they cleaned up. It seemed odd. In a way, we expect the mourning to go on forever. But, life goes on. Those who lost loved ones will never get over it, but I hope they will learn to deal with it. Blacksburg and VA Tech has experienced something I hope no community has to experience again.

Zebras in VA?

Took this picture today when I was calling on an account - VA Safari Park. The GM let me drive through at no charge.

Justin in the Middle East

Justin "de-stressing" with an X-Box Air Guitar after flying a night time mission.

Life Goes On...

Blacksburg, VA is a great town! I have spent the better part of 3 weeks in Blacksburg, and have seen a town determined to move forward. I have never met nicer people anywhere. They are especially grateful that the press has finally packed up and is beginning to leave them alone. Graduation is this weekend and there is some excitement in the air but I'm sure it will be full of mixed emotions. It's towns like this that makes America great!

Unbelievable Car Crash - At The Entrance To Our Subdivision

From the dirt tracks in the first photo....over an 8ft brick wall....over the backyard and pool of a family that happens to have 5 kids.....wipes out a gazebo, tree house and a small playground.....and into a drainage area....flies a 20 year old male who they estimated was doing well over 100mph. He's at UK hospital in very serious condition and thank God the family was not home at the time. I came home from work this evening and the entrance was blocked off and 3 news trucks were covering the story. We watched the coverage on the LOCAL NEWS . He flew over 150 ft - 8 ft in the air! Mary and I saw the accident scene and still can't believe it. Please keep him in your prayers. If he makes it...it's a miracle. (Click on pictures for a closer look)
CORRECTION - WE FOUND OUT AN ELDERLY MAN WAS DRIVING AND HE HAD A STROKE WHILE DRIVING. HE SURVIVED.

VT...Why? How?

Obviously, none of us will have all the answers. I believe part of what we are witnessing is a total desensitizing to human life. My new job takes me to Blacksburg and VA Tech this Sunday, off and on, for the next 3 weeks. My prayers are with the students, faculty & staff and the families of the victims.

IT'S BASEBALL SEASON!

ONLY IN KY...

R.U.I.?
COLUMBIA, Ky. --
A horse was euthanized and its rider charged with being drunk on horseback after a Kentucky state trooper struck the horse in a collision late Friday night, state police said.

Tax Freedom Day 2007

Where does YOUR STATE rank?

"Imus Isn't the Real Bad Guy" Interesting Take

I think THIS GUY makes some interesting points.

Fun Job?

I have been seeing signs for Pet Butler around town. There "has" to be a better way than this to make a living. The guy in the picture can't be that happy. Their WEBSITE proudly claims "35 million piles cleaned."
I bet the conversation with the boss goes something like this. "How many piles of poop did you scoop last week?" "I only scooped 47 piles last week." "Look buster - you're going to have to cut the crap and get to work if you're going to stay around here."

UK Athletic Dept Employment Ad: FILLED

Wanted: Basketball coach. Must be single with no kids. Totally devoted to UK Basketball with an unhealthy passion for the sport. Must be able to text message with the fastest thumbs in America. Must be willing to work 20 hours per day. Must be willing to spend every single waking moment of every day thinking about basketball either recruiting or coaching or making a relationship that will be beneficial to the program. Must have a southern accent. Must be humble. Must believe that this is the best position in college basketball. Must not be fearful of high expectations.
"Please Welcome Your New UK Basketball Coach, Billy Clyde Gillispie!"
“I’m so excited about being here,” Gillispie said. “I can’t wait until 7 months and 3 days when we play our first basketball game.”
He got choked up as he said, “It’s been a long road for me in terms of coaching. You just dream of having an opportunity …”
"I love spending every single waking moment of every day thinking about it (basketball) either recruiting or coaching or making a relationship that will be beneficial to the program."
"I love expectations." "You want to be at a place that expects to win every game."
"As great as the fans have been, I'm calling to call on them to take it up a notch," he said. "Let's make it impossible for anyone to come in here. We want them to leave by halftime. That's what we're going to try to make them do."
"When you have 24,000 fans, I hope all of them are coaches. I hope every one of them has the unbelievable passion like I do and that they're screaming their lungs out," Gillispie said. "I don't see 24,000 fans every single game as being tough. I see the opponent that has to play in front of that as having a tough assignment. I see it as an unbelievable positive."
UK Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart says "He's got the fastest thumbs in America." (He sends 8000 text messages a month)
7 months and 2 days - I can't wait! Great hire Mitch!!

We're In! Box World No More!

BEFORE













AFTER










No doubt....moving is a pain in the butt, and the back, and the knees, and the hips, and the arms, etc. Mary was the point person in the previous moves due to my work situations but I was able to be totally involved with this one. I now see everything she has had to do before. I'll say it again, she's a trooper! As moves go however, this one has gone pretty darn smoothly. It's great to be home! Oh yeah, mover Dale was ubelievable. He had his very overweight, smoking wife and his daughter helping him move us in. There were moments when they were lifting heavy furniture that Mary & I just couldn't bear to watch. But, he "got er done!"

Moving Update

Tues
9:30am - truck arrives on time.
9:35am - Mary leaves for work - her last day at a job she really liked.
9:48am - main guy - Dale the driver - a totally toothless skinny, nice white guy around 50 - obviously experienced -makes a decision - we need more help.
10:00am - the picking up of furniture begins by Will - a 20ish black guy with gold teeth - very nice and polite. Wearing a black skull cap too.
10:15am - Harrison arrives - another 20ish black guy but without gold teeth. He is the comedian - he and Will "run together" after work but I don't think it's jogging. He has a black skull cap too. He and Will look like rappers. It's nice to see people laughing when they work.
10:20am - the move is well under way - I place my lawn chair at the corner of the garage facing the street so I can have a good view of all the work being done and steal some wireless internet from a neighbor.
12:00pm - break for lunch - David the sales guy who under-bid all other moving companies shows up to to view first hand with Dale how he under-bidded. He says he didn't, Dale says he did, my money's on Dale. They bet a steak dinner on it.
2:30pm - Mary returns from her job a bit emotional and rightly so - she was leaving a good job with a great boss who prayed with her before she left. And the last of the cleaning begins.
3:40pm - the truck is jam packed full - my money is definately on Dale. It was so full they couldn't fit a big yucca tree on that we had bribed to get on earlier in the day. As the last dolly is stuffed in, shattering glass follows. We think it's lamp / table we had in the great room. Dale assures us he'll fix it. Nice guy.
3:44pm - the truck pulls away.
4:00pm - we have about 7 neighbors on the front lawn/ porch as we say good bye. We had some great neighbors. We give our cheirshed yucca tree to Christy & Chip - a young couple from Indiana waiting for their second child to arrive.
6:30pm - we pull the jam packed Jeep into the garage - it has all the plants in it - except the yucaa tree. We pull away in the jam packed Camry.
6:45pm - We arrive at Justin's - say hello to Landon and leave for dinner at the Noisy Oyster. Man - it was delicious - especially after a hard days work.
9:00pm - we watch American Idol (Sanjaya must go!) and we play with Allie the Cat - she is warming up a bit to Justin's place.
10:00pm - off to Sleepy Town.
12:37am - I get up to sleep on the couch downstairs - the double bed just isn't cutting it.
6:15am - I am up doing this stupid post - drinking Landon's coffee and watching a recording of the Air Force NIT game. Mary is still getting a very well deserved good night's sleep. What a trooper!
Closing on the Summerville house is today at 4:00pm. Early tomorrow - on the road to KY to close on the Lexington house at 9am on Friday. Meeting Dale the mover at 10am. I love it when a plan comes together.

A Sad Moment in Moving...

I must admit....

I realized while watching the news this mornining among stories of local murders, Japanese eathquakes, tornados, the war in Iraq, political battles and more, that all I seemed to care about was.....KY's next basketball coach. I was on the message boards this morning at 6am seeing if there had been any developments over night. Pitiful. This story is consuming my attention. You have to have grown up in KY to understand. I hope it's settled soon so I can get my perspective back. Oh yeah....this is moving week for us. That's a picture of our porch furniture in the living room. Man...my world is just upside down; but it's all good. We will get settled into our new KY home this weekend, a new coach will be named soon and all will be right with the world again.
Prayers are appreciated as the move takes place this week and if you think God will listen, you can pray KY gets their man.
(That's Dr Nancy on TV telling me that allergies are a major problem in the Spring. duh...Thanks Doc.)

"Tubby had one of the best jobs in college basketball and drove it right up to the side of the cliff." NEXT?

Tubby - The Chief Golden Gopher

INTERESTING ARTICLE
Rick Barnes, Texas
54 votes (2%)
John Calipari, Memphis
315 votes (9%)
Tom Crean, Marquette
76 votes (2%)
Billy Donovan, Florida
1176 votes (35%)
Travis Ford, Massachusetts
356 votes (11%)
Billy Gillispie, Texas A&M
159 votes (5%)
Tom Izzo, Michigan State
134 votes (4%)
Bruce Pearl, Tennessee
126 votes (4%)
Rick Pitino, Louisville
710 votes (21%)
Other
265 votes (8%)

Hey! Something Fun To Do With Your Friends! Talk About Rush!

DISCLAIMER: (Not sure why but you always need a disclaimer if you listen to Rush) DISCLAIMER: (Please read at car dealership speed) "I like to hear both sides of a debate. Unfortunately, Rush is about the only place you can hear a conservative point of view that is delivered in an articulate way." (End of disclaimer)
With the "threat of global warming" the threat of "losing the war" the threat of an "evil Attorney General", the threat of "greedy evil oil companies", the threat of "evil border patrol employees" the threat of "Bush causing anything bad that happens in the world" and on and on and on.....I ask you...can you at least tune him in for a while? If possible, forget his past drug problem and the demonization of his point of view and tune him in when you can. If you're a thinker....you need it for balance. Is he over the top at times? Yes...he understands how to hold an audience....something he gets paid for, but he also understands the issues and communicates most of them in a way that makes us think. Do I always agree? No - but at least he gives me a different perspective. If you "care about the issues" you owe it to yourself to seek out the information needed to make an intelligent decision. At least sound like you know what you're talking about and what you believe. Knee-jerk reactions just don't work when working through complicated issues. I'm really tired of the "quick news sound bites" designed to grap my attention. There are some important debates out there. Thanks Rush.

Reading...Why Don't I Do More? (Caution: Long Post)

I used to read books quite a bit and then....the internet came along.... along with blogging, political debate, religious points of view, sports updates, etc. and HD-TV with a wonderful picture and digital cable with 100 stations, and well.... It's just amazing to me how fast technology is moving. We truly live in a very interesting time in history. Justin just purchased an Apple TV (Oh yeah...I need to go pick it up because he's in special ops training in Oklahoma) That basically means he can download whatever he wants on I-Tunes and play it back on his large sceen, HD-TV. And it's wireless to boot. I'm tellin ya...this stuff wasn't around just a few short years ago and it just keeps comin. I'm not complaining, I'm just making excuses for not reading more. But when I do read, I usually find some gold. Check this out from Brian Tracy:
BRIAN (Smart, good-looking rich guy) - "There are four sources of expectations that have an impact on your life. The first is the expectations of your parents. We are all unconsciously programmed to try to live up to, or down to, the expectations that our parents expressed of us when we were growing up. The need for approval of our parents goes on even after our parents are no longer with us. If your parents expected you to do well, and confidently, positively encouraged you to do your best and be your best, this will have an enormous influence on the person you have become. If, as happens in many cases, your parents expressed negative expectations of you, or no expectations at all, you may stil be unconsciously saddled with the burden of trying not to disappoint your parents. In one study, 90 percent of prisoners interviewed by psychologists reported that they had been told over and over again by their parents when they were growing up that "Someday, you're going to end up in jail."
ME (A seeking, somewhat good-looking middle-class somewhat-redneck kinda guy) - Without going into more detail, the second source of expectations that affects your behavior is your boss and the third is is your spouse and children. Expectations.....I must admit.....can get me in trouble sometimes. They must be balanced and realistic. And, the only way to make them realistic is to have a biblical perspective. (Psalm 118:8) There...something I thought worth passing along. This age of rapid changing technology sure makes it challenging for an A.D.D. guy like me. How's that for an excuse? Now where did I put that book? Forget the book...I need to check my email....no wait....I recorded a show last night.....oops, I haven't checked my favorite blogs in a while.....

Thanks for the gift card but...

We were thankful for the gift card. (Isn't it cool how the gift cards keep up with how much you spend...even that blows us away) But if you really need a hot dessert in a cup, I think you can find just about the same stuff at locally owned coffee shops for less $. The product is just not that superior. Mary and I have tried to like Starbucks. The reason we tried to like it kinda bothers me though. Is it a need to fit in and be hip? We were there last night around 7pm (Did I mention we were using a gift card?) and there was a line 12 deep "waiting" to spend too much money on a mediocre product. Why? Another thing that kind of weirded me out was it seemed like most everyone looked and dressed alike and seemed to have the same puzzled look on their faces. Every time we have gone there, we drive away asking "Why did we just spend that much $ on a mediocre product?" We asked the same question last night and it was a gift card! I'm usually a little late to the "latest trend party" but I must admit, I think this is one party we're not going to anymore; unless we get a gift card. Oh yeah, they didn't even ask me my name to write on the cup. I couldn't wait to hear them yell "Homer! Homer! Cinnamon latte for Homer." A cup of coffee in a booth at Perkins Pancake House I think will work just fine not to mention that we can buy the Lumberjack breakfast for the same $ as 1 cup of mediocrity at Starbucks.

I'm Sorry But I'm Getting Really Tired Of This....

PLEASE FOLLOW THE LINK FOR THE OTHER SIDE
Everything he says is just gobbled up by the media as fact. It's nuts!

Memorable Vacation? Or Child Abuse?

When I was around 5-years old, I rode in the back (in the cubby hole area) of a VW like this, with no air-conditioning, in the summer, all the way from Charleston, WV to Bradenton, FL; a full 2-day drive. My brother & sister got to sit in the back seat. I wouldn't mind having a car like this one now.

Who Needs A National Basketball Championship When You Have Miss USA?

(I think I embedded the wrong video but the music rocks)

Cats Win Another One!

LEXINGTON, Ky. - No. 12 Kentucky's dynamic offense returned to life Saturday as the Wildcats jumped out to an early 6-1 advantage and held on for a 7-5 win against No. 9 Arkansas at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
(I am in denial about the basketball season)

Cats Beat Cats....thanks to Morris.

READ ABOUT IT

Are We Nerds?

We still love the show LOST Are we no longer hip? Are people still watching?

Failure Is Not Permanent

Good Stuff!



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Put a fork in Duke!!

The Devils suffer their first opening-round loss since '96, falling 79-77 to VCU AND I PICKED THEM TO LOSE! Sorry Christian Laettner - there will be no lucky shots this time.