Ok... Ok... Here it is.... My New Hobby

TONS of you have emailed me to ask about my new hobby.... and I must admit I have been VERY VERY reluctant to share it.... I am a very secure man and I am not ashamed to say that I wax my eyebrows and I have had a pedicure.... I have even had my nose waxed (yes the inside, that's a whole other blog!!!!) but it has been hard for me to admit that I have become addicted to Scrapbooking... I know I know... its not a manly hobby... but when you work with a bunch of crazy women all day ( yes you A.R!!!) sometimes their quirks, habits, hangups and hobbies rub off on you... I even went to this website called scrapbook.com and got a free account so I could see what other people's pages look like.. I have even seen a few other guys on the site who got started by helping their wives scrapbook!!!!

As of today though... I am ashamed no more... I am proud of my pages and the memories they will provide me and and my family... The first book that I have worked on was of my first year teaching 5 years ago.... Let me know what you think!!!!

Upward Soccer

I don't think I have told you about me and Matt coaching Upward soccer but we are... and I love it!!! I NEVER in a million years thought I would like it... Anyone who knows me knows I am not athletic nor do I desire to be... I pretty much hate to play any sport... But man I love to cheer them on and encourage them... It is sooo much fun...

With Upward there is a whole other side than just the game... You also get to coach the students in life... Each practice and game we have a devotion.... The 3rd through 5th grade girls on our team seem to be really eager to hear the devos. and have lots of questions... There is one little girl who is so close to accepting Christ... Her name is "K".... Pray for her!!!!

It's so neat to me how the Lord can use just ANYTHING He wants to share His love with His children... Please pray for Matt and I as we lead the team in both the games and their spiritual walks... We have 3 weeks left to share!

If you would like to come see our girls play, email me and I will be happy to tell you when and where to be!!!

Just Another Mantic Monday!!!!

It just hit me today that I haven't blogged since Wednesday... I can't believe how slack I've been lately... I used to be so good... Please forgive me!!!

Anyway... Today was one of those days where the humidity seem to stick to me all day... I was uncomfortable in the school all day because i just couldn't get cooled off... I even went into the freezer in the cafeteria to cool off and it was only a temporary fix. Finally after all the rain was over and the wind started blowing I felt a bit better.

As soon as school was over and I headed home to change into my "flops" and that alone cooled me off...Many of you know this, but I LOVE FLIP FLOPS!!!! I actually just don't really like socks, thus my love of flops.... I asked my mom and Matt and whoever may be around when I go to Heaven to make sure to bury in a pair... NO SUIT either!!!

This evening I attended the regional volunteers meeting for Operation Christmas Child... I am a Church Relations Volunteer for OCC. That means I will contact all participating churches in our area and let them know the details about this year, as well as go speak to their missions groups and get them excited about participating this year!!!!

It is hard to believe the time is quickly approaching to get things rolling with that.... I love OCC... If you don't what it is, email me and I will be happy to tell you!!! Go get a box and start filling it today!!!

O well.... I have successfully rambled on about my day... Hope you had a great Monday!!!!!

Sweet or Sour?

Today I had an interesting thing happened... someone got really upset with me over something really silly (no it wasn't Matt, and none of you who read this would even know who it was.. it is NOT important to the story...but I digress).... Anyway... the madness came from that person out of no where and I could have really let it bother me.... Instead... I was just sweet as pie... I just let the sweetness ooze out of me like jelly coming out of a biscuit....seriously that's what someone said about the situation.... and literally SMOTHERED that person with kindness... MAN DID IT WORK.... I didn't get my blood pressure up..I didn't ruin my day... and it seemingly made a bad situation better... I think I might be growing up!!! I was sweet instead of the sour that I wanted to be. Have you ever been sweet and it fixed the sour???? Have you ever been sour when you should have been sweet??? Share if you want!! Have a good Thursday!!!

Black Mulch

Today as soon as school was out I headed over to my Grandma's to pick up my dad and get a load of mulch for her... We sped over and got her load then I decided to use some of my birthday cash to get a scoop for me. I decided to go with black this year because both neighbors to the left and right and the ones across the street had black...thus... I had to have black...

If you remember a few posts back I cleaned the flower bed out and it has been in need of mulch ever since... We quickly unloaded the mulch and my dad and Matt started shoveling it in the beds... I was surprised because I really thought we would just unload it and finish later.. wrong... we knocked it out in about 50 minutes... Then, like any hard working men, we headed to the Beacon for dinner... CALLLLLL IT!!!!

Below are some pics... let me know what you think!!!! I really like how green everything looks against the black...now if those daylillies will just start to bloom.

The bottom pic is of the dogwood my Granny Wartha got me 3 years ago.. I have blogged about it before... It normally just looks pitiful, but this year it has more leaves than ever... It might just make it after all!!! Now, if I can just get grass to grow I'll be set!

Thursday Thoughts

1. Why is it people want things and then when they get them they complain about it???

2. Do you watch survivor??? Ozzy got it tonight... YIKES... Ceriec is a she devil huh??

3. My throat is still soar and the coughing is making it worse...any home remedies to share??

4. I have about 14 things to do Saturday and all of them at the same time... How do I choose??

5. Why is it when I am really tired, I cannot go to sleep??? Like now for instance!!!!

6. IEP Meetings=SATAN.... you teachers know what I'm talking about!!!

7. Did anyone get mail from me today... If so, did you like it???

8. I have a new hobby.... I am still debating about sharing on here... I will share if enough people ask about it....

9. Are you supposed to be working when you read my blog or do you read it at home??? Just curious, I am not sending a report to your boss!!! :0)

10. Do you have any thoughts to share?

Special Olympics

Today I had the privilege of traveling with our Special Ed. Classes to the annual Special Olympics held at the South Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind... and let me just say I HAD A BLAST!!!!!!!! Those kids are SOOOOO much fun and just great to be around. There are so encouraging and just love one another in ways that we as grown ups cannot even fathom... If you ever have the chance to go to one of these events, GO!!! You will be blessed!!!

Be sure to ask John Anthony, a friend of mine from church, about the mistake one of his friends made while we were there.... I went running up to him to say hello as he was there with the class that he is an assistant in...... I was wearing this crazy looking hat because we were trying to win the spirit award (which we did get 2nd place) and I ran and put my arm around him, and his friend says.... "and Who are you sweetie?" Yep... you guessed it.... she thought I was a student!!!!!! Needless to say that provided John, and all of my co-workers with LOTS of entertainment for the rest of the day.... I am sure you will be entertained as well!!!!

Amazed!!

I have never felt more loved than I did last night... About 80 of my closest friends got together to celebrate my birthday.... Matt, Mama, Johnnie-Lynn, and Pam Ray organized and planned the whole thing, and it truly was a night I will NEVER forget.... I will remember everything from the great food guests to Geri's "fatboy" song.... (You just had to be there!!!!)

The most ironic part of the night was that I completely lost my voice the moment I walked in the door...... I was talking with my brother-in-law Lawrence on the way there... I could feel my voice getting weaker during the day.... When I walked in the door, I went to speak to mama and my voice just left.... as the night went on I was only able to talk in a faint whisper.... I can talk a bit today, but my voice still sounds very strained..

Despite my lack of a voice, it was really the most awesome night... I absolutely LOVED everyone who was there and the special memory they helped make. I have pics of it all and I will post them as soon as I can get them downloaded from my friend's camera.

To all of you who came... You overwhelmed me with your cards, gifts, and "presence" I love you all... Thanks to all of those who roasted me too.. That made the night even better.... If only I could have talked back to you :0)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its been a great day so far.... Ill tell you more about it later!!!!!!!!!!!!

Birthday Eve

Okay... it's my birthday eve.... will tomorrow be different??... not really... the little 2 will change to 3 and the 9 to a 0...but all in all, I'll still be me...I'm still gonna be goofy and silly... I am still gonna speak my mind (I'm getting better at knowing when to speak it though :0) I will still wear my fun "young boy" flip flops and clothes..until my feet get too hairy. I LOVE FLIP FLOPS!!!

I am excited about being 30. Its something fresh... something new....

I was reading a friend of mine's blog today and he had this quote on there... I think it is a perfect quote for everyday.... especially the day before a new decade of life....

The future cannot be predicted because it is waiting to be created.”

Wish me luck as I create a new decade!!!!!

Crazy Night!!!

This has been the craziest night that only happens on a Dearybury of a Day.... Let me start with a pic....

A picture is worth a thousand words.... this explains my evening of chaos... Johnnie-Lynn, Lawrence and the girls, and mama came over for dinner... We were hoping to have a great night of family and fun... Well the craziness began when one of my chairs came crashing to the floor with Johnnie-Lynn and Taylor sitting in it... No, she is not that heavy...the chairs are all very loose and she twisted in it and like a slow-motion clip from a movie she and Taylor went crashing to the floor... I almost wet myself.... Johnnie-Lynn was scared I was gonna be mad, but it was clearly an accident... Little did we know then that this was just the beginning of all the fun to come!!!!

The chaos continued just moments later when Sophie spilled her whole drink on my video rocker chair. It is blue velvety fabric and it was soaked...not to mention her... So we took the chair outside and washed it down... hopefully it will be dry by next week... We loaded up the washer with her clothes so they would stain...

Just about 30 minutes after that we were thinking the calm was about to settle in... I was putting some hot water in a pit to make some tea... I turned from the sink around to the stove and Sophie was in my way... In a quick second to avoid her and spilling the hot water on her, I turned to fast...lost my balance and spilled the whole pot of water in the floor... We all died laughing and continued doing what we had done all night...cleaning up our messes.

The fun continued as we sat down for dinner.... Taylor and Sophie were sitting at the bar...when were heard the ice hit the floor.... Yep you guessed it, Taylor knocked her drink off.... While we were cleaning that up, Sophie in her sweet voice said "uh-oh" yep you guessed again...she had turned hers over...

At this point, I am beyond getting even remotely upset, but if I were a smoker I would have smoked a carton!!!!!!!!!! After all day at school then all this...it was crazy.... Taylor was soaked in her clothes, so she got a BB shirt to wear and off her clothes went to the wash...

Things settled for a short while... And then the bottom fell out one more time... I was in the living room with Johnnie-Lynn and Lawrence was trying to Sophie to sleep... All of a sudden Taylor comes running in there saying , "mommy mommy..Daddy needs you fast!!!" When she got to my room there it was ..... Sophie had thrown up all over Lawrence, my bed, my floor... It was everywhere... Lawrence was wearing my clothes because he came here straight from work and wanted comfy clothes.... The clothes were COVERED with the cutest hot pink baby vomit I have ever seen.... So for the third time tonight I am sitting here on my sheetless (they are in the washer too) bed listening to the water fill up the washer...

As I said in the beginning... we were hoping for a night of family and fun.... we got it alright... we laughed so much, and some how ( I say it is by the grace of God) I kept calm through it all. Thank goodness the dinner turned out great and the Alumni Casserole was GREAT!!!!!!!!!!

1978

You may have not even noticed.... You may have seen it and wondered, "What the heck is that?"... You may have seen and figured it right out, (if you did you are smart!!)

What am I talking about???? I am talking about the count down to the right of this post... The one that says days til a new decade.... Well.... it sure is getting close... My birthday and the big 3-0. I can't believe it's here... it seemed to come so fast. None the less it is on the way this week.... Thursday, the 10th.

I know many of you are saying... "Awwww 30 is still a baby..." It may be to you if you are like 50 or 60, but to me 30 is the "oldest" I have ever been... I always thought I would feel different by this age...more "grown up".... more "refined".... more "wise".... more "adult-like." I heard an elderly man at church say this last week and it has been ringing in my head this week....

He said... "Everyone keeps asking me how does it feel to be 80 and I keep telling them I don't know because I have never been 80 before and I don't know what I am supposed to feel like."

That's me in a nut shell... 30 is coming... but I really don't know how to feel... I am happy and thankful...ready for a new decade in life, but wondering when am I gonna feel "grown up?"

Just for fun, I found some things on the Internet that are also turning 30 this year.

• Cabbage Patch Kids (believe it or not I had one... a boy named Eric... He's still around.)
  

• Liposuction

• Hungry Hungry Hippos (this was my favorite childhood game)
  

• Wet Wipes

• Reese’s Pieces

• Simon (this is the round game with red, yellow, blue, and green buttons that you press.)
  

• Toys R Us

• Artificial Heart

Laugh Your Tail Off!!!

Just for a good laugh on the last day of my spring break I thought I would bring back this video from a past blog...email...whatever... I am sure most of you have seen this...even if you have... watch it again and have a laughing fit on me!! Happy Friday!

New York Was PHENOMENAL!!!!

Day One: We arrived early Monday morning after riding all through the night Sunday night... When we got there the first place we were going was the Madame Toussard's Wax Museum.... It just happened to be next door to the hotel where our great friend Julie and her family were staying, so she ran down to snap of a photo with us in the Big Apple... It was so cool to see someone we knew!!!

Madame Toussard's Wax Museum... A very cool place with lots of cool people!!

Mrs. Garrett with Steven Spielberg

Me trying to play Dizzy's horn!

After the Museum we went on a tour of the city... We went to Lincoln Center and then on the Museum of Natural History... We didn't get to take the whole tour but we were able to sneak a peek inside...

Central Park

Me posing with Horton Hears a Who in the gigantic Toy's R Us. We also rode the gigantic ferris wheel that is in the story... See the video below for Matt's commentary on the ride!

Matt and I at Rockefeller Center!

After walking around during some free time, our group walked into the Trump Tower... We were all talking about how cool it would be to see the "Donald" him self when all of a sudden....

I said... there he is.... We were about 20 feet from him coming down the escalator as he was walking out of a cafe with his daughter Ivanka... I yelled out "Hey, Mr. Trump." He turned around a waved to us and then stood for a few moments so we could photo him. It was VERY intimidating to see him in person... especially since I am a HUGE Apprentice fan... This pic was taken without any zoom... After we got off the elevator we had to right past where he was to go out... VERY VERY COOL!!!! (NO THIS WAS NOT TAKEN AT THE WAX MUSEUM!!!!!)

For dinner we went on a dinner cruise on the Hudson River... It was nice, but the camera didn't take very good pics in the dark... It was a great way to see a different view of the city.

DAY 2: On Tuesday as we started out I thought it was gonna be a miserable day... We went to see the Statue of Liberty and Ground Zero. It started off rainy and I was not in the picture taking mood.... At Ground Zero we could not see much because it was all fenced in. I had been there before and this time it was just as eerie for me as the last time... It is just so hard to fathom what happened there.... We spent the day in and about the city... It was great fun to be there... We had dinner in Little Italy at a restaurant called Puglia's... They have an Italian man there providing dinner music.... You can see from the video that it was "quite fun"... I I LAUGHED MY HEAD OFF!!!!!

Tuesday Night we went to see "Wicked" the Broadway Musical. It portrays the true story of how the witches of Oz came to be.... The show was absolutely AMAZING!!!!!!!!! There are no words to describe it... GO TO NY AND SEE IT!!!!!

Day 3: Was the COLDEST DAY while we were there... Below is my weather forecaster live from Time Square.



Group Pic in Time Square... Dennis was missing in action.. He was the leader of our trip with the Chorus so he was not always available for our pics.

Matt and I at the top of The Empire State Building.

Me...laying on some Southern Charm to the receptionist at the Empire State Building... This was one of many sites shown in my all time favorite movie: ELF.

Me, enjoying my first real cup of Starbuck's Coffee: A White Chocolate Mocha. It was soooo good!!! I'm HOOKED!!!

Seinfield's Restaurant.

We saw "The Little Mermaid" in the afternoon... It was good, but it was no where near the show as "Wicked." Below is a group shot in the theater.

For our dinner we went to this restaurant called "Mars 2112." We kept wanting to call it
Mars 221 in honor of the "Chesnee Highway... You may be saying..."Where is the restaurant?" Well... it is below ground... The theme of the place is that you are actually on Mars... There are martians walking around and everything... Very neat place... The bottom pic is the view of the dining area when you are going in.