2020 Goals – Others Before Me

I tend to be very self focused. I can also be a fairly selfish individual. Maybe not in all areas of my life, but when it comes to my dreams, my vision, my purpose – it becomes obvious that I want “my” needs met to make those things happen. 2020 is the Beginning of a New Way of Doing Things I have spent the last … Read more

How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?

You remember the scene… a few nuns are talking about the problems they are having with Maria. Maria was a free-spirited candidate who was living at the abbey under the supervision of the senior nuns, hoping one day soon to take her vows and become a nun. They break into song (‘cuz that’s what they do in The Sound of Music) and begin singing about … Read more

Why I ❤ Texas!

There’s lots to love about Texas. All other states… well… they’re just states. I’ve been to most other states. While they may have a couple of nice things, it’s quite evident that their is little state pride and character. People just exist. In Texas, we live! Enjoy a few photos of what it could be like. Texas Sonic Texas Food Pryamid Texas Snow We love … Read more

Tuning Out All The Voices

There isn’t anything like Big 10 College Basketball late in the season during conference play. It’s some of the best and most competitive action that the sporting world has to offer (yes, even better than the ACC). With less than a minute to go in a tie game, have you ever wondered what kind of ice runs through the veins of some of these college … Read more

What I Learned From the New Orleans Saints Whining About a Missed Call

On Sunday, January 20, 2019, the Los Angeles Rams beat the New Orleans Saints, 26 – 23. That’s all you really need to know right there… …unless you want to hear how the Saints feel like they were robbed, like they should have gone to the Super Bowl, and potentially been the champions. Late in the 4th quarter, the Saints and Rams were tied 20-20. … Read more

House of Echoes

I recently completed a book by a new author, Brendan Duffy, @Brendan_Duffy on Twitter.  I found it a very remarkable book for his first published book. I hated to see the final chapter as I turned the page. This is not a book review blog post, but I do highly recommend buying his book. It’s a great novel – thriller, mystery, suspense. The reason I … Read more

Why I’ll Never Stop Dreaming

As long as I can remember, people have called me a dreamer. I don’t think it’s always been a complement nor a positive attribute that was thrown my way. I guess they thought that Kenny Rogers was a prophet when he sang: “Don’t fall in love with a dreamer, ’cause he’ll break you every time.” I think people were trying to say that I needed … Read more

The BIG Weight Loss Plan

I’m 51 freaking years old… and going to add one more year to that total in about 6 weeks. I am currently fat. I am in poor shape. My vital signs are not looking pretty. I am currently on one blood pressure medication. Today… that changes.  BOOM! I began exercising almost 3 weeks ago. I joined LA Fitness and signed up for a full year … Read more

Lost and Found

Have you ever been to the lost and found section of your child’s school near the end of the school year? I remember going to my kids’ school (a small private school) and seeing dozens of sweatshirts, nice jackets, backpacks, belts, pants, shoes, books, TI calculators, and tons of other gadgets and items that students had left behind. All-in-all, this was thousands and thousands of … Read more

2017… I’m Finally Ready For Ya!

It took me a solid month to get my goal setting, planning, vision, and dreams set for the year. Now I’m ready.  This blog post is more for my own sake than it is for anyone else. I believe in writing out my goals, sharing them, making them public, and always before me. So, let’s get started… and not in any particular order because they … Read more

Ol Tukai, Amboseli, and Dusty Roads

Day 1 – A Road Less Traveled It was Summer 1996, we had a one-week break from our Swahili language lessons, and we wanted to see more of Kenya. We built a comfortable place for our two girls (ages 3 and 1) to play and relax in the back of our 1988 Isuzu Trooper for a safari to Amboseli National Park. We drove down through … Read more

What Happened 20 Years Ago

Twenty years ago I disembarked from a British Airways DC10 and stepped into the international terminal at Chicago O’Hare with my wife and two small girls. Twenty-four hours of flying and layovers is typically enough to make anyone’s brain feel like jello and their thoughts foggy – but the compounding of events that led to this moment would forever change me. I was dazed, deadpan, and … Read more