my legs are really hurting...

Ok so its Monday again, just like any other Monday, except I don't have a job to go to. I am still looking as well as exploring other avenues of income. I know God will provide, I just have to trust in Him to take care of my family, however I know that I have to go out and plant the seeds so that God can bring the harvest!

Mom and Dad came to visit this weekend, they brought me presents for my birthday and for Adrian's birthday. We are planning on goin to visit them for Thanksgiving. We were planning on going down to Texas but lack of extra money has forced us to stay here in Kansas. While mom and dad were here we went to Adrian's school orchestra concert, then we went to the mall to help them do some shopping. We ate at the mall then we went back to the hotel room they are staying in for a bit. Mom was real tired so we let them get to bed and we went home.

After church on Sunday, we went home to eat lunch, and Mom and Dad went to Cheddars to eat with Sharon and Marion. We need to watch our spending due to lack of income so we stayed home. Watched the Chiefs game and the Dallas game, my legs are really hurting because Sunday morning I had to go up on the catwalk of the stage and do some work on the lights, and all that squatting and such made the muscles in my legs and thighs light up like a Christmas tree! Today I am SUPER sore and stiff, I can barely make it down the stairs... oh well I guess that's good for me cause I need to exercise more anyway.

I got a call from my step brother Donnie on my birthday last week and also a couple of days before that. I was REALLY surprised cause I haven't talked to him in forever! I don't think I have talked to him in at least 10-12 years... if I have I certainly don't remember it... but I have slept since then so.... Anyway we had a good talk both times, and I added him to my Facebook. His dad and my mom got divorced when I was in 5th grade, but we used to keep in touch a lot more than we have been. I guess when people move away and you get older its harder to stay in touch. Now though, we don't have an excuse... now there's FACEBOOK hehehe... But I really appreciated the effort he made to contact me and Mom too...

I stay in touch with Jimmy, the second oldest of my 3 step brothers, more often than Donnie or Shane (the youngest one). Jimmy, or James, lives in Texas now and we have stayed in touch over the years more than I have with the other two brothers. Shane is always so hard to stay in touch with, he moves around a lot and changes his number a lot. I have had the same mobile number for almost 10 years... So if any of you ever lose my number its your fault! ha ha!

Anyway I am getting excited about some possible income opportunities coming up, I will keep you informed. For now please pray that God provides enough money to keep food on the table and the lights on in the house!

David

you NEED to watch this video...

Alright, heres the deal.

I am seriously pursuing a business relationship with at least 2 people.

I want you to go to this site, and watch the video, then CONTACT ME DIRECTLY via phone, email, or FB.

Please do not write sarcastic comments on this, I will just delete them.

I am looking for serious people who want to make serious cash and earn free trips for your family. This is not a joke or a scam, THIS IS LEGIT.

If you are tired of uncertainty in this economy, and want to improve your financial status then you NEED to watch this video.

If you just want to have more security, more stability, then you NEED to watch this video.

If you want to travel, have fun and make a difference in peoples lives, then you NEED to watch this video.

CLICK HERE

TWELVE??!?! Are you kidding me?!?!

So Tuesday night, (almost like clockwork...) around 7:30 pm I am arguing with my daughter again about doing her homework, and practicing her viola. It was a stupid argument, and I know I shouldn't allow myself to get caught up in these with her. We had a big blow up a week or two ago, and we apologized, but it just didn't seem like it meant anything. Cause like two days later she was mouthing off again and arguing.

Well this time, she decided to start her pity party about how I don't listen to her... or something I don't know I wasn't listening... but anyway she really pushed my button and I kinda smarted off to her about "poor Adrian has it so bad" and "ya I am such a bad Dad even though I tried to help you with you viola and homework, you are right I just don't care about you..." I was repeating her whining but being sarcastic about it... and so then I just got mad and told her to take a shower and go to bed, then I went downstairs and tried to get away from the whole family...

Mind you this is typical in my house: parent asks kid to do something, kid smarts off, kid back talks, parent warns, kid does it some more, parent gets angry, parent yells, kid yells back and cries, parent grounds or spanks, kid cries some more...

So I woke up yesterday morning and found this note from Adrian in my wallet...

You can click on the image to make it larger so you can read it...

Actually I really hope you can read it, cause it blew my mind! I was in total shock! In fact she had already left for school and I was just about ready to leave for work... I don't even remember how I got to work.. I was in shock the whole way to work driving in a zombie like state...

So I showed this too some of my co-workers and they hearts just melted and they said, "David that's awesome, how old is she? TWELVE??!?! Are you kidding me?!?!"

Ya that was pretty much how I felt too... it was articulated so well and I was really surprised at her verbiage... I mean, either she was coached to say these things, or she thought of them herself, or God inspired her... either way I don't care cause it means she is FINALLY gets it! She actually IS listening to me and wants to be respectful! AMAZING! To be blunt, I have been dreaming of having a daughter like this who listens and actually remembers what I tell her! YEAH GOD!

So I decided to show her my love and gratitude last night on the way home from work...

I wanted her to know how much I love her, and appreciate her letting me know she really does want to listen, respect, and obey me. Now my job is to make sure I start treating her like I would want a man to treat her when she's married. I am going to try to be the BEST Dad I can be.

Also I started reading this book:

Pray for me and my relationship with my daughter that it grows and we become closer to God together!

David

Mom's Surprise

Mom had a surprise for me when we come up today to visit....

I always felt welcome...

Well if you are a regular reader of my irregular posts, then you are used to me going a long time in-between posts... today's post is no different! I am pretty inconsistent when it comes to blogging, so please don't get too upset or stop looking for new posts.

BTW I like to use twitter and facebook for micro-blogging, so its an easier way to stay up on whats goin down in my life...

So my grandpa died recently, the funeral is today. Tom Aytes married my paternal grandmother Wilma (grandma passed away about 2 years ago) many years ago, shortly after I was born I think, which made for her 5th marriage. Now at some point in their marriage, they decided it wasn't working out and got divorced. Then they got back together and remarried. So for most of my life, Tom was grandpa. Even though he wasn't my paternal grandfather, we all considered him grandpa.

I wish I could say I had a great relationship with him. We got along ok, looking back now on all my interactions with him, he was always a reserved man. If you asked him his opinion, he was very quick to give it. Sometimes he gave it even when you didn't ask. But he always made sure you knew where he stood. There was never a guess as to how he felt about anything. He was strong willed, unassuming, and strict. There were a lot of things I admired about him, and a lot that I didn't. I don't think he treated me as good as a grandfather should, he wasn't a very loving man. I don't know all the details, but from what I gather from my mother and other relatives, he wasn't always the kindest man to my grandma. But I don't want to speak ill of the dead, so I won't go any further than that.

But the thing thats bothering me most is that when I look back on my life and how Tom affected me. There was a time when my grandparents took me in and let me live with them when I was 18. They fed me, took care of me, and helped me get back on my feet. Tom also taught me the value of hard work. He was a retired army sergeant, and as you can imagine that comes with a lot of grit and good work ethic. I always felt welcome and he always treated my children decently.

After Grandma died, my mother and Tom had a falling out... actually they never got along that well to begin with. Out of respect for my mothers wishes, I also stopped talking to Tom. It was as if when grandma died, grandpa also died to me. I feel sorry now that it happened that way, I have not talked to him in almost a year, and now he is gone and I will never have that chance again.

Make sure you don't wait too long to mend broken relationships, and to tell the people that you love or have loved that they mean something to you, that they had an impact in your life, and that you are glad to have known them. No matter what problems, hang ups, or quarrels you might have had with them, its important to make sure you tell them how important their influence was and is on your life. I for one am going to make sure I never make that mistake again.

David