David's Blog

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2011-06-25T14:53:00.001-05:00

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AUDIO BLOGGING AND MUSIC!!!

2010-12-06T23:11:00.002-06:00

I am moving over to creating an AUDIO blog on my own fan page on Facebook. Here is the link!

CLICK HERE

Thanks!!

David

So what's new?

2010-09-08T19:06:00.002-05:00

Wow. Last post was MAY.... This is just another example of how much of a slacker I can be sometimes... ok more than sometimes.

So what's new? Well since it has been 4 mths since I posted last I'll give you a break down:

Got a new job in late April at Slumberland Furniture (100 % commission)
FINALLY got a modification approved for our home loan so that we can get caught up on our mortgage and keep our home
Caroline got a job driving the school bus for Goddard schools
Jaydon turned 5 in late June
Caroline and I celebrated our 7 year anniversary in Late June
Gracepoint Church finally moved in to its first permanent facility beginning of Aug
Adrian became the manager of the 8th grade Goddard middle school football team in Aug
I left Slumberland (not enough money) and got two part time jobs (one at Best Buy Geek Squad and another for a company called Spartan Computer) in early September
We are taking a sabbatical form leading/hosting a life group
LANKansas is having its first Micro-Event in less than 2 weeks

So a lot of stuff has been going on. I cannot convey in any words accurately the amount of incredible stress that has been heaping upon me in the last few months. Sometimes, like today, it really gets to me. I am pretty thick skinned usually, but today I just broke down in tears and cried out to God. Our finances has been a disaster ever since last April, but they have gotten considerably worse in the last few months. At least most of last year and some of this year I had unemployment to help out. But now I am relying on my regular income and it has been nothing but irregular. Now I have two jobs that are hourly part time jobs, and it should be easier to budget but we are having to make a lot of cut backs.

My mothers health is also a source of stress for me. But its nothing compared to the amount of stress my Dad is feeling. Recently my mom developed TMJ and also got an infection in her leg from a spider bite. So with all the drugs from those two problems, plus all the ones she has already been taking, she is literally all drugged up. Plus her bladder control problem has not gotten any better. Please be in prayer for both my parents as they deal with this difficult life change. Also they are trying to sell their house to get a smaller single level home.

Well thats about all I want to talk about for now. I guess I will try to get better at blogging more regularly. Hopefully next one will be a little more positive and encouraging!

David

The Orange Conference

2010-05-05T09:37:00.001-05:00

Sorry I haven't posted a blog in a long time; I’ve been lazy, and at the same time I’ve been real busy. But I thought it was time to go ahead and post a blog today… since I went to the Orange Conference last week, I have a lot to talk about.

Last week was an amazing time of worship, teaching, and fellowship. I'm really glad I got to go on the trip; I was invited by my kids pastor Rochelle, and it was really a great time. I learned a lot about how important the kids ministry is to the growth and development of the church. In fact the kids ministry really is the future of the church and your children will grow up to inherit the ministry that you have today. Pastor Perry Noble spoke a little bit about how vital the kids ministry is to the church. In fact he said it was the most important ministry the church could ever possibly have. Perry even went on to say that the senior pastor of every church should champion the kids ministry, he should be the number one supporter of your children and youth ministry in your church. I for one agree with him.

I took a lot of notes while at the Orange Conference in Atlanta and I think I've got about five pages worth. I plan on sharing my notes with everybody in the group that went to Orange and I hope that they share their notes with me. This experience has really changed my perception of the kids ministry and the youth ministry at Grace Point. I realize now how vital my role is in the ministry and how important it is to share what I know about Christ with kids at an early age. If I can impact and influence young minds for Christ, and help shape their hearts and lives, then I believe I will be truly fulfilling God's plan for my life.

By the way, this entire blog was created using voice recognition dictation with Microsoft Windows 7. Pretty cool huh?

David

This is like DRASTIC

2010-03-28T19:55:00.001-05:00

This weekend mom and dad come to Wichita to visit and go shopping. They bought Adrian and Jaydon outfits for Easter. Adrian got a nice dress and Jaydon got a really cute little khaki outfit, with a sweater-vest and polo shirt!

So dad decided to make a change to his appearance and surprise us. Now trust me, while it may seem subtle, for him and mom its DRASTIC!

If you don’t realize the subtle change, dad shaved his beard down to just a goatee! and his hair is REALLY short. This is like DRASTIC change for dad cause hes like this always dependable ever ready never change always the same kind of guy! I think he hasn’t shaved his beard in like 15 years or something… I have been telling him for a long time to go with just the goatee! I think i makes him look 10 years younger! Adrian said, “You look ‘tough’ now papa.”

I told dad I thought he should put on a black suit and tie and he would EASILY pass off for an experienced MAFIA hitman!

Anyway mom had a test done last Thursday for her bladder to help determine why she has to pee so often, and they gave her some topical medication to help alleviate the problem. Apparently her bladder is having these spasms and she cant control her urges. This medication is supposed to help with that.

I will post more updates later and pics of the kids with their easter outfits on.

BTW I am STILL unemployed however things are looking VERY promising! I have had 2 interviews with a cable company in Emporia and if I get the job I would commute to Emporia every day but the money and benefits would be outstanding and totally worth the drive! Its only an hour anyway…

David

First impressions

2010-03-06T19:53:00.001-06:00

So we just got back from Emporia we went up yesterday to stay and visit mom and dad. Also I helped dad set up his new internet service with AT&T, which was a nightmare! DSL modems and cable modems are NOTHING alike, and configuring a linksys router to work with them is a pain the arse! I also moved their pc into the dining room to make it easier for mom to get to.

Anyway, mom was really tired most of the time, and laid down a lot. We got to meet Lisa, the helper mom and dad hired. She's going live with them and help take care of mom while dad is at work. She hasn't moved in yet, will be another month maybe two, but she is there in the morning before dad goes to work and then leaves when he gets home. First impressions of her: she seems to be a real nice gal, late 20’s, very attentive to mom. But it does seem like she doesn’t quite grasp some simple things, and from what I am told its due to her very mild autism. I think she was a little flustered with all of us there, I think it made her nervous.

BTW heres an updated pic of mom:

Well I will keep posting updates about mom being at home with her new helper. Hopefully this gal will work out very well for mom. Oh and mom has some more tests and stuff this coming week to determine why she cant control her bladder very well. Pray for revealing results that can be addressed!

I am really anxious

2010-02-27T13:15:00.003-06:00

Hey I just thought I would give an update on Mom. Her and Dad flew to California last Friday to visit Nicole and see her new baby. They are flying back today, and the really cool thing is that as of Monday, mom is back in the house! No more rest home! YEAH GOD!

They hired this gal, Lisa, to live in the house with them in the basement, with no rent, and then they pay her for working Monday - Friday, staying home with mom and taking care of her. Also she will help out in the evenings and weekends.

I am really anxious to see how this all works out, I hope everything goes smoothly. Also I will post some pics soon of their trip to California.

Also just an update on my, I got a job as a contracted advertising sales rep for Register Tape Unlimited Inc . They are a company based out of Houston that sells ads and coupon spots on the back of Dillons or grocery store receipts.

Adrian and I are getting along better for the moment... hopefully it will last without blowing up in my face like usual.

David

I guess I am just venting now since its my blog I can do that if I want to...

2010-02-06T22:30:00.002-06:00

So how does a perfectly relaxing, and fun day change so drastically in less than 10 minutes? Everything was going great, then BAM!! my daughter and I are lockin horns in an all out yelling match for what seems like the millionth time! And it was again over something VERY STUPID. I don't understand why its so hard for her to get it through her head that no matter what, you don't back talk, disrespect, or disobey your parents. It doesn't matter if you think the rules are stupid or if you don't agree with them, they are there for a reason... and I am TIRED of trying to explain to her why!

WHY must I have this problem with her so often?!?! Its like every week now, its like she has the same mental damage that Drew Barrymore had in 50 first dates, only its every week not every day! I have to explain all over again at least once sometimes twice a week why its not ok for her to watch certain TV shows, why its not ok for my daughter to eat food in MY BED in MY room... why its not ok for her to walk around the house running off at the mouth about how much her life sucks because her mean dad wont let her watch a stupid tv show or wont let her do whatever she wants to do.... why its not ok to wear clothes that attract negative attention and unwanted opinions.... why its not ok to try and put herself on the same level as her mother and father...

She has the NERVE to tell me that she acts like a 5 year old because I treat her like one! Lets see, so is giving your daughter a TV and DVD player for her own room treating her like a 5 year old? Is giving her more flexibility to babysit on her own treating her like a 5 year old? Does letting her do whatever she wants after homework and chores are done mean treating her like a 5 year old? Does laying down boundaries and rules to keep structure in the home mean treating her like a 5 year old? Does letting her cook dinner at least 2 times a week without adult supervision mean treating her like a 5 year old?

See, when ever she tries to push outside of the boundaries I set, and then gets caught, that's when we have these big blow ups. Cause she thinks I will not notice and she ALWAYS tries to break the rules or slide by and it drives me ABSOLUTELY CRAZY cause each time I have to remind her that its NOT OK to say "I forgot" or "I think that rule is stupid so I am not going to follow it". Its like she WANTS me to get angry, because she knows if she pushes me hard enough I will. Then I start yelling and then she yells louder till I end up leaving the room screaming and shes crying in her room! I am so sick and tired of this crap, its at least twice a month! I have been trying SO FRICKIN HARD to keep from letting her push me to that point, I try so hard, and each time I think I am gonna snap I try to leave the room or go calm down but it doesn't help! Its like she smells blood and goes in for the kill! I don't understand why she feels the need to not only test me every time but why she has to keep pushing me to the breaking point! What is the motivation? What possible reason is there for a daughter to keep pushing her father to the point of extreme anger!

I am shaking so bad right now as I am typing this cause I am just out of ideas and so frustrated beyond belief! My wife doesn't know what to do either, she freaks out too when Adrian pushes her buttons, and we both get mad at each other for letting her push each other to that limit.
I guess I am just venting now since its my blog I can do that if I want to.

God I pray please for your guidance and your understanding, Lord PLEASE help me deal with this problem, I need you to help me be the father you want me to be, I need you to help me be the husband and man you want me to be. Please come into this home and repair what is broken, calm the anger and frustration that is tearing at the foundation of this family! I pray Lord that you touch my daughters heart with your love and patience, help her to see and understand YOUR WILL in her life, YOUR rules and boundaries Lord, not just mine. Help me to learn more patience and anger management so that when my children test my authority that I handle it they way I should, with love and compassion. God please bless this home with your Holy Spirit, please bless us with your divine intervention and teach us your ways. I pray Lord that my family will grow to learn more about you and your son Jesus, that we would learn to walk in your ways and follow Christ Jesus in every aspect of our lives.

Like I said, amazed!

2010-01-25T14:39:00.004-06:00

I am truly amazed at the generosity of strangers... someone we barely just met left a crap load of groceries on our doorstep today...

I know who left it, because this couple's daughter and my daughter go to the same school. Recently Adrian spent the night over at her house, and when I went to pick her up I did some minor computer/networking work for the mom and dad. When I left they threw two boxes of canned goods in my trunk including a frozen turkey! Then I was backing out of my driveway this morning, and noticed a few more sacks of food on our doorstep. WOW! I didn't even tell them we needed food, they just said, here! Please take this for your family. Like I said, amazed!

Apparently, they are going through tough times like us, with lay offs and such... So their immediate family was very generous and provided a ton (literally a truck load) of food for them, and when they heard from Adrian that I was laid off I think they felt like God told them to give some of that to us. Now we are not hurting by any means, but things are really tight and if it wasn't for the Vision food card we would be in real trouble. But even with the Vision card, we are cutting back on a lot of expenses and food consumption. This extra food we've been given now will of course eventually be all eaten, but it will go a long way towards helping us save money and get back on our feet.

I really am very blessed to know people like that, and out of respect I am not mentioning their names. But I know who you are, and I just want to say publicly a big THANK YOU and GOD BLESS YOU! I'm inclined to believe that Jesus has a special place in heaven for people such as these!

David

WHATEVER!

2010-01-19T15:14:00.003-06:00

This week we are focusing in more on the gaming convention we are planning on for June of this year. Its going to be called LANKansas, and I am getting very excited about the potential. Some conference calls are scheduled this week with some very big names in the pc and gaming industry, and we are actively seeking sponsors and exhibitors right now. You can follow updates on our twitter page by clicking here and visit our facebook page by clicking here.

Dad told me he is very close to bringing mom home. They have been interviewing some gals for a full time live-in position with mom. They had a very positive meeting with a gal this last weekend. Essentially, she would be living in the basement rent free, and getting paid to take care of mom all day at the house, or take her on errands like to a doctors appointment. In the evenings of course, dad will be there so this gal can still have some free time to herself, but during the day M-F the helper would assist mom so she can get out of that rest home shes staying in.

I will post something when I know more, but it could be as early as Feb 1st when this happens.

Well I didn't get any further in my interview with Enterprise Rental car. The recruiter stated that he wasn't "sold" by my answers to his questions on my career path choices, and that he thought I was unprofessional because I didn't a lot about his company that I was interviewing for. Well, I will take that under consideration... in the mean time I would just like to say a big WHATEVER! Did I mention that it took him over a week to give me that feedback?

Update on Mom

2010-01-07T20:45:00.002-06:00

Wanted to give an update on my mom. I have been going to visit her at the El Dorado hospital they transferred her to on Wednesday. Dad said she was transferred there for a psych evaluation because they think she is slipping into depression. Patterns in behavior, changes in habits, and food cravings. Also they were trying to look deeper into why she is still having bladder control problems.

I visited her last night when she arrived to help her settle in and unpack. They said she might be there 3-10 days. When I went to visit her tonight, I brought her some sonic yumminess. She was very happy! I just thought I would spoil her a bit since dad was stuck in Emporia and she was there by herself.

So tonight they said she will go back to Emporia tomorrow, but I don't know anything about what they have come up with and why she had to go there. They will come up from Emporia and get her and bring her back in a van. Then dad will come get her for the weekend.

Funny (but not really) story, while I was visiting mom last night there was this elderly gal named Carol, who instantly latched on to me as soon as I walked in the area where mom was. She was not all there... they said she gravitates to any man that comes in. So anyway she wouldn't leave me alone, and I was trying to be nice. I finally got away and headed into moms room... and she followed me! Then she closed the door right as the nurses realized and she blocked them out for like 5 minutes! They had to push their way in and drag her out cussing and screaming! It was VERY awkward! Then not 5 minutes later she came rushing back in with her tray of food cause she wanted to eat dinner with us! She ended up dropping it all over the floor, then they escorted her out again.

Apparently she lost her husband recently and any man that comes near her makes her think of her him. Its really sad, but kinda funny the way things went down... she was a nice lady but mom and I just kept looking at each other like, "will they please keep this crazy lady out of the room?!?"

David

BTW: YOU SUCK!

2010-01-05T16:44:00.000-06:00

Satan sure doesnt waste any time attacking my family on the beginning of our 21 day fast. I am trying to remain calm but this shit is REALLY pissing me off! I just wish I had a daughter who respected me and understood that I am not trying to harm her or be mean to her. Geez I must be the worst dad on the planet because I wanted her to have fruit for an afternoon snack! FRICKIN STUPID!!!!

And the result of me trying to be a good parent:

A daughter in her room screaming and crying and me getting angry and yelling at her for being disrespectful and back talking. And me taking away all her games and fictional books as punishment.

Thanks Satan! You really know how to ruin a day... BTW, YOU SUCK!

LORD HELP ME!! :-)

2010-01-03T13:03:00.002-06:00

Todays message from Bryson was FANTASTIC! 2010 is going to be a SUPERNATURAL year for the ICT!!! Bryson talked about taking on the last giant that stands between you and your dreams, and how God will hand that giant over to you and deliver you into the promised land! As a an act of faith, GP is starting a 21 day fast tomorrow, 3 weeks of fasting and praying for GP to tackle the last giant that keeps us from getting into our new facility.

For my act of faith during this 21 day fast and prayer, I will be fasting from any and all video games. (WOW I can already hear the gasps of disbelief as I am typing this!) Yes I am declaring this to you all so I can be held accountable for my promise to God and for my act of faith. For the next 3 weeks I am turning off my XBOX and only using my PC for email and internet. I am even giving up games on the iPhone!

Instead of the games, I will be praying more, and practicing my guitar and drums, and spending more time with my family. Please pray for me during this next 3 weeks! I will probably go insane but I think God will have my back on this one!!! LORD HELP ME!! :-)

David

Man nothing beats Grandmas Cookin during the holidays!

2010-01-02T16:16:00.002-06:00

Christmas this year was pretty good, got to go to Emporia to visit the family and open gifts. Mom and Dad bought me some great shoes, and clothes. The kids got some great gifts from Nana and Papa too. Caroline got this Dallas Cowboys Snuggie that she is in love with, and a REALLY nice Dallas Cowboys fleece blanket, that is HUGE and fits like a comforter on our queen bed!

Our grandparents got us some nice gifts too, and my cousins gave us pretty cool gifts too. We ate way too much, and just had some great fellowship time. My grandma makes some of the best homemade cheesecake that has ever existed, it just MELTS in your mouth. Its in a square pan, and you have to spoon it out, cause its so light and fluffy. And she makes a very good ham and ham gravy! Man nothing beats Grandmas Cookin during the holidays! I think I have gained like 20 pounds since Thanksgiving!

Mom is doing good, she still has to go to the restroom a lot. I guess her bladder spasms all the time due to lack of control caused by the stroke. Dad says that she has to go at least 2 times an hour. Some times its like all they do is go to the restroom all day. At night he gets up with her at least once or twice. Its a pretty sorry situation, and I know its driving him nuts! Mom doesn't like it either of course, but she knows that it is making him angry when she has to get him up at night to pee.

Please keep up your prayers for recovery for mom. Its seems like she has plateaued in her progress, and while I am thankful for how far she has come, I am really wanting her to progress a lot more. I would like to see her get back to being able to take care of herself for the most part, like going to the restroom on her own. Dad is consumed now with taking care of mom, and really has no time for anything else. He is a patient man but his limits have been hit time and time again. I know he will never leave her or give up on her but if things don't get better I fear he will become very bitter and hard hearted.

I am still trying to get this mobile phone kiosk business up and running. In the meantime I plan to get a job, and I have an interview with Enterprise Rental Car next Friday. Caroline got a job driving school busses for USD 259. It doesn't pay much but she wanted to do it so I said go for it...

Thanks for reading my blog and keeping my whole family in your thoughts and prayers!

I am truly in awe

2009-12-22T13:58:00.002-06:00

WOW!! has it really been a MONTH since I posted anything?!?!?

I'm so sorry! Life has been REALLY insane lately... I am still jobless, drawing unemployment... this sucks! I did help a friend mud, tape and paint their 3 car garage and got paid for it. And I am doing some PC repair jobs on the side to earn some extra cash. Plus my wife's cleaning business has made her some money, and now she is a certified wichita public schools bus driver! she starts Jan 4th, and will make $12 an hour.

Also I am trying to get a new mobile phone company dealership off the ground, and its been really difficult because the company is new and they are making a lot of NEWBIE mistakes...

So ya life has been really WEIRD and busy at the same time.

Mom is doing fine, we will see her for Christmas. Dad is stressed to say the least, but hes hangin on tight!

We didnt have really any money for Christmas this year, but thanks to the grace of God and the love He shows through the people I am blessed to have in my life, the kids will have MORE than enough presents this year! I am truly in awe of the love and grace God gives me when I don't really deserve it!

Keep us in your prayers, for success of my mobile phone business and for stability in our finances!

David

my legs are really hurting...

2009-11-16T14:20:00.002-06:00

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...

2009-11-04T14:20:00.005-06:00

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?!?!

2009-10-15T09:08:00.007-05:00

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

2009-10-10T20:38:00.003-05:00

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

I always felt welcome...

2009-10-09T09:59:00.002-05:00

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

She's kinda squirrely like that!

2009-09-21T08:51:00.004-05:00

So this last Saturday was Mom's birthday, we had planned on going to Emporia and surprising her for her birthday, but unfortunately Caroline came down with strep-throat... so obviously we had to stay home.

But the good thing is that the Thursday before, we were able to go visit Mom and Dad because the Holiday Resort that Mom stays in now had a big shindig... a huge BBQ and get-together for all the families of the residents. It was pretty cool, they had a huge inflatable for the kids to play on, lots of food, and music.

I felt sorry for the staff and orderlies though, can you imagine trying to keep track of all those residents in wheelchairs and walkers, trying to get them their MEDS, trying to help them eat, all while outside under a huge tent with all the commotion of kids, family, and noise? It was really amazing to watch! The staff members at that place are really fantastic! I feel pretty good about Mom staying there, they seem to really care about the residents and take good care of them.

I did notice however one lady seemed to "get away" from the nurse for a split second cause I seen her racing down the parking lot (out of control) in her wheelchair and the nurse had to chase her down! It was a little scary but at the same time kinda funny! Seems like something Mom would do if given the chance! HAHA! She's kinda squirrely like that!

If you haven't talked to Mom in a while, please give her a call, and wish her a belated happy birthday! The best time to reach her is between 6pm-9pm, if you need her phone number please call me...

David

NO MORE TACOS

2009-09-18T16:44:00.014-05:00

So today I got this RANDOM email around 11:30 from someone I have NEVER met or EVER emailed before… His name is James Marshfield.

This is the EXACT text from his original email and all the responses thereafter… I copied and pasted it all from my gmail account…

I have not altered it in anyway, I have highlighted my emails in RED and his emails in BLACK.

Here goes… again remember this is a totally random and unsolicited email sent DIRECTLY to me, not a spam or joke of any kind that I am aware of…

“Seriously. If I find one more over-sour-creamed taco in my office, car or otherwise I swear to god I'm re-assigning you to the floor with Carlos. No Bullshit.

-James”

“Who is this and why are you sending emails to my company email with profanity included in the text?

David J Hensley

National Sales Manager

GSMG Services, LLC

316-990-6885 - mobile

316-260-9005 - office

david@gsmgservices.com

www.gsmgservices.com

"Its not your aptitude, but your attitude, that determines your altitude."

“ok. That's it. When you get back from lunch go see Sarah. you've got a new name badge with a new title on it waiting for you. This is no way to run a team, especially when the entire Mastercraft convention is in town. I'm tired of your bullshit.

-James”

Ok I want to take a moment here to interject... all my co-workers at this point were coaching me on what to say next, and of course... I ignored them completely! I couldn't decide if I wanted to play along with him in a joking way or react seriously and be scornful... I decided to do BOTH!

WTF?!?!?!? Are you mental or something? I am not who you think I am, you have the wrong email address or something, did you not see my signature? Here let me show it to you again! This time I will BOLD and UNDERLINE it for you! oh, and did you not notice that my email was DAVID@GSMGSERVICES.COM??!?!?! Clearly you do not know me so please stop emailing me!

David J Hensley

National Sales Manager

GSMG Services, LLC

316-990-6885 - mobile

316-260-9005 - office

david@gsmgservices.com

www.gsmgservices.com

"Its not your aptitude, but your attitude, that determines your altitude."

“Mr. Hensley,

I am very sorry for the mis-understanding. This was the email address one of our employees gave us as a contact. I apologize for any inconvenience. That said, you didn't have to be such an ass or use so much profanity.

Thanks,

-James Marshfield”

Ok... now I am like WTF!?!?! only this time I am serious! I was fine until that last line where he called me a name using profanity and in the same sentence scolded me for being profane! NOW ITS ON!!! I was trying to figure out if this was some weird prank or if it was REAL... cause clearly I didn't use any profanity and clearly he wasn't reading my responses properly... So my co-workers and I collaborated on this next response...

"I'm sorry... did you say that I used profanity? Did you just use "profanity" to call me an ass? Are you serious?!?!?!?

EXACTLY WHERE do you see in my reply any profanity?

I used the abbreviation of "WTF" once... you used the word "bullshit" 2 times... and "ass" once to insult me...

Are you even reading the same emails? It took you 2 reply's to figure out that I am not one of your employees... and THANK GOD I am not!

Incidentally this whole random email chat has been EXTREMELY entertaining to me and my co-workers, we have been laughing hysterically at your emails!

Its HILARIOUS to know that there are people out there like you who will send out emails blindly without even realizing whom they may be seen by...

BTW I am sending you an over-sour-creamed taco... its just too tempting to resist and too damned funny not to…

David J Hensley

National Sales Manager

GSMG Services, LLC

316-990-6885 - mobile

316-260-9005 - office

david@gsmgservices.com

www.gsmgservices.com

"Its not your aptitude, but your attitude, that determines your altitude."

I almost didn't send that response, but it was too funny not to! and the taco pic was just too easy to pull off! Here was his response:

“Mr. Hensley,

I am sorry. It's been a rough day. I apologize. I don't like sour cream in my tacos, but I think it is because of this one girl I dated in junior high. I live in Massachusetts. Do you? By the way, I know I'm really mean to my employees sometimes, but I think it's because I feel like I have no one on my side. Ever since my dad passed away and left me the saw mill I've just been super stressed. It's like I'm the bad guy. Sorry to drag on. Anyway, I hope you have a good weekend and sorry about the emails.

-James”

Ok now I am wondering if I have a new stalker! This dude has some SERIOUS issues! Is that not the weirdest encounter or what? I have not replied yet to his last email... I am sorta afraid to now! Ever seen that movie about the two dudes and their girlfriend who prank a trucker on the CB and end up running for their lives from a PSYCHO?!?! Well lets just say I am not going to provoke this weirdo any further with my email replies... I thought of just replying with "JESUS LOVES YOU" and just leave it at that!

Nevertheless my co-workers and I had avery entertaining afternoon reading these random and crazy NO MORE TACO emails...

I know God is listening!

2009-09-09T16:50:00.002-05:00

So this last weekend was Labor Day and we had a pretty long but enjoyable 3 day weekend.

Mom and Dad came up to visit, they stayed at The Hyatt this time, and got a REALLY cheap rate of $59 per night... that hotel is nice!

Monday was Dad's birthday and we took him to Cheddars for his birthday, and we told them but they waitress was really crappy, she was slow, forgot stuff, poorly dressed and bad makeup, and they didn't even sing to him or get him a dessert... this is the second bad experience I have had at Cheddars... and I have only eaten there 5 times. Also my steak was poorly cooked, and rubbery. I am thinking I may not go back unless my Dad wants to go again...

Mom is doing great, she is slowly getting back some more feeling and mobility in her left side. She can wiggle her left shoulder now, and when they hook her up to electrodes her fingers will move. Also her left leg was moving on its own, like it was bouncing up and down with nervous energy or something. Very cool though since its not moved on its own in over 6 months! The doctors say it could take anywhere from now till 10 years to get back to normal... so its a gambit, theres no telling how long it will take really. She could be back to 95% in 6 months or 6 years, theres no way to judge it... Hopefully its sooner than later! Also she may never get to 95%, she may only get 80% or 70% back... no way to know on that either...

So keep your prayers coming, I know God is listening! And Mom really appreciates it, and loves knowing that people are thinking about her and praying for her recovery. It really brightens up her outlook on her situation. She's very tired of that Holiday Resort she's staying in...

Things are looking great for me at work... big things are coming down... will keep you informed when I know everything...

You guys wouldn't have lasted five minutes back in 1980 or before!

2009-08-27T08:52:00.003-05:00

THE SPOILED UNDER-30 CROWD!!!

If you are 30 or older you will think this is hilarious!!!!

When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious
diatribes about how hard things were. When they were growing up; what
with walking Twenty-five miles to school every morning.... Uphill....
barefoot... BOTH ways Yadda, yadda, yadda

And I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way in
hell I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on my kids about how
hard I had it and how easy they've got it!

But now that... I'm over the ripe old age of thirty, I can't help but
look around and notice the youth of today.

You've got it so easy! I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in a
damn Utopia!

And I hate to say it, but you kids today, you don't know how good you've
got it!

I mean, when I was a kid we didn't have The Internet. If we wanted to
know something, we had to go to the damn library and look it up
ourselves, in the card catalogue!!

There was no email!! We had to actually write somebody a letter - with a
pen!

Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the
mailbox and it would take, like, a week to get there! Stamps were 10
cents!

Child Protective Services didn't care if our parents beat us. As a matter
of fact, the parents of all my friends also had permission to kick our
ass! Nowhere was safe!

There were no MP3' s or Napsters! If you wanted to steal music, you had
to hitchhike to the damn record store and shoplift it yourself!

Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio and the DJ
would usually talk over the beginning and @#*% it all up! There were no
CD players! We had tape decks in our car. We'd play our favorite tape and
"eject" it when finished and the tape would come undone. Cause - that's
how we rolled, dig?

We didn't have fancy crap like Call Waiting! If you were on the phone and
somebody else called they got a busy signal, that's it!
And we didn't have fancy Caller ID either!
When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was! It could be your school,
your mom, your boss, your bookie, your drug dealer, a collections agent,
you just didn't know!!! You had to pick it up and take your chances,
mister!

We didn't have any fancy Sony Playstation video games with
high-resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari 2600! With games like
'Space Invaders' and 'Asteroids'. Your guy was a little square! You
actually had to use your imagination!! And there were no multiple levels
or screens, it was just one screen... forever!
And you could never win. The game just kept getting harder and harder and
faster and faster until you died! Just like LIFE!

You had to use a little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on!
You were screwed when it came to channel surfing! You had to get off your
ass and walk over to the TV to change the channel! NO REMOTES!!!

There was no Cartoon Network either! You could only get cartoons on
Saturday Morning. Do you hear what I'm saying!?! We had to wait ALL WEEK
for cartoons, you spoiled little rat-bastards!

And we didn't have microwaves, if we wanted to heat something up we had
to use the stove! Imagine that!

That's exactly what I'm talking about! You kids today have got it too
easy. You're spoiled.. You guys wouldn't have lasted five minutes back in
1980 or before!

Regards,
The Over 30 Crowd

"Well I wouldn't go that far..."

2009-08-24T11:01:00.003-05:00

Wow, has it really been 2 weeks since my last post? I slack... I know I know... I am a professional at slacking... I should start professional seminar on how to be a slacker... but if I did no one would show up including myself cause we're all slackers...

So anyway, life is good. The last two weeks have been interesting, I am having some severe back problems. I am going to the chiropractor two times a week now. The first time I saw him he said my back was as crooked as a politician... I asked if it was as crooked as Obama, and he said "Well I wouldn't go that far..."

So I am getting better and my back is starting to feel and move better... I need to keep my posture up, and work on developing better sleep habits. I also need to start working out again and get this extra weight off my gut!

I talked to Mom this weekend, I am not doing a good job of calling her regularly though and I know she gets lonely in the rest home... she is able to "march"/walk the whole length of the parallel bars now all by herself, but again she isn't really walking yet. She's using her hips to swing that left leg forward to walk. But I did here that this last week she was able to make her left hand move. Not sure how or what but that's great news!!! Hopefully her brain will finally start to rewire itself and allow her to relearn the use of her limbs!

Mom and Dad should be up in Wichita either this weekend or the next to visit, and I will update everyone when I find out when.

Some other exciting stuff going on, I have an assistant now at work to help me track all my sales and calls and emails to contacts and leads. This is great cause now I can focus on getting new customers and following up with existing leads without being bogged down with the "paperwork" part of the process. Kelly is GREAT at helping me stay on task too with whom I need to follow up with and whom I have already called or emailed.

Also I went to Quakecon 09 in Dallas, TX recently. While I was there I stayed with a great friend, his wife and he invited me to stay in their home as a guest instead of paying for a hotel since they only lived like 15 minutes away. Great people Shane and Kimberly Moore... And I am very glad to call them friends! Quakecon was a BLAST, lots of people there, over 3000! I hope I get to go next year!

Bye for now!

David

There is a buzz in the air...

2009-08-06T13:17:00.002-05:00

Hey gang, thanks for being patient with me in the long delays between posts.

I am in Branson right now in meetings for work, having some GREAT meetings and planning sessions. I am VERY excited to be in the same room with some of these Godly men and honored to be apart of the planning of some great things to come. We have prayed every time we sit down to eat, before every meeting we have; guys that I met only hours ago are already fast friends, and we hug each other when we leave; I mean to tell you the Holy Spirit has filled up this office we are in and God's hand is all over this venture! I just wanted to share with you all how excited I am about the plans God has for not only little ol' me, but for all the men and women in my company and the other companies represented here. I posted some pics on my facebook profile of my trip so far... make sure you check them out. Man there is a buzz in the air here in Branson!!

My mom is starting to take some antibiotics for a bladder infection, I guess she was having some symptoms and dad took her to the doctor. Also after the antibiotics are done the dr prescribed some more meds to help control her bladder and urges to go to the restroom. For mom, going to the restroom is not easy at all, its an event. And when shes out and about, its an even bigger issue. Her wheelchair has to fit, so if there's no handicap access bathroom then they are in trouble.

Anyway, dad said that she is starting to be able to get herself in and out of her wheelchair into other chairs or into bed, but again its all over compensation with the right side of her body. She still cant use her left side. But over time the goal is to restore much or all of her left side mobility.

Bye for now!!

David

Busy, busy, busy...

2009-07-27T13:24:00.002-05:00

This last week has been real busy for me, between work and home I have been all over the place!

Last week on Wednesday my boss Perry and I flew out to Indianapolis to meet with some new potential clients, and I we didn't fly back in to Kansas City till Friday night. So last week I didn't have the chance to post a blog at all.

My plans were to also go to Emporia for the weekend, since my sister was flying in from California, and because of my cousin Jessica getting married. So since Nikki was flying in to KC only one hour later than me, (6:30pm) and dad was going to pick her up anyway, Perry went ahead and drove home and I stayed there with dad waiting for Nikki to land. Only problem was that her flight got delayed in California, which caused her to miss her connecting flight in Utah... so it was 11pm before her flight landed in KC... dad and I had to kill some time so we went to eat then seen Transformers 2 in IMAX at the AMC theater there in KC by the airport. It was VERY cool.

So anyway this weekend was Jessica's wedding, it was very cool! Lots of people there, everything seemed to go off without a hitch, they got to drive off in Ron's (her dad) corvette which I am sure was very nice for Wes, her newlywed husband! He peeled out down the street, but they only got to drive it around the block... hehe Ron didn't trust them to drive it any longer than that I guess!

At the wedding, Jaydon and this little girl Taylor started dancing to the music together... it was SO CUTE! I took some video, check it out below:

Anyway, mom is doing better... dad says she can "march" now... she can walk slightly by using her hips to swing her leg forward but that only with assistance. she still cant technically move her left leg or arm yet... but small improvements seem to be the rule of the day... her speech seems to be improved to where she stutters less and is more clear with her statements.

The big hurdle now for her as far as mental development is her inability to focus, she is jumping from one thought to the next, one task to the next, seemingly with no ability to filter them from each other or discern timing on each. For instance, she doesn't seem to be able to keep track of the passing of time in regards to statements she has already made, tasks she has already performed or wants to perform. Its really tough on dad cause for him its as if shes really impatient and impulsive, she cant focus on the task at hand without being easily distracted by just about anything else.

Hopefully with a lot of time, therapy and practice she will be able to get back to her old self.

Keep her in your prayers!

Also keep my family in your prayers please, my job is great and I see in the future that we will be able to become very stable and secure with the income it provides, however its REALLY slow starting out. The commissions are great but it takes a while to get a customer signed on in this industry, so until I get my sales funnel filled up and keep it full its really really tight on money for us...

Thanks!!

This weekend will be extremely busy...

2009-07-10T09:44:00.002-05:00

Ok so I downloaded this new browser called "Flock" and its REALLY cool! Its built off of Mozilla Firefox, but incorporates a CRAP LOAD of great features that SPANK any other browser I have ever used!

For instance, it has a tab or bar on the side that you can track ALL your social networking with, blogging, and even comes with a BLOG EDITOR (similar to windows live writer but better) which I am using to write this blog! It remembers everything so you don't have to keep logging in!
Anyway its supa-cool so go download it HERE...

This weekend will be extremely busy... I am helping someone move Saturday morning, then going to the LAN party at 2pm (which I normally stay till midnight or later), then at 8:30pm I am going to Kenny Underkofler's place to watch UFC 100 "Making History" and man I can't wait! Then after that I am going BACK to the LAN party to play some more games and then get my stuff and come home so I can get up at 6:30am to go to set up gracepointchurch.tv and then in the afternoon prolly try to grab a nap! So ya, VERY busy weekend!

I hope you all have a RELAXING weekend in contrast!

Blogged with the Flock Browser

and MAN did they know how to party!

2009-07-06T08:51:00.002-05:00

Mom and Dad came up on Friday and stayed at the Broadview Hotel, the same one they stayed in last time. They stayed till Sunday morning then went back to Emporia, taking Adrian with them. She is going to stay down there to help Dad for a while, till school starts.

Friday night Mom and Dad treated me to dinner at "Friday's" which was cool, then they came over to visit for a while, to see the new house and by that time Caroline was coming back into town with Adrian and Jaydon. Caroline went to Texas for a week last week, took Jaydon, and came back with Adrian, thus I was a bachelor for a week which explains why I didn't post anything last week! HAHA!!

So then on Saturday Mom and Dad ate lunch with the Driskells, and her sister Sharon. Then they stopped by to see the house again, and then in the afternoon we chilled at home then went to the hotel with Mom and Dad to eat some pizza, and so swimming in the pool with the kids. Then we watched the fireworks form the second floor outside and also on the bridge. Mom wasn't feeling well so Dad had to take her inside before the fireworks started. Wasn't very cool for Dad... He is really a trooper though.

Sunday Mom and Dad went back to Emporia with Adrian, Dad was in a hurry cause Mom still didn't feel good and kept him up all night...

Sat night though when we got home people in my neighborhood were STILL partying till after midnight, and MAN did they know how to party! There must have been $2000 worth of fireworks and mortars on my block ALONE!

Anyway was a pretty good weekend!

a VERY active week

2009-06-27T22:43:00.003-05:00

So this week was Jaydon's 4th Birthday party and he had a BLAST! He wanted to go to Chuckie Cheese for his birthday, so we invited some of his friends and off we went!
CLICK HERE to watch a video of his party! Its only 11 minutes long...

Then the next night we got invited by my boss to go to a place called Flint Oaks, with all my co-workers and their familes too. Free chicken dinner, swimming, and FISHING! Now Jaydon got his first fishing poll from Grandpa and Grandma Hensley for his birthday, it was a Spiderman fishing poll!
So anyway we took him fishing and on his FIRST CAST he caught a fish! He was sooo excited!
CLICK HERE to watch a short video of him reeling it in!

Anyway it was a GREAT week and he had a lot of fun!

Mom and Dad will be coming up next weekend for 4th of July to visit again.
Caroline is leaving Monday morning to go to Texas and spend the week there then bring Adrian home.
Tomorrow is our 6th wedding anniversary! We celebrated last night by taking Jaydon over to a friends house, to spend the night! So we had the night and the house all to ourselves! It was a great time, we went out to eat and had some great conversation, then seen a pretty good movie, then did some walking around downtown and then we went over to Cold Stone Cremery and had some SINFULL good icecream! Then it was back home for the night!

Anyway it was all and all a VERY active week for us and we probably spend too much money but it was some great memories!

David

Micro blogging is easier these days...

2009-06-23T11:22:00.009-05:00

WOW did 12 days just go by without me posting a blog?!?!? SORRY!!

Um well, I guess I have been slacking off on facebook and twitter so if you dont follow me there you are missing out... So I will recap!

After church on fathers day we went to Emporia to visit Mom and Dad, took Dad some new KU decals for his mailbox... and a big metal KU 2008 CHAMP sign that he can post in the garage or his bedroom or wherever...

Got pics of Mom and Dad HERE...and HERE

Oh and check out this cute video I made of Jaydon HERE!

We had lunch on the way there but met them over at Grandma Hensley's house where they had BBQ... REALLY sorry we missed out on that! But then we went back to the house and hung out then went to get some GREAT chinese food before heading out to get back home by 9pm.

Mom is still real emotional about her situation, I guess her and Dad are fighting a little more often about the situation they are still in. Please continue to pray for my Dad to have peace and understanding and wisdom, and for my mother to be less impulsive and to heal faster on her mind and body. She may never regain the use of her left side or she could regain full use, there's no telling form what the doctors say... But she has pain there so its real possible she could get some or all usage back. And as far as the damage to sections of her brain, well that is still a mystery and nobody really can say for certain if her brain will fully repair itself or not.

BTW there is a way for you to subscribe to my blog so that every time I post something you get an email about it. CLICK HERE to do that now...

Again check me out on facebook and twitter for more frequent postings and info...

Micro blogging is easier these days...

David

things are settling down...

2009-06-11T16:11:00.002-05:00

Hey all, sorry its been a crazy week or so here and I haven't had a lot of time to do anything but work and clean and fix stuff around the house!

We had to prepare for a garage sale last night that started today, and will go tomorrow and Saturday. Adrian will be headed down to Texas Friday night with Caroline, they are going to meet halfway with grandma and grandpa Heckman in Gainsville. I am staying behind to keep running the garage sale, we are selling a lot of stuff so far, over $200 already!

Dad went ahead and installed a land-line phone in Mom's room at Holiday Resort, her new number is 620-343-3099, dad should have installed it last night so you can call her anytime on it. she has no long distance on it, so she can't call out to anywhere outside of Emporia. I don't believe he is keeping her cell number any longer as a result.

BTW if you use facebook, or twitter, please add me to your friends list.
My twitter page is at www.twitter.com/davidjhensley
You can search for me on facebook by my full name and you should find me.

Thanks for keeping tabs on my blog, things are settling down in the new house and I will be more regular with my blogs again...

the "crying stage"

2009-06-03T13:22:00.002-05:00

So now its Wednesday, we have been moved into the new home since Saturday, we got the upstairs all situated, still unpacking stuff... the basement is still in disarray, but I am slowly putting together the man-cave, and I already got some wire ran for the PC and the Xbox to be able to be online same time, and the main TV is hooked up downstairs but its in the wrong place, where I want it doesn't have a cable outlet... cable guy is coming Friday to officially complete our transfer but luckily we have had some service already since the last owner of this house had cable on its still physically connected outside.

Mom is doing fine, still the same. Her foot is healed up pretty good now, she is still in the same Holiday Resort... dad is thinking of getting her a land line phone in her room since T-Mobile service there is really bad... There are four stages of stroke recovery... I can't remember all of them but Mom says she's in the stage where shes VERY emotional, she calls it the "crying stage"... she cries A LOT she said... It just breaks my heart to hear her say that and then she breaks out in tears almost immediately. I am praying to God that she gets better FAST so she can get back to restoring her life. I know my Dad is already fed up with this situation and is burnt out already. Taking care of Mom is VERY exhausting both physically and emotionally.

Thanks for continuing to read these blogs and remembering my parents in your thoughts and prayers.

David

ITS A DONE DEAL!

2009-05-28T22:47:00.001-05:00

WOW... I am still in shock...

WE CLOSED ON THE HOUSE!

We are now new home owners!

All I can say is...

THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS!!!

Oh and did I mention that I am surrounded by people of GREAT and PROFOUND character and people that are TRULY angels sent from heaven?!?!

This whole thing, this whole process, which started really back in November, has been a crazy roller coaster ride of emotions and feelings and prayers. God has been showing me throughout how very little I actually trust in Him, and that I need to spend more time building a relationship with Him and less time trying to do things my way.

Thanks be to God, my friends and family, and all the people that prayed to help make this thing happen. I know it seems silly to make a big deal about buying a house, but for us this was our second home, and our first big dream house. God has fulfilled our dreams about this house and answered our many prayers.

I will upload some pics tomorrow or Saturday for all to see.

BTW if you are not doing anything Saturday morning, I am requesting some help loading the truck and helping us unload it at the new place. This will be a fast and furious effort to get all our stuff from the rental house to the new one in one day. If I get enough help it should only take a few hours. I will provide breakfast and lunch for those who come to help... the truck will be there at 9am.

My rental house address is 215 S Willow-Esque St.

My new home address is 11606 W Jewell St.

My cell is 316-990-6885 please RSVP if you are planning on helping so I know how much food to get. THANKS!

I am going to rely on Him again

2009-05-27T15:34:00.002-05:00

Ok, so today I was told by the realtor for Wells Fargo that we CAN close and that they WILL pay the $3000 in closing costs. YEAH GOD! We close tomorrow morning hopefully!

Now, as excited as I was at that moment I was completely torn down in the next second because I was also informed that I didn't get the cashiers check for closing in the right amount. See, I read the paperwork as saying our closing costs were $5100 and I had already paid $1000 in earnest money down back in March, so I figured the diff of $4100 was what I needed to bring to the closing table... I was wrong...

The $5100 on the paperwork had already included my earnest money so in actuality my closing costs were $6100! Why so high? Taxes (the county taxes were much more than anticipated) and extending out my rate lock 3 times cost me about $1400 more than my lender estimated on his original G.F.E. so that means what you ask? It means I gotta go get another cashiers check for $1000 of which I DON'T HAVE....

Well again, God has his hand all over this so I am going to rely on Him again to pull this off cause its gonna be a real challenge coming up with another $1000. I got couple of strings I can pull but they are real thin...

David

Closing is delayed... AGAIN!!!

2009-05-22T18:30:00.004-05:00

So I was scheduled to close at 3pm today, everything is in motion, all the paperwork is done, everything is approved... or so we thought!
I got a call from my realtor 1 hour before closing, stating that Wells Fargo, the bank that is selling me the house on "short sale" is backing out of their agreement to pay $3000 of the closing costs...and they expect us to pay them when they signed and agreed to the contract we submitted to them... So we went to the closing anyway hoping to get a hold of Wells Fargo to clear this up and still sign the paperwork... but we sat there for 2 hours and got nothing done!
Apparently the theory is that the ONE person at Wells Fargo that controls this whole thing decided (after seeing the claim that they filed on the mortgage insurance) NOT to cover the $3000 in closing costs. I bet they didn't get enough money for the short sale from the mortgage insurance company so they decided they didn't want to pay the $3000... but this one chick is the person who has to be consulted and she was not answering her phone all day, and now we have to wait till TUESDAY to try again to get a hold of this gal and get her to approve this closing and pay the $3000... or we will not get the house.
On top of that I found out from my lender that GMAC, whom my loan is approved through, just changed their policy as of today that any FUTURE loans through them have a minimum credit score requirement of 600, mine is not 600... so if this rate lock expires and we don't close then there's NO chance of us getting approved again and we wont get ANY house...
So I have to wait another weekend and I am EXTREMELY pissed off. I mean, what possible lesson is God trying to teach me here, I have already put my faith in him about this closing, and I KNOW he has plans for us and that we are meant to get this house. I guess He doesn't think I truly trust him cause we are being tested YET AGAIN.....its utterly pointless I have already professed His glory throughout all of this and put my total trust in Him throughout all of this.... so WTH?!?!

I need some SERIOUS prayer of peace and trust in Him I guess...
DO NOT pray for PATIENCE for me or I will have to hunt you down and smack you around...

David

I meant to post this yesterday but got to busy at work...

2009-05-19T07:17:00.001-05:00

This weekend Mom and Dad came to Wichita to watch the fireworks for the last night of Riverfest.

Last year they reserved a hotel room at the Broadview and Mom was determined to keep that reservation. My Dad changed the room to a handicapped one, so that Mom's wheelchair could fit into the bathroom and such. Unfortunately the room was not on the river side so in order to see the fireworks we had to go out into the hallway and look through the window by the elevator. But it was big enough for everyone to look through, and even Mom's best friend Jimmy-Lou and her husband Dennis were able to see them with us.

BTW thanks a lot to the Driskells for coming to visit Mom Saturday night, it really made Mom's weekend! Mom is really emotional right now and even though you seen her crying I know that she was really happy to see you and feel your love and support. She needs as much of that as she can get right now. And thanks in advance for your prayers and thoughts for Mom, we all need to pray for her speedy recovery and mental health.

The fireworks for Riverfest were really exciting! They never got boring even though they lasted at least 20 minutes. And the finally was really exciting, watching it only 400-500 yards away from the 6th floor window also made it very cool! Jaydon and Adrian really enjoyed them, Jaydon said it was too loud though...

Today Mom goes to the Doctor to see about her broken foot and how much it has healed. If they say its fully healed enough to return to physical therapy then she may be transferred again to another facility that handles more aggressive stroke recovery. That's what we hope anyway. Mom is REAL tired of being like this she really hates being dependant on others like this and it really hurts her that Dad is having to take care of her its a real heavy burden on him and it stresses him out a bunch. I could feel that Dad is reaching a point where he is about to say he has had enough... I mean who wouldn't; I know he would never say it but the feelings are there... so I prayed and I felt like God told me to give him this verse:

Matthew 11:28-30 (New Living Translation)

²⁸ Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

I wrote that on a piece of paper for Dad and gave it to him right after we ate lunch and they were on their way back to Emporia. I told him to read it and keep it on him at all times so that when he feels like its all too much he can read that verse and give all his burdens to Jesus.

Please continue to pray for Mom and Dad; I know they appreciate it greatly, as do I.

David

River Fest

2009-05-13T10:26:00.001-05:00

Hey just wanted to send a heads up out there that if you are planning on seeing Mom this weekend or want to see her, she will be in Wichita This Saturday. Mom and Dad made reservations last year at the Broadview Hotel for this saturday night, in anticipation of watching the closing fireworks for the River Festival. Even though Mom has had the stroke, she really wants to still go, and Dad says he will give it a shot. She is able to get out and about, and the wheelchair will make it possible to get around. The hotel has changed their reservation to a handicapped room so the wheelchair will fit. I don't know the room number yet but you can call me or Dad for info if you want to come visit mom, and watch the fireworks with us from the hotel room!

David

You are truly God's people!

2009-05-11T10:12:00.001-05:00

Sorry I haven't posted anything in a while, been busy with work and trying to prepare to move.. We still haven't moved yet, still waiting on the bank to approve the short sale... the paperwork is just sitting on someone's desk and waiting for approval, other than that we are ready to go! Patience is not one of my strong suits....

Went and visited Mom yesterday for mothers day...

Dad took her to church in the morning, first time since her stroke I believe... she enjoyed it thoroughly from what I hear. We got there as they were heading over to grandma and grandpa's house for lunch. Its really difficult to get Mom in and out of the car, its a lot of work. Dad seems to be getting pretty efficient at it though. The challenging part was getting her into grandma's house, we had to lift her in the wheelchair up the porch stairs but it wasn't too difficult. There were plenty of strong guys around, hehe.

We had a great lunch, brats and burgers, lots of fixins, and good fellowship time with Dad's brothers, sister and parents. then we went back to the house and hung out for a bit, then Mom was getting tired so we took her back to the Holiday Resort home, and then she had her dinner there. After which we took her back to her room and laid her down for a nap. Then we took Dad out to eat at Montana Mikes, thats where Caroline wanted to go since it was mothers day... we shared a big T-Bone steak! Man I ate good all day yesterday!

Mom's condition is about the same, she still cant move her left arm or leg but she feels pain in both so her nerves are working again but she still doesn't have any control. Her higher brain functions are still slightly impaired, and her speech is getting better, still slightly slurred but you can understand her for the most part. Its kinda like she's buzzin 24/7 from a bottle of wine, hehehe!

Continued prayers for Dad he's really stressed out, taking care of Mom is EXTREMELY taxing on the soul.

Thanks to all of you who are helping with meals, and support. You are truly God's people!

David

VERY REAL. VERY SCARY.

2009-05-05T09:14:00.001-05:00

The Third Jihad is a documentary whose goal is to alert, educate and mobilize Americans about the danger radical Islam poses to both the United States and Western civilization, not only overseas but right here in our own backyard.

As an American, I was blown away by a new documentary that has just come out called “The Third Jihad”, and how it opened my eyes to what many are so blind to.

Check it out at: http://www.thethirdjihadpromo.com/index.php?code=GSMG

I just wanted to make you aware of it as it has just launched on the internet within the last few hours. I know you will be amazed at the trailer — It is being done with new technology that will change how you think of streaming video. But beyond that, I think it is relevant to you as it relates to radical Islam and the impact it is having on the USA. If you are not aware of what America has been up against, just keep your eye on the headlines popping up daily.

Here is an example: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,471004,00.html

Here is another alarming video to watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-3X5hIFXYU

Why do you need to know about it? It will be shown in churches across America in the next few months (now screenings are being done for Pastors and leaders in 35 cities across the USA) and later this month more than 50,000 leaders will participate in a forum about it. In addition, the national press club in Washington will be doing a screening in a few weeks, and then—or maybe before depending on the viral nature of the internet, it will be showing up on several news channels and broadcast satellite feeds.

After you see it you will understand why I believe people will be talking — you and I have to be prepared to answer the questions people have. We have to clearly communicate the love of God to all people and always call them to relationship with the Christ. This will be a great opportunity to practice our mission in the USA.

I look forward to any response or comments as you are able and would welcome any resource links you think would be helpful in processing this information.

Praying to understand the times and opportunities for the Hope of the world.

David

Its like a tennis match...

2009-05-03T15:33:00.001-05:00

Sorry I haven't had the chance to post this till now, but Dad moved Mom from the place in Cottonwood Falls because of an opening in a place in Emporia, its a better place to begin with, and there was not an opening till Thursday... Also the Cottonwood Falls place was not as good as we thought, and Mom was not happy there.

The new place is called the Holiday Resort Adult Care & Rehabilitation Center; the address is 2700 W. 30th Ave Emporia, KS 66801. Its a long term facility like the other one, but it also has rehab. When Mom's foot is healed up we will be able to get her into more aggressive rehab again.

Also the new phone number I posted is no longer valid, Dad only got that because T-Mobile doesn't work in Cottonwood Falls. So moms old number, 620-757-6460 is still the right one. Be advised, the reception in her room is spotty so sometimes the call drops or goes straight to VM...

Sorry for all the back and forth information, its like a tennis match around here lately...

2 steps forward, one step back

2009-04-28T16:37:00.001-05:00

Dad called me today to inform me that mom is now living at the Golden Living Center long term care facility in Cottonwood Falls, KS. This is the place he originally planned to put her after she left the rehab place, but he wanted to try having her at home first. Well it didn't work out at home very well, the house was not really safe yet for her, and the in home care provider was not adequate. Not to mention how EXTREMELY difficult it was for Dad to take care of her, she is NOT physically or mentally ready yet to come home, and even Mom knows it. But of course it was REALLY REALLY hard for Dad and Mom today, when he took her to visit the place, she liked it fine, and said to go ahead and get her checked in. Then they ate dinner there, and after she started asking him to take her home. I can only imagine how hard that must have been for Dad. He was crying when he called me about it.

Also there is no T-Mobile service out there, so Dad is going to get her an ALTEL phone probably today, then take it out to her tomorrow. There is no phone in her room. I am sure this feels like 2 steps forward one step back for mom, and she is really upset about having to go back into a facility. But the fact is that she needs more care and rehab before she can come home; she is currently totally dependent on others to live... Until that changes she can't come home yet.

The place is called Golden Living Center its located at 612 Walnut St Cottonwood Falls, KS 66845 she is in room #218. There is no phone number to call her there, when we get the Altel number we will post it here for you to call her...

Please pray for strength for Dad and quick healing for Mom so this whole ordeal can be put behind us and they can move on with their lives together at home!

David

God is good, he is good indeed!

2009-04-26T19:42:00.001-05:00

Ok so I promised to post something about my new job, so here goes!

I work for a company called GSMG Services LLC.

My job title will be Account Executive; my boss is Perry Johnson. Perry owns GSMG, and we know each other from GracePoint Church. We have been talking about me coming to work for him for a couple of months now, but since Cox was kind enough to relieve me of my duties we decided to expedite my hire date. Things have been falling into place nicely actually, and Perry is ready to have me on board.

My job will be to manage existing and bring on new clients/accounts. I will also be working to promote GSMG and its clients through Internet viral marketing and social networks on the web. One of my first clients is Thomas-Nelson Publishing... perhaps you have heard of them, they are the oldest operating company in America. They were founded in 1798! Check out the link for them, they have a pretty amazing story! I am flying out with Perry on Thursday to meet with them in Nashville... pretty exciting!

One of my other tasks is to so some viral marketing on a new documentary film called "The Third Jihad"...

This is an EYE-OPENING film that will really make you pay attention to the silent war that is being waged inside our own sovereign borders! Make sure you click on the picture above to watch the trailer and find out how you can view this alarming look into the war you may not know about....

Anyway, God is good, he is good indeed! I think I will really enjoy this new challenge and I know God has plans to prosper me and not to harm me! Thanks for all your prayers!

David

EXCITING TIMES!

2009-04-25T11:12:00.003-05:00

Mom is home, we got her last night about an hour or so after they got home from Topeka. Mom spend the night for the first time in her new hospital bed in her own home, she said it was great to be home, but she did wake up a lot last night. She is meeting with the in home care specialist today, and we might get her out to Wal-Mart today if it doesn't rain.

Dad is already seeing how difficult its going to be here with Mom, wheelchair access in the house is limited, and going to the restroom is a real chore. The wheelchair will not fit into the bathroom, so giving her a bath is going to be a challenge, and she has a portable pottie chair she has to use for now. But I can see she is really happy to be home. Dad will need all the help he can get, so if anyone wants to volunteer to come help out like, cleaning the house, or bringing dinner, mostly he will need help on the weekends. We will be coming up at least every other weekend for now.

Had my first day at the new job yesterday, and my new office is HUGE! I will post pictures soon.. its really nice! I am flying out to Nashville next week with my boss to meet new clients. EXCITING TIMES!

David

Pics of Mom

2009-04-23T21:34:00.001-05:00

Ok so I forgot to post these pics from Tuesday, its been a CRAZY week!

Here are some pics of Mom and Dad from Tuesdays visit!

BTW I got a new job, as an account executive working for this company: www.gsmgservices.com

I will tell you more about it later!

Mom comes home tomorrow! I will be ther tomorrow night to help, taking the whole family to visit.

More to come later!

David

"watch this"

2009-04-22T00:00:00.001-05:00

I just got home from visiting Mom, and I have a lot to talk about!

Mom got her hair cut this morning, looks good... when I got there they were giving her a shower, then she went into physical therapy. Then the head nurse in charge of my mothers stay at the rehab hospital came to talk to me and my Dad. Because of her fractured foot, her progress has been slowed, so based on the insurance company and all the other variables, they have decided to discharge mom this week. She will be home by Friday... now this is GREAT news for Mom, she can't stand it there, and wants to come home! But I feel as if she should stay there longer. Dad has also decided it would cost him as much maybe less to take her home and get in-home health care, and help from friends and family, than it would be to put in into Cottonwood Falls long term care facility, so he has decided to keep her at home. He has already started making arrangements, and I may be going back up on Friday to help transition her home.

Wheelchair, hand-rails, a walker, a 4 leg-based walking cane, a medical bed, a portable toilet; these are a few things Dad has already acquired or will have by Friday... Dad seems confident that based on moms recent progress and her ability to stand now and take small steps, (yes, even with her broken foot, she has been able to stand more and take small amounts of steps.. but not really using her left leg, just swinging it forward with her hips) that with at least one person helping her at all times that she will be fine at home. The in-home health care will continue her occupational therapy and some light physical therapy. When her foot heals completely, 4-6 weeks, then she can go back into the rehab place in Topeka, or make trips there, to continue her rehab. She can also do that in Emporia, or Cottonwood Falls. But for now she will be going home.

I can tell you she is VERY excited, she wanted to come home tonight! She was very persistent about leaving tonight, she didn't see the reason for waiting! But that's one of the things about Mom that is why she still has a long way to go, her ability to reason is still far from normal, she's too impulsive and doesn't think things out before acting, so this is dangerous for her. That's why when she gets home there will always be a "sitter" to watch over her.

One really cool thing too that happened today was right before I left, she was laying in bed, and mom said, "watch this" then she lifted her left leg off the bed at least 6 inches! She kept her leg stiff too, her knee was straight, but not locked! She did it a couple of times, I was shocked! Even Dad didn't know she could do that! So YEAH GOD there is some stuff happening that appears to indicate Mom will have some use of her left side again, she still cant move her arm though... if she hadn't fractured her foot she would most likely be further along in progress and still be staying there... oh well...

So the good news is that Mom is coming home and she is VERY happy about it, and would LOVE some visits from people I am sure! Please call in advance though, can't have everyone showing up all at once! HAHA!

David

But I digress…

2009-04-20T10:30:00.001-05:00

Caroline and the kids went to visit Mom yesterday, I stayed home due to some prior commitments. I will be going up tomorrow to visit mom on my own… since I have no job right now I am a lot more flexible hehe…

Mom wanted me to again say thank you for all the visits, cards, letters, gifts, she is very pleased about all the love she is being shown. She also told me you guys appreciate reading my blogs, so I will continue to update you on her progress. Eventually I will teach mom how to blog on her own, when she is able to type again and get on a pc on a regular basis.

I am still waiting on Cox to tell me whether or not I I am hired for any of the three positions I applied for last week. I should know something today or tomorrow.

Tomorrow Mom gets her feeding tube removed, it has been there for long enough to where the tissue around it has healed enough for removal. She says its going to be pretty painful, so I will try to be there for her. I will leave early in the morning to head straight to Topeka, or I might leave tonight and stay in Emporia then drive early to Topeka in the morning…

Also Dad told me it might be very soon that they transfer Mom to the Cottonwood Falls facility, the insurance company is pressuring Dad about getting her out of the rehab place, they say she has stayed longer than what they normally approve… even though she is making progress, they are saying to him that they want her out of there… It makes me really angry that insurance is not willing to cover her entire recovery…. I mean what the hell is insurance for if they cut it off before you are completely healed? Or at least somewhat close to being healed…. they want to boot her out now, and she still cant use her left arm or leg! That’s like kickin out a birthing mom before they even cut the umbilical cord!

But I digress… God is in control, he will take care of my mom, especially with all of you WONDERFUL people praying for her!

David

"Platinum Technologies"

2009-04-17T08:54:00.001-05:00

Thanks so much for continuing to visit my blog site! As you may have noticed I have updated my site, I am starting to kick my computer servicing business into the next gear, so I have started the process of updating my web site to include a page for "Platinum Technologies" so you can click on it to get info about my business. If you live in the Wichita area, and you or someone you know ever needs help with their computer, or is looking to get a new one and wants to custom build, please contact me.

Update on Mom:

I will not be able to go see Mom this weekend due to some prior commitments but I plan to try to visit her the first of the week. I might go up on Monday afternoon or something, just me... then next weekend take the whole family. Mom is doing good, she remains positive, but wants to get out of that place as fast as she can... she wants to go home of course, but sometimes forgets that she cant. She has a little trouble still remembering what her limitations are due to the stroke, but I think that's a good thing, because she will be constantly trying to push back those limitations till she can overcome them completely. One thing Mom is not in short supply of is determination...

I should find out something today about the jobs I applied for at Cox... I will keep you posted. BTW if you are a person who likes FACEBOOK like me, and you are not already on my friends list, please add me! Also I use TWITTER, so find me there if you like and follow my updates, and I will follow yours too!

Have a great day!

David

I call that "strong-arm" convo...

2009-04-13T19:40:00.001-05:00

I had my interview today, got another one tomorrow for another call center position, feeling pretty good about both interviews... will keep you all updated...

Mom is doing great, last two days she is getting better at getting herself up from the toilet without too much assistance, mainly for balance, she still has to use her right arm and leg only. Still no movement from her left side. Last week however, she was getting up from the toilet and there was only one nurse to help her, and she said her right leg just kinda gave out on her, and she collapsed down on to her left ankle and foot with her rear... it broke a bone in her foot. I was not happy, Dad said there should have been a second nurse there... but he is still yet to be convinced that her safety is in jeopardy. If she has another fall accident at this place I am gonna have to get in someone's face up there....

Dad is pretty well prepared now for mom to transfer to Cottonwood Falls for long term once the insurance runs out at this short term place, and he sold the truck so that he can meet the requirements of Medicare/Medicaid. He told me today that the insurance company told him that they normally don't approve anyone longer than 4 weeks in this place... I call that "strong-arm" convo... they don't want to have to pay more than the minimum possible...

Gee, maybe I should open an insurance company so I can rake in peoples hard earned money; then when they need it the most, only give them enough to get by... What an AWESOME idea...

Mom wanted me to send out a big THANK YOU!

2009-04-10T09:08:00.001-05:00

Hey all, sorry for the long delay again in posting.

For those of you who don't know, I was laid off at Cox on Tuesday. The VP of sales decided that the Direct Sales channel that I was apart of, no longer generated enough revenue to outweigh its cost to operate. Over 15 people lost their jobs as well. We are all re-hirable at Cox but we must apply for other positions as external candidates. However we were offered a severance package and I personally have already gotten an interview scheduled for Monday. I will try to get on in the call center, should have no problem getting the job, and from what I have heard the call center has been instructed to treat us as internal candidates when interviewing and considering us for the job.

Mom wanted me to send out a big THANK YOU for all the support and prayers she has been getting. She really loves getting all the cards and gifts and love from her friends and family. She and Dad are also very appreciative of the people that are showing exceptional support and love when unexpected. You know who you are!

So far Mom is still approved for more time at the rehab place, however Dad has been very busy in preparing for when she is no longer going to be there. There is a rehab place that is long term in Cottonwood Falls, and Dad has started preparations for that already. Also Dad is working on getting Mom on disability and medicare.

Please continue to pray for my Dad and all the work he is doing on top of his job and on top of taking care of Mom. I have not been able to be up there very much to help him in the last 3 weeks, and I know he must feel overwhelmed.

Mom was hankerin for some fried chicken!

2009-04-06T10:17:00.003-05:00

I had a great visit with Mom on Saturday. We drove up to Emporia first and dropped off Jaydon, he stayed at the house with Dad and had a "Jaydon & Papa" day while Adrian, Caroline and I went up to Topeka to visit Mom.
Sharon, Marion and Stacie also came up to visit Mom. So she had a whole gang of family there! We got there just as she was going her speech therapy, and the gal said she was making great improvements! I have noticed an improvement in her speech as well.
Then we went to her physical therapy session at 11am, it was only a light 1 hour stretching class, nothing grueling or hard to do. She still cant move her left arm or leg, but she is still having pains and sensations so the doctors explained it as the two halves of her brain are fighting over control of her left side, and the nerve impulses are contradicting and causing the pain. Eventually it will get better, and she will start to be able to control her left side. Whether or not she gets back full mobility is yet to be determined.
So then we went and got lunch, we brought back some KFC cause Mom was hankerin for some fried chicken!
Then Dad came up around 3pm with Jaydon so he could see Nana.
Sharon and them left around 3pm, then we left around 5pm.
Mom is doing better as far as eating, speech, focusing on tasks, and she can sit up on her own in a wheelchair really good, she can support her own head almost normal now, she just gets tired after a while and needs to lay down.

After we left I got a call from Mom on Sunday morning saying that her and 6 other people on her floor got food poisoning from the supper that was served to them that night after we left... I was not happy at all to say the least. Two of the people who got sick from the food went into code blue!! CRAZY! This does not boost my confidence in this facility at all! But we will continue there for now...Dad seems to think it will be fine that it was a random rare event...

Thanks for all your prayers for Moms recovery!

Sorry for the delay in posting...

2009-04-02T08:58:00.001-05:00

Mom is still doing great, talked to Dad last night about her progress. She is making more improvements physically as well as mentally, yesterday the nurse said she was very engaged in conversation all day, seemed more focused with her speech and dialog.

I am going up to Topeka this Sat and taking the kids with me to visit mom. I will post another update after that.

On a side note, Caroline and I are waiting to hear about a bid we put on a house to buy, we originally wanted to buy this house a few months ago, and we actually were waiting for the bank to repo the house when someone put an offer on it. We were very disappointed because we REALLY liked the house and we were praying over it every time we drove past it to take Adrian to school. Now its available again, that offer never went through. So we put a bid in and are waiting for the bank to either accept our offer or counter it. They may decline it altogether also... Please keep us in your prayers!

Bed-ridden for a few days!

2009-03-28T21:22:00.001-05:00

Thanks to everyone for caring enough about my mom to read my blog updates about her. I really appreciate it! I want to apologize for not posting a lot this week, I have been sick for nearly 6 days straight! First Adrian and Caroline got the stomach flu last Friday night and Sat morning, then I got it Sat night, then by Monday evening I was over it but immediately came down with Strep....needless to say I have been bed-ridden for a few days!

I talked to mom a couple times today, she said she got a real good nights sleep last night so shes feeling as good as one could feel in her situation. She does however have a staff infection around the feeding tube in her stomach, its not uncommon for that to develop from what I am told. They are giving her some antibiotics for it, her blood thinner levels are back to normal, and from what I hear she is regularly participating in some rehab for the last 3 days. She is officially approved for about 2 more weeks to stay there per the insurance company. But Dad and I are still talking and forecasting what may need to be done after the insurance company is no longer interested in paying for her rehab... Which is not going to be very long from now...Most insurance companies don't want to keep paying for a short term rehab if they don't have to...

Just an update on moms condition, she still has no use of her left arm or leg, she cannot see out of her left eye either, her speech is better, she has phantom pains in her left arm (they are giving her meds for that too), she can and has been sitting up in a chair occasionally. She can get out of bed whenever she wants but must have assistance, she pretty much still requires 24/7 attention. Apparently on Thursday one of the nurses was attempting to help mother go to the restroom and mom lurched forward suddenly and the nurse was unable to keep her from falling out of the bed. Mom has a nice shiner now for that little episode....but Dad said she isn't complaining of any pain and they x-rayed her and there is nothing broken or damaged... just a bruise... But we all know Mom will bruise on her pinkie if you so much as breathe on it! She bruises easily no doubt!

Well please continue to check here for updates, I know I am sporadic with my posts, but I will try to keep them more regular!

FINALLY....

2009-03-24T19:45:00.002-05:00

I talked to Dad tonight, Mom is FINALLY moved to the rehab hospital. The address is 1504 SW 8th Ave Topeka, KS; her room number is 235B. The phone number if you want to try to call her is 785-232-8508 just ask for rm 235B.

Dad has asked that any cards or flowers be sent to the house, and he can bring them up to mom. Their address is 1119 Prairie St Emporia, KS 66801.

Thanks for all your continued prayers and thoughts.

Also keep my Dad in your thoughts he is having to deal with a lot of stress and heartache from the insurance company about her treatment. Today was the first day Mom was able to get out of bed, get in a wheelchair, no IV's, no catheter, and go eat in the dining room at the rehab hospital. But her and Dad were fighting back the tears, Mom was very ashamed and embarrassed to have to be there surrounded by people a lot older than her and in worse shape. Mom has a lot of pride and this is hard for her to deal with but I have talked to Dad and asked him to be strong for her cause she needs that strength from him to be able to get out of that place. Please pray for strength for my Dad and peace for my Mom.

Thanks!

David

Its like a roller coaster....

2009-03-23T19:14:00.002-05:00

Ok, so they finally got mom's blood thinner up to the right level Saturday and they are going to transfer her Monday to the rehab place....

Then my dad calls me this morning to tell me now her blood is TOO thin... they over-dosed her on the blood thinner and now she can hemorrhage and bleed to death so now we have to wait and get the levels back down....

Its like a roller coaster....

So today was supposed to be the day they were going to transfer her into rehab but now we have to wait again....

Can't seem to get her blood thinner levels right.....

2009-03-19T19:26:00.003-05:00

Sorry I haven't posted a blog update about mom in a while, Carolines parents are in town for the spring break and I have been crazy busy.

Mom is still in Stormont-Vail... they cant seem to get her blood thinner levels right, and they wont transfer her to the rehab place till they do. She is still seeing things that are not there... also she gets real restless between like 6pm and 10pm... My dads patience is wearing real thin. When he gets real frustrated he can get a sitter to come in, and he has been traveling back to Emporia for work and to sometimes sleep at the house.

We are headed up there tomorrow night and will stay till sat night, it will be another week before I can take a break from serving at church. We have all new lights in a new location since we left the UMC... and I have to train the others how to use them.

Please continue to pray for my mom and that her recovery goes well. But also pray for peace and strength for my dad. He does not possess the spiritual gift of serving, therefore he has a hard time being patient and not getting frustrated when hes taking care of mom.

David

Determination...

2009-03-14T18:38:00.002-05:00

Just got back from visiting Mom and Dad in Topeka. Mom is doing alot better as far as speech, her hand that was infiltrated with the IV is looking alot better. Her ability to control her left side is the same... which is to say not able to at all. Dad is doing better too, his apetite is coming back.

The feeding tube in moms stomach is causing her some pain, its real sensative. The doctors came in when I was there and did something to it to make it more comfortable, but it really hurt her when they did. She is seeming to get better sleep at night Dad said. During the day she is pretty coherant but at night its a little difficult to understand her. She sees things still that are not there.

Dad and I went to the rehab place and toured the floor Mom would be going to and we both liked it. She may be transfered there as early as Monday or Tuesday. Its right across from Stormont-Vail. Kansas Rehap Hospital is the name, not sure of the address. It may be 3 weeks to 3 months they said for a stroke patient like mom to recover enough to go home. It all depends on a number of variables like; determination of the patient to go home, family support, severity of injury, emotional health, ect.

Mom certainly has alot of determination, she asks every doctor and nurse that comes in to bring her a glass of wine, or a beer. She also keeps trying to get me to bring her a beer or sneak her out in a wheelchair to go to McDonalds...

She certainly will have lots of family support too, and the support of your prayers. Thanks again for all your continued prayers! You guys dont know how much it means to all of us, and Mom especially. We tell her about all the people praying for her and it lights up her face, then she says "I need all the prayers I can get!"

Baby Steps

2009-03-11T08:33:00.004-05:00

I talked to my mom on the phone yesterday... she sounds alot better. Her throat is clearing up, and she can swallow now better, the doctors are letting her try some liquids and real soft foods like mash potato's. Its looking like the first of next week when they will move her to a rehap hospital. The one right across from Stormont-Vail is likely where she will go. Dad went and checked it out, and both he and I have done some research into it and got really good information, and lots of praises from everyone we ask about it. Its called "Kansas Rehab Hospital"... it has a private room that would be alot like an apartment, mom will have her own little kitchen and every day they will work with her for 3 hours straight on getting back to her old self. I have heard lots of good things about their program.

Anyway, Dad has been getting a break, the hospital shes at now has some volunteers that sit with mom so dad can leave to get some sleep or to go back to work. He is slowly working back into a normal routine, its kinda weird, normally dad leaves in the morning and mom watches peoples kids. Now someone watches her when dad leaves.

Day by day she seems to be making little baby steps of improvement. Last night when I talked to her on the phone she wanted me to bring her the pajamas from her third drawer on the left... she was very specific, then she asked me to wrap them around a bottle of bud light lime and bring them to her!

David

Long term thinking

2009-03-09T09:14:00.001-05:00

This week I will be researching for the best rehap place to put mom in, its time to start looking for long term care. I talked to my Dad and he mentioned a place in Cottonwood Falls, which is only 18 miles from Emporia. I will also be looking for places in Wichita, and Topeka. Emporia has none that we know of. Ultimately we want the best one available and also the closest one.

So far Mom is pretty much the same, she is making little baby steps of improvement each day. Her coughing has gone way down, she is sleeping for longer periods of time. Dad is getting help from family so he can get the chance to get away and shower and get new clothes.

Thanks for all your prayers!

I am home now

2009-03-05T22:24:00.003-06:00

Caroline and Adrian came up to get me in Topeka, and to visit mom. Jaydon stayed with a friend. I just got in about 20 min ago and I wanted to post an update on mom.

Not much has changed since my post from yesterday, and now that I am home I am only going to post stuff about mom if theres significant changes, but even if theres not, I will try to post something at least every 2-3 days. Dad is staying with her, and I am going to try to organize some relief for him throughout this next week. So if you are reading this, and you have some time this next week, if you can maybe go up and give my dad a few hours break please contact me. I have to return to work for this next week, but I may take the week after that off, depending on moms condition and how well she improves.

Mom is pretty much like an infant now, when she sleeps its only for 45 min to an hour at a time. If shes lucky she might get 2 hours straight, but its only right after she gets her pain meds. Once they wear off shes awake, coughing and gaging due to the trauma to her throat from the breathing tube and from the fact that she cant swallow correctly now. And just when it seems she is getting some good sleep some doctor or therapist or nurse comes in to take blood, move her around or do a breathing treatment. And she cannot feed herself at all because she cannot swallow. So when shes awake she needs constant attention.

Thus, as you can imagine, my dad is getting about the same sleep schedule. I tried to tag team with him when I was there to give him some extra sleep but now that I am gone hes gonna need some REAL prayer. Please pray that God gives him strength and resolve, that he helps him sleep peacefully and that he eats normally to keep up his strength. I had to make him eat 2 meals a day, he has no appetite at all. I cant imagine how hard this is for him, its super hard for me as her son, but thats his wife laying there, helpless and debilitated.

Also I guess one other update is that since mom cannot swallow well yet, tomorrow they are putting in a tube directly to her stomach, its a 15 min procedure, they make a small incision in her abdomen and put a tube through her stomach wall right into the side of her stomach, so that she can get some food. Its the only way because they tried to put a feeding tube down her throat again yesterday and only succeeded in making her nose bleed, and making her angry. Even if she starts eating normally in a couple weeks, this tube has to stay in for at least 6 weeks before they can remove it, due to the healing of the abdomen and surrounding muscle.

Thank you to everyone who is reading this regularly and cares enough to think of mom and pray for her. I feel a lot of love from all of you and I know mom does too.

David

Mom has moved to a regular room

2009-03-04T17:24:00.001-06:00

Room 585 (5th floor North Tower)
Well mom has been moved to a regular room now and can have visitors. She is technically out of critical care now. She still has trouble with swallowing so they said they are going to put the feeding tube back in sometime today. Mom can speak better but she still cannot grasp her situation yet. She keeps asking to get up and walk around and go to the bathroom. She keeps asking for me to bring her some beer and french fries. It would be funny except for the fact that she won't be able to have that stuff for a long long time.

I broke down today for the first time... It was when the speech theropist was trying to get her to read some cards and open her eyes. The thing that is really messing me up is that it seems like the damage caused by the stroke is more than just motor development and speech. I'm worried that her intelligence is also damaged. Her personality seems to be the same, she's still trying to make jokes like normal and being awnry as usual...but she doesn't understand the severity of her condition, its either denial (which would be prefferable) or her brain damage has affected her cognative state.

Please continue to pray for my mother Debbie, for healing and pain relief. Please also pray for my dad Mike, for stength and peace. Its incredibly hard to see her in this way, and to be there for her and tend to her, help her with basic functions. Its all he or I can do to keep from breaking down every 5 minutes...
David J. Hensley
MDU Sales Specialist
316-833-6727

update on mom

2009-03-04T09:46:00.002-06:00

Last night mom pulled the feeding tube out... not a great thing to do. But they left it out. They just did a swallow test and gave her some pudding and ice chips, and some water. They are going to make sure she can swallow without aspirating again. Once they can determine she can eat and drink on her own, then they may go ahead and transfer her out of Critical Care... that would be GREAT! Then she can get a regular room and my dad can sleep in there with her. Right now both of us have been using chairs in the waiting room... needless to say my back is killin me!

Mom still doesn't fully understand her situation though, she insists that she can get out of bed and walk and yet she cant even move her fingers or toes on the left side. Her speech is still real bad, a speech specialist is examining her today, and will be the one to determine if she can swallow ok.

Please continue to pray for my dad as well, he is better but he doesn't have any appetite and is really depressed. I am trying to stay up her mostly to support him.

David

Finally Extubated!

2009-03-03T16:21:00.004-06:00

The breathing tube is out, mom is breathing on her own now! YEAH GOD!
Also she is no longer sedated, they have stopped those meds completely.
The not so good news, she still cannot move anything on her left side. She can almost open her eyes on her own, she is trying to talk, but cant very well. She nods and moves her right side very well, but she still is a long way from getting out of bed. I expect the doctors will keep her here for a least another week.

More updates to come. Thanks for your prayers, thoughts, and love!

hour by hour, day by day....

2009-03-03T11:12:00.002-06:00

I got back up to Topeka around 10am this morning, went to see the heart specialist with dad, he advised us that moms heart is weakened but still ok, the clot may have weakened it or it might just be the trauma of the stroke, no way to tell. We haven't talked to the lung specialist yet today, but since about 8:30 am they have been running trials to test how well she can breath on her own and have greatly reduced her sedation meds to try and see how she responds. She is breathing good now, as long as she doesn't get too agitated she can continue the breathing trials. Eventually the lung specialist will determine the point when they will remove the tube, but it sounds like it may be a while. Most likely not today or tomorrow. I know I keep saying that but that's why they tell me...

Anyway she did open her eyes for a second and seen me and Dad, that was very hard to deal with, but a good thing. She can respond to us by nodding her head and squeezing her right hand, she cannot move her left hand. It will be at least another week here in this hospital before she can possibly be released to a physical therapy facility, that's assuming we get her to breath well on her own and get her off the sedation meds by then.

Right now its just hour by hour, day by day....
Will keep you posted.

Progress?

2009-03-02T22:38:00.002-06:00

Today the doctors tried taking mom off the resperator but leaving the tubes in. She breathed fine on her own for over 2 hours but then they put her back on it, I guess she was having problems after they changed her bed sheets, which tells me they should have left her alone. Dad said they were kinda rough with her... that really gets me angry.

I am headed back up there first thing in the morning.

More waiting....

2009-03-02T10:18:00.003-06:00

I just talked to another doctor who thinks mom may have a spot of pneumonia in one of her lungs, they are calling in a lung doctor sometime today... just to make sure whether or not to take her off the ventilator and extubate her. So more waiting... for now she is stable and resting. will keep you updated.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!

David

Update on Mom's condition

2009-03-01T13:02:00.002-06:00

We just talked to a doctor, they want to leave mom intubated till tomorrow, so no removal of the breathing tube as of yet. When she first stroked, she may have aspirated and that basically means some fluid from her stomach went into her lungs, that's why they put the tube in now. They want to make sure she doesn't get more sick.

Here's the news about the stroke, it was pretty large. They wouldn't give us an exact description cause they say they don't know exactly, not even a percentage guess, but he said that the damage is significant. The damaged tissue in the brain is permanent, and she will basically have to relearn some motor development skills. The stroke is on the right side of her brain, which means her left arm and legs are affected, and her speech is affected as well as the left side of her face. Right now she is on a powerful blood thinner, but the thinner is also a risk because it could cause some bleed over into the stroke area of her brain. The doctor said its a risk we have to take, if we take her off the thinner the clot will definitely cause a heart attack.

The other thing is, that the piece of the clot that broke off is still there, no way to remove it. The main clot is still there, no way to remove it either. If another piece breaks off again and causes her to stroke again she may not wake up ever again. Right now the doctors cant see anything beyond a few days, so we have to just wait to see what the extent of the damage is. Tomorrow they will try to extubate her and lesson the sedation meds... hopefully she will be able to recover on her own from the stroke and her brain will find new ways to rewire itself around the stroked areas... Please continue your prayers, I know I am asking a lot of you but I believe in the power of prayer, and I believe in Gods grace.

Thank you! My Dad and family thanks you!

David

Mom update

2009-03-01T08:55:00.002-06:00

We are still waiting on the doctors to tell us more, Mom is still sedated and they had to restrain one of her arms to keep her from pulling out the tubes. She is moving more of her left side now, she moves around a bit, shifting in her bed seemingly to try to get more comfortable. They say she can hear us so we talk to her and visit her often. Sometime today the doctors are going to try removing her from the ventilator to see how she breathes on her own and they will lessen the sedation meds as well to see how she responds and comes around.
Thanks for your continued prayers.

Thanks in advance for your continued prayers!

2009-02-28T16:03:00.003-06:00

I am in the waiting room at Stormont Vail hospital. Mom is undergoing tests, and is still intibated and asleep (chemically induced)... The doctors say she most likely had a blood clot that broke off and went into the brain causing a stroke. They are testing now for seizures and other things, (CT scan, ect), and will later today try taking the tube out and taking her off the breathing machine to see how much she can function. she may still have another stroke if they cannot remove the clot. A heart specialist is going to visit her also today. They are asking us also if we want them to try to save her if she cannot sustain herself. These are going to be hard decisions my dad and I are going to make.
I will keep you all updated, thanks again for your crazy love and prayers, I have felt very well cared for over the last 8 hours.

David

GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE

2009-01-14T22:43:00.001-06:00

Have you ever experienced EXCELLENT customer service? I mean, unexpected, eye opening, WOW factor service?

The other day I was at CiCi's on west Central, with my wife and son for lunch. I dont know if you guys have eaten there lately or not, but they have made some changes to their menu. Several, in fact. I won't go into all of them, but one in particular got me a little miffed...cheese-breadsticks.

If you have ever had their cheesey breadsticks, you understand my plight when I say, WTH?!?! Those are the best! In fact, when I discovered this, I was in line, and the manager was informing me of all the changes they made. I said outloud, "Man those cheesey breadsticks are your best menu item, how could you possibly remove them? What a big mistake, I come here alot and its mostly because of some of your 'signature' items, like the peperoni flips and your mac&cheese pizza, and the cheesey breadsticks." The manager simply appologized and showed me the new breadsticks they have, which are more like the ones you get at Fazzoli's (which are also very good, but not cheesey). I tried one, but I dont like them as much at all... with out the cheese its just not the same.

So I go back to me seat, clearly dejected... and about 8 minutes later a different manager walks by our table, and puts down a plate FULL of freshly made cheesey-breadsticks! And man did he pile on the cheese and herbs! I mean, these had to be the best looking, best smelling, and best tasting ones I have ever had! All he said when he put the plate down, was "SHHHHH..." with his finger over his mouth! He then smiled and walked away.

WOW!!! My eyes were practically watering with sheer happiness and bliss as I scarffed down possibly the last CiCi's cheesy-breadsticks I'll ever have!

Thats the kind of EXCELLENT customer service that changes peoples perspective on the world. Man if we could all be like that manager, give like that guy, just for the joy of seeing that persons face light up like the Christmas Tree in Central Park....makes ya wonder how different the world would be...

Long delay... again...

2009-01-05T14:05:00.001-06:00

Sorry for the long dealy again, been moving, christmas, new years, ect ect... theres always an excuse it seems for me to miss out from posting blogs... now that I am on facebook I find myself reading others blogs more and writing less...

But we are finally settled into our rental house, everythings unpacked for the most part, or stored downstairs. We are still looking forward to getting into that home on Jewell street after the bank repo's it... could take 3 to 4 months. Will keep you all updated...

I have been feeling like God is putting on my heart lately that we need to start our own life group at GracePoint, so I talked to Terry (our life groups pastor) and advised him we were interested in becoming leaders of a life group, we already have some couples who I have talked to that are willing to help us start the group. Our new rental house is plenty big enough for a small group plus kids... so here in the next couple of weeks we will hopefully be starting up a new group...
Anyway...
More to come later... but not too much later hopefully...

Finally!

2008-12-22T23:13:00.003-06:00

Well, its official: we are NO LONGER home owners! YEAH PRAISE GOD!

I wanted to wait till we actualy closed and signed the papers before I said it outloud to everyone!
We moved into our rental home a week before we closed, for a various amount of reasons, but we were still not sure about the closing, we have to bring ALOT more money to close than originally anticipated, but God has plans to prosper us and not to harm us, and we believe that whole heartedly! With a little help from my parents, (actually alot of help), also from people like Mike and Judy Rayl, Mike Snow, Jaime Burke, Perry and Laura Johnson, and by the grace of God we were able to get everything done and close on the sale of our first home. Thanks to everyone for your prayers, thoughts, actions, and overall contributions in various forms that made it possible! its true that God honors commitment, and we have certainly seen that come to fruition.

Now we are renting a REALLY big and nice home till we can get into the home we have been praying and dreaming about for about 3 months. It will come available to us for purchase very soon, within 3-4 months. So we will keep praying that Gods will allows us to purchase this wonderful home in Goddard school district for WAY under value. Which will definately help make up for the equity and profit we lost on selling our home.

Oh, and by the way, MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Not looking good...

2008-12-12T08:21:00.001-06:00

Well the FHA appraiser for the buyers lender is being very difficult. He is saying our house is worth $4000 less than our sale price of $98,000, which is a load of horse manure!!! I had this house appraised last year at $102,000 and this guy says its only worth $94,000... which is an $8000 difference. I think the guy sprinkled some crack on his wheaties that morning before he came over and looked at our house...
I dont care what the housing markets are doing right now or what the credit crisis is; theres no freakin way it would cause my home to lose $8000 in value... So we are now at an empass becasue neither the buyer nor do we have $4000 to bring to the table. I have requested a new apprasial but it prolly wont happen because of the loan from the buyers being an FHA loan. If they try to go conventional it might happen but its looking like we may not sell the house after all... THIS IS VERY DISTRESSING since we have already begun the process of packing and moving and transfering everything to the new rental house...

If you can say a prayer for us over the next few days that would be FANTASTIC!

Update...

2008-12-09T08:32:00.002-06:00

Ok so I have again been neglecting my blogging duties...

However I have good reason! We have been working furiously on getting our house ready for closing. We have painted the trim on the outside, fixed cracked window, repaired rotten wood on the porch, fixed a downed wire from the house to the garage, and the last thing I need to do is put a new finish on the porcelain bathtub. I will do that next Monday, and we will be moving into the rental house on Monday as well; or possibly Tuesday...

So keep us in your prayers that everything goes smoothly on the closing which is supposed to be Friday the 19th at 4pm.

David

WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

2008-11-25T12:16:00.000-06:00

OK, SO I AM SITTING HERE WAITING FOR MY HEAVEN SENT WIFE (AN ANGEL FOR SURE) TO COME AND UNLOCK THE VAN FOR ME CAUSE I LOCKED MY KEYS IN THE VAN....AGAIN...FOR THE 6TH TIME...IN AS MANY MONTHS....WHY?!?!?!
WHAT POSSIBLE LESSON AM I SUPPOSED TO LEARN HERE THAT THE FIRST 5 TIMES DIDNT TEACH ME?!?!?!
I USED TO GET MAD AT MY WIFE LAST YEAR FOR DOING THIS LIKE 4 TIMES MAX...IN A 2 YR TIMEFRAME... BUT AFTER THE 3RD TIME IN ONE YEAR I DECIDED TO CHANGE MY PERSPECTIVE... NOW ITS 3 MORE TIMES I HAVE DONE THIS...AND ITS BEEN ONLY 2 1/2 MONTHS TIME... WHAT POSSBILE REASON COULD THERE BE FOR THIS? I AM NOT DOING ANYTHING DIFFERENT THAN LAST YEAR!!! THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS LAST YEAR I HAD A KEYLESS ENTRY SYSTEM.. DIFF CAR.. SO I GUESS I NEED TO GO BUY ONE... BUT IT SURE FEELS LIKE SATAN TRYING TO KICK MY ARSE CONSTANTLY!! BETWEEN THIS AND FAMILY STRESS AND WORK STRESS.. I CANT GET A BREAK!!!

YEAH GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-11-21T18:07:00.000-06:00

PRAISE GOD ON HIGH WHO REIGNS FOREVER AND EVER!!!
HALLELUIAH THANK YOU JESUS!!!!

WE HAVE A CONTRACT ON OUR HOME!!!!!
CLOSE DATE December 19th!!!!

Thank you for all your prayers!

More details to follow!

David & Caroline

A Glimmer of Hope...

2008-11-20T18:54:00.002-06:00

We have an offer on our home! But the price was really low, we accepted all their conditions otherwise, and countered with a higher sale price. We are now waiting to see if they will accept our counter offer.

But another really cool thing has happened, if we do get this contract signed, the close date could be December 19th! So we will have to scramble to find a place to live while we wait for the house we want to buy to be available... So I did some digging and searching and calling... and through a co-worker I found a home we can rent, the owner will rent it to us DIRT CHEAP for 2-3 months, and its completely furnished and its on the west side of town...

YEAH GOD!!

ATTENTION ALL PRAYER WARRIORS! THIS IS A CALL TO ARMS!

2008-11-17T12:44:00.005-06:00

Put on your armor of GOD people, pick up your sword and shield!
We have another showing tonight, and its a the second time they have looked at our house. So that means they are definitely interested in the home, and may make an offer.

Also there is this house over on the west side of town that we are looking at, its just SE of 119th and Kellogg. Its a perfect fit for us, 4 bedroom, 3 bath, Goddard School district, and its currently listed for $110K. However the house has been abandoned, and will likely be taken off the market by the bank and repossessed. This will work to our favor, as our realtor has already been assigned to the home and will be able to help us purchase the home for way under value! We could potentially get into this home for $50K under value! This would be a HUGE blessing to us, not to mention that its just about the perfect location, size, and design.

PLEASE pray for God's will to be done, that if this house is indeed meant for us that God will bless us with an offer tonight from the couple looking at our home. Cause we cannot make an offer on the repo home unless we have a contract on ours! It would be a huge financial blessing for us, and it would relieve some burdens on travel and gas money too!

Thanks in advance for your prayers!

David

I made this.... so mad that Obama won....

2008-11-05T00:29:00.000-06:00

Voting is VERY important, even if you dont like whose running!

2008-11-04T08:43:00.002-06:00

Today I voted, and I feel extremely passionate about having the right to vote. I am glad I live in a country where I can exercise my right to choose who I want the leader of my country to be. Sometimes though, the people that step up and say, "I want to lead" are not always the most ideal (in my mind anyway) candidates for leadership.

I know I am not the only one who believes this, alot of people have told me that they don't like McCain OR Obama. Well, guess what, there are OTHER people on the ballot. If all you do is watch the media and only focus on the two that are most popular, you are doing yourself and this country a grand disservice. Also, if you are either a stanch republican, or a strict democrat, and you don't like your parties candidate, its still important to support your party.

Being a republican, I have to have faith in my party, support them and encourage them to make the right choices. McCain was not my first choice, I actually wanted Mike Huckabee to win the republican nomination. McCain obviously won, but I still will support my republican parties choice. Perhaps Mike Huckabee will run again someday, and I would support him if he did. I like the choice of Sarah Palin for VP. She represents characteristics that are common in a HUGE majority of women in America, morals and values shared by a VAST amount of mothers (hockey moms, soccer moms, ect), and has a strong core belief in God and biblical principles.

So I guess if you are considering not voting because you don't like either candidate, consider this. At some point after the election, you will regret not voting, because for sure there is a candidate that you like LESS than the other, and if that one gets elected, you will wish you had voted for the other. If it comes down to picking the lesser of the two evils, then that in itself is still a good enough reason to go vote. So don't live in regret, make sure your voice is heard, even if you think that it doesn't matter. If you think not voting is OK because you don't like either candidate, you are fooling yourself; and you are not being a good citizen of your country. God gave us this country, FIGHT FOR IT!

really tired...

2008-10-30T22:50:00.000-05:00

I got up this morning at 6am so I could go to manhattan to help another cox rep with one of his properties... They are coverting from free cable for tenants to individual accts for tenants to pay for....there are 65 units so that's 65 chances to make money!

Anyway I am very tired its late and I am about to crash in my hotel room...
I did practice on my guitar though...
I am posting from my blackberry....
Technology is cool...

Dave Ramsey is cool

2008-10-29T22:01:00.001-05:00

We only have 3 weeks left in our Financial Peace University study... Its been great learning! We havent always applied what we are being taught, but its not for a lack of believing in the information or because we dont agree with it. We are just plain lazy... :)
But we know that the principles taught and the methods used are all sound, time tested and biblical. We will slowly begin to train ourselves to use these techniques in our every day lives. I know it will be slow, and challenging, but we will eventually become debt free!

A few days off...

2008-10-27T20:34:00.004-05:00

well I took too long to post again, sorry!

Life tries to kick me in the teeth way too often if you ask me...

There are days, like yesterday, where I feel like Satan has his war machine going full steam on all fronts. I am defending multiple points of attack all at once: My relationship with my wife, with my kids, with my parents, with Jesus, and my own self worth.

I have these battles, within my soul, and without... they sometimes spill over into my life. They affect my ability to parent, my ability to be a good husband, and my ability to be the leader in my household that God calls me to be. I feel sometimes like the battles are piling up in the enemies favor...

I know that I can accomplish anything, through Christ who gives me strength. I know that its not just a phrase, or cliche, or half truth. Its just so hard sometimes, to realize how much His love can fulfill me and make me whole. Especially when the anger, shame, and guilt all kick in full thrust. I know that this war against sin and evil will not be over for the rest of my days, and I know that if I never quit fighting that I will never lose. If I put on the armor of God, and purposefully shield myself from the traps of the enemy, then I can succeed in my endeavors to become the warrior and leader for Christ that God wants me to be.

Please continue to pray for me, and my family who puts up with me! I am still reading "Every Mans Battle"... its a very frank book, and hits right where it hurts...

David

The Speaker-Listener Technique

2008-10-21T23:59:00.004-05:00

Tonight was out second class in the Marriage for Keeps program.
We learned about some helpful techniques that allow for another level of communication.
Its called The Speaker-Listener Technique, and its designed to allow couples to go deeper into their conversations, to slow them down and allow for meaningful dialog.

Its goes as follows :

RULES FOR BOTH OF YOU:
1. The speaker has the floor. Use a real object to designate the floor, like a laminated card. Note that the Speaker keeps the floor while the Listener paraphrases, keeping it clear who is in which role all the time.

2. Share the floor. You share the floor over the course of a conversation. One has it to start and may say a number of things. At some point, you switch roles and continue back and forth as the floor changes hands.

3. No problem solving. When using this technique you are going to focus on having good discussions. You must consciously avoid coming to solutions prematurely.

RULES FOR THE SPEAKER:

1. Speak for yourself. Don’t mind read. Talk about your thoughts, feelings, and concerns, not your perceptions or interpretations of the Listener’s point of view or motives. Try to use “I” statements, and talk about your own point of view.

2. Talk in small chunks. You will have plenty of opportunity to say all you need to say, so you don’t have to say it all at once. It is very important to keep what you say in manageable pieces to help the Listener actively listen. If you are in the habit of giving long monologues, remember that having the floor protects you from interruption, so you can afford to pause for the paraphrase to be sure your partner understands you.

3. Stop and let the Listener paraphrase. After saying a bit, perhaps a sentence or two, stop and allow the Listener to paraphrase what you just said. If the paraphrase was not quite accurate, you should politely restate what was not heard in the way it was intended to be heard. Your goal is to help the Listener hear and understand your point of view.

RULES FOR THE LISTENER:

1. Paraphrase what you hear. To paraphrase the Speaker, briefly repeat back what you heard the Speaker say, using your own words if you like, to make sure you understand what was said. The key is that you show your partner that you are listening as you restate what you heard, without any interpretations. If the paraphrase is not quite right (which happens often), the Speaker should gently clarify the point being made.

2. Don’t rebut. Focus on the Speaker’s message. While in the Listener role, you may not offer your opinion or thoughts. This is the hardest part of being a good Listener. If you are upset by what your partner says, you need to edit out any response you may want to make, so you can continue to pay attention to what your partner is saying. Wait until you get the floor to state your response. As Listener, your job is to speak only in the service of understanding your partner. Any words or gestures to show your own opinions are not allowed, including making faces.

This is some very helpful stuff I think, and in normal conversations this stuff may not apply, but if you have a very important topic to discuss, or one that normally you fail at communicating effectively, then this technique may be very useful.

I know Caroline and I will definitely benefit from this and we are going to start practicing it every day till it becomes second nature to us.

A New Tradition

2008-10-20T00:53:00.006-05:00

Today I took the family to pick out pumpkins for carving. Since Jaydon is 3 now, hes old enough to get this and he had a blast! I haven't done this in a while, since Adrian was a lot younger, so I decided to start a new tradition.

So we all sat at the table and we carved out our pumpkins in whatever design we wanted. I helped Jaydon, (did most of the work anyway), and guided Adrian. Caroline did pretty well on hers without any assistance from me. I took some pictures for you to see, CLICK HERE.

It was a lot of fun, and a big mess. Jaydon was just so excited about his little size pumpkin, and Adrians was slightly bigger, then Carolines was pretty good sized, but mine of course was the largest pumpkin. You can prolly tell which one in the pics was mine.... Adrian did a pretty cool "headless horseman" design with her pumpkin, its really nice.

Anyway it was good family fun, took all most all night to carve them out since we took our time and tried to get it just right. Thats about all I wanted to post about today....
Hope you have a wonderful week!

Late night baking....

2008-10-17T23:05:00.003-05:00

I am baking 5 dozen of my world famous Peanut Butter/Chocolate Chip cookies, its 11:00pm and I am still not done!
I have a family reunion tomorrow (on my dads side) and I promised to bake cookies to bring since that's what I love to do, and I am pretty good at it!

But I cant go because Caroline and I are attending our first "Marriage For Keeps" training class.
So I am still baking them anyway to give to my mother to take, she is taking our kids with her while we are at the training class.

We are very excited about this class, its going to be the start of some great change and improvement in our relationship. The first session is actually two parts, two classes. It lasts from 8am till 3pm. Every class after that will be on Tuesday nights. For those of you we haven't told, we got accepted into this government funded research class that is designed to teach couples how to strengthen their marriage, get along with each other better, and its based on biblical principles.

The really cool part is that there are lots of other couples involved too, and so we will be in similar company, and be able to relate and share stories. Also they give us a $10 gas card, and a $30 gift card to Walmart for EACH class, plus they cater in food from Outback Steakhouse EVERY class... its like having a free date night every week! Something Caroline and I never get every week! HA!

Anyway I am still reading that new book, its VERY enlightening. Its very empowering to know that I am not the only man on this planet with this issue and these obstacles. As I read more of the book, I am starting to realize that I am not alone, that I can overcome this and it will not burden me forever!

Keep me in your prayers....

David

2008-10-15T07:50:00.001-05:00

Ok so if you dont read Perry Noble's blog, you are missing out!

Check out his latest post, it will ROCK YOUR WORLD! In a good way....

CLICK HERE

I am personally glad to hear a Pastor speak out like this and stand up for what is right.

Reading Proverbs

2008-10-14T23:21:00.002-05:00

Tonight I was thumbing through Proverbs, looking for something that would jump out at me as being relevant to my events, thoughts and actions for today, Tuesday Oct 14th...
Heres what I found:

Proverbs 11 verses 17-31 (The Message)
As I was reading the translation from the message, I was wondering if I apply these principles in my life. Do I follow these biblical standards of wisdom everyday, at work, at home... I can honestly say... not all the time.

One that really jumped out at me was:
Vs. 18 Bad work gets paid with a bad check;
good work gets solid pay.

This time of year my job gets pretty tough, slow time of year. I have to work harder to keep my paychecks up to par, since I am in sales. Commissions are a tough way to make a living, but if you work them right they can be very rewarding. I think thats why I like working for commissions so much, the harder you work, the more you get paid. If you slack off, you get squat. I am trying to teach this to my 11 year old daughter. She doesnt get an "allowance"... She earns "commissions" just like me. If she does her homework on time and gets good grades, she earns money. If she does her chores every day correctly and without being told, she earns money. If she has a good attitude with us at home and with her teachers at school, she earns money.

I hope she learns early that working harder pays more rewards than just skating by in life. Unfortunately I didnt learn that lesson till I was MUCH older...

Sorry for the long delay....

2008-10-13T09:42:00.002-05:00

Ok so I havent been posting anything, since like August!

But I appologize for the delay, I am now resuming my blogging duties!
I am actually going to start posting every day, a short snippit of what I am reading and my thoughts about how it impacts me.

Mostly it will be about what I am reading in the Bible, but there are other christian oriented books I am starting to read so I might post something about them as well.

So here goes the first day:
I am starting to read a book called "Every Man's Battle"; it was a recommended book from my Pastor, I picked it up last night for only $5.
I have a feeling that this is going to be one of the best $5 I have EVER spent... Just reading the inside and outside covers, and the intro and contents page, I can tell this book is really going to change my life.

I am very excited about what God is trying to show me, and what He is doing in my life.

Thanks for the suggestion Bryson! YOU ROCK!

David

F.P.U. for the WIN!!!

2008-08-27T22:39:00.003-05:00

Tonight was week two of our "Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University" study group. I have to say, I am really liking what I am hearing and learning. I took Crown, and it pales in comparison to this study. Crown made us memorize bible verses and didnt really seem to engage me, and I hate memorization anyway.
Dave Ramsey has a way of connecting with his audience, and making you feel like you can really relate and understand him. At least for me I feel like I can really apply what he is teaching to my finances and get ahead of the game.
I must confess that we are in DIRE need of getting a better grip on our finances. The first "baby step" of his plan for financial peace is to establish an emergency fund of $1000. AT LEAST $1000... thats alot of money for us to just stick somewhere. The simplicity of it hit me like a ton of bricks, and then I felt like a complete idiot for not having done it already!
We have never really been great at saving money, so this is a big challenge for me. Also keeping that money in there, for emergencies only, is going to be VERY difficult because we always seem to have more month at the end of the money.
But we plan to follow this course through till the end and apply all the techniques and wisdom we learn from Dave Ramsey.

I just pray and hope that we can continue the good habits we will create with our money AFTER the course is done...

If you havent checked it out yet go to www.daveramsey.com

2008-08-16T12:04:00.001-05:00

You REALLY need to watch THIS video, VERY FUNNY!

First Day...

2008-08-13T09:51:00.001-05:00

Today was Adrians first day at school, this year she is attending a new school, "Challenger" intermediate school in Goddard, KS. I had to pay an extra $125 tuition per semester to get her there because we live out of district, but its worth it. This school is fantastic and we will be moving into that district before the end of the school year. Its a long drive from where we live currently, Central and Oliver, but since I was on that side of town I decided to go visit the YMCA over there for me daily workout. I will be using that one anyway once we move over there, so I thought I would start a good habit of using that facility after taking Adrian to school.

I didnt see any GRACEPOINTERS this morning, which was disapointing... So if you are a GP person and you are not using the YMCA over there accross from our future site, you NEED TO BE. How cool would it be to have a bunch of people working out at the YMCA wearing GP "Church Doesnt Suck" T-Shirts accross from our future site?!?!

I will personally promise to always wear soem sort of GP shirt while I am working out at the NW YMCA... we need to get teh word out about our church and the future site.

So far so good....

2008-08-10T23:16:00.001-05:00

So far Vista is running smooth! I love it! I got just about all my programs reinstalled, and data that I backed up is restored. If you have a PC that can run 64bit Vista really well, I recommend it!

A daring move!

2008-08-04T19:47:00.001-05:00

Well, I did it. I took the plunge! I jumped off the virtual OS cliff to what may certainly be my PC DOOM! I just upgraded to VISTA! I did it for two reasons, one, I have a 64 bit processor and I am using a 32 bit OS that is VERY buggy to say the least. XP has not been good to me recently and I am getting very tired of crashes and blue screens. And using a 32 bit OS on a 64 bit proc is a little like using a 4 banger pinto on the AUTOBAHN highway.... But I digress.
Second reason is I like alot of the cool features Vista gives me. I like having animated backgrounds that dont hog all my resources, and I like having cool 3D desktop effects. I like alot of the functionality that Vista offers. In fact, I am using some of it right now to post this blog. I have a gadget in my sidebar that lets me post to my blog SUPER easily, and all without opening a single web browser. Also I can preview it before I post it, and with one click I can see my entire blog site. a VERY nice feature.

So far the only drawback from upgrading is that my LEXMARK P3150 printer is not compatiblle, due to the company not making drivers for Vista. But I got a work around for that, I have UBUNTU installed on a second partition, and it DOES work with my printer!

Over all my PC has a 4.8 score with Vista, but thats becasue of my graphics card has that score. All the other aspects of my PC rate at 5.8 or higher.

We will see as time goes by if Vista lives up to the standards I am hoping it will....

* 5 STARS!!! *

2008-07-20T19:33:00.002-05:00

My review:

I watched this movie twice, once with my wife, and once with some buddies. I liked it both times! I liked it better the second time, cause I got to see more stuff that was so fast the first time I missed it. Plus I seen it the second time at the Grand Auditorium of the Warren East with their Digital Projection!! VERY NICE!
The Joker in this movie was INCREDIBLY portrayed by the late Heath Ledger, the performance of his life ironically. I swear to you I left that theater hating the Joker character, thats how evil this Joker character was! Heath Ledger did an awesome job of making himself sadistic, homicidal, immoral and just plain unbelievingly EVIL. Again Christian Bale and Michael Cain do an awesome job with their reoccurring roles as Bruce Wayne and Alfred the butler. But what makes this cast EVEN BETTER is the returning role of Lucian Fox played by Morgan Freeman. This adds another "superstar" element to the movie, (the first of course by Michael Cain) and adds greater depth to the cast. Of course also theres Gary Oldman playing Gordan, and thats another addition to the cast that makes for an ALL STAR cast....I cant say enough good things about this movie, from the graphics, special effects, action, dialog, drama, comedy, fight scenes, cinematography, the plot, just everything! The plot was really good, adn the story line was excellent. I loved how the movie focused on the role of the Hero, and how diverse that can be.

I give it 5 stars...out of 5 of course!

Thank You!

2008-07-04T23:00:00.002-05:00

Most people say "Happy 4th of July", but I want to say THANK YOU...

It was on this day back in 1776 that our congress announced that the Declaration of Independence had been signed, liberating our sovereign nation from the rule of Great Britain. What most people don't know is that the actual document was signed on July 2nd. Congress debated and revised the Declaration, finally approving it on July 4th.

A day earlier, John Adams had written to his wife Abigail:
"The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more."

BOY WAS HE SPOT ON OR WHAT?!?!

I just want to give thanks to our nations founders, for sacrificing years of blood, sweat, and tears to make sure that we today have a free nation; free from tyranny, oppression, and foreign rule. Today that same dedication is carried on in our government, armed forces, and all the citizens of the United States of America. I also want to thank God every year on this day, for giving us the freedom to govern ourselves, to worship as we believe freely, and to gather together with fear of persecution. God blessed the fore fathers of our country; John Adams, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin... and He continues to bless us, the descendants of this great nation.

But this blessing comes also with a responsibility. A responsibility to honor those who have come before us by leaving this country in better shape than it was when we were born.
If you haven't watched the HBO special "John Adams" starring actor Paul Giamatti, then you REALLY NEED TO! This movie is AWESOME, and the acting job by the star Paul Giamatti is superb! But it really shows a lot about the heart of John Adams, the struggles of his life, and his victorious role in winning our freedom.

MVR reports suck.....

2008-06-30T23:16:00.002-05:00

You know, I have been so busy I haven't had the time to write any blogs lately. I have so much to write about, but I will choose the most pressing issue only to keep this short.

Last Thursday I was pulled into HR with my boss, so that they could tell me that since I have more than 2 moving violations on my MVR in the last 3 years, I cannot drive the brand new PT Cruisers that Cox FINALLY decided to give us. We have been waiting for 2 years for company cars, that say COX on the side. I have been driving my own car for this same amount of time, using my own gas. Now they are on the verge of giving us cars with gas cards, and I cant have one.

I felt like I had the legs cut out from under me! Here we are getting ready to have a pay raise, essentially, and now because of a couple tickets that are at least 2-3 years old, I have to keep dumping $100++ in gas into my car every week.

However, I did talk to an attorney and he is pretty sure he can get some of the tickets on my MVR removed, changed to "non-moving violations"... It will cost me a few hundred to get it done, but long term its worth it.
So I need some prayer!
One, that GODS WILL BE DONE, not mine!
Two, that Gods will just so happens to be same as mine, HEHE...
Three, that I have some peace about the whole thing!

A God thing...

2008-06-21T16:48:00.003-05:00

Today I attended my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary party. There were at least 60-70 people there to honor this milestone occasion. Most was family, but there were friends as well. I think its awesome that two people can stick together for 60 years. My grandparents, who are on my dads side, have 4 children, 11 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren. That's a good size family. For untold years, my grandmother has had Sunday lunch for the whole family at her house. Its a tradition you could set your watch to, by 1:30 pm everyone is at the table ready to eat. Grandma always prepares the meal, but often she gets days off and the children cook or bring food. Her cooking is of course, hands down the best! Its amazing to me how tradition can last so long in a family. I asked my grandmother how she and grandpa made it 60 years, and she said, "Its a God thing, not sure we would have without Him." Truly amazing wisdom!
I pray that Caroline and I make it that long too, I would love to be surrounded by loved ones, family, and friends on that day to celebrate 60 years of life and love!

Big Red Target....

2008-06-15T20:46:00.000-05:00

To all the fathers out there who might be reading my blog, I hope you had a wonderful Fathers Day! Today our church celebrated Dads Day with a free BBQ after the service, and man was it good! The service was good too, we watched a video message from Craig Groeschel, the pastor of lifechurch.tv and it was ON POINT. If you haven't checked it out yet, visit www.oneprayer.com and read up about the series. Thousands of churches all over the world are participating simultaneously in this series, which is awesome! Please go and read about what God is doing through His people!

Today after church, I drove to Emporia to visit my parents. My mother fixed some old fashioned chicken noodle soup for me and my dad for fathers day. I haven't had that in forever! It was SO GOOD... I ate too much! Then we just hung out and visited and then my grandparents stopped by and had a nice visit. We will be spending the night then driving back early in the morning, as I have to be at work by 10am.

I guess whats on my mind most today is of course being a father. My daughter Adrian, who is 11 years old, has been staying with my parents for the last 2 weeks. She does this every summer, and this year her half sister Ciara (12 years old) is visiting. They only get to see each other about 2 times a year. Ciara and Adrian have the same mother, Rachel. I met her when she was pregnant with Ciara. Rachel and I stayed together till Ciara was 2 and Adrian was 1. The split was not amicable... I retained full custody of Adrian, while Ciara went to live with er biological father. Rachel, having lost custody of both kids, fell off the face of the earth. She has not tried to contact either child since they were 3 yrs old. Last we heard she had two other kids, but we don't know where they are or who they are. I helped raise Ciara for 2 years, and then it was just me and Adrian. My parents helped out tremendously, without them I would have been lost.

I met my wife when Adrian was 5 years old, I had dated a woman before that and it got serious, but it didn't work out. My wife, Caroline, was obviously the woman God had planned for me. She took to Adrian right away, and Adrian to her. Adrian calls her mommy now, and now that we have Jaydon, who is almost 3, our family is even tighter. Adrian has a brother now from her stepmother, but she has never thought of Caroline as a stepmother.

Ciara is being raised by her father and his wife now, and we stay in contact with them so that Adrian and her sister can have a relationship. I try to stay at a distance emotionally because the first time Ciara left it was very hard for me. I considered her my daughter, and she called me daddy. Usually my mother handles everything, but this summer Adrian and Ciara are fighting a lot and my mother is asking me to step in and help. It is kinda weird for me, Ciara doesn't remember me from back then, she only remembers our yearly visits for the last 5 to 6 years. But for a time, I was by all means her father. Her biological father had nothing to do with her while I was with her mother. But when we split up the courts awarded her custody to him. Also seeing Ciara reminds me more of the time in my life where I made some questionable decisions. Adrian also makes me think about those times, but not as vividly as Ciara does.

I don't regret having Adrian, or raising Ciara. I only regret the circumstances and the decisions I made when I was younger. Seeing Ciara brings all that back. I try to be a good father to my kids, and everyday I try to make decisions that are right for my family. Revisiting my past mistakes only reminds me of how fallible I am, and that I can easily make mistakes even now. I know that I have a lot to learn about being a strong christian father. Luckily I have some great roll models all around me, my friends at church, my pastor, business associates, and my parents. I pray God gives me wisdom to deal with some of the problems that seem to pop up in my house frequently.

To me being a father means constant work and responsibility, not just for your kids safety but for their future as well. I know that I need to make sure their values and morals are reflections of mine, of what the bible teaches us, and of what Jesus taught. I know I need to make sure they feel loved, make sure they are educated, and try to help them become productive members of society. But most of all, I think its vital that they know the love of Jesus, that He died for all our sins so that we can have a relationship with our heavenly Father. I find that I have been slacking in that area, because I take her to church I guess I have allowed myself to depend on others for her teaching. Its like when you take them to school, its the teacher who instructs them in math, science, language, history, ect. But I know that teaching them about Jesus is not solely the responsibility of the Sunday school teacher. Children learn most by watching their parents, and other adults. My children will never learn what it means to be a follower of Christ if their own father at home isn't showing them. And not just by telling them, but by setting the example with the behavior and attitude of a true Christ follower.

So I am committing today, on fathers day, to be the best dad, husband, and man I can be. To be stronger in my walk with Christ, so that my children will see and learn what it means to love the Lord with all your heart, mind, and soul.

Now that I have painted a big red target on my back for evil attacks upon my family, I would appreciate lots of prayer. Cause I know satan is real, and he will do everything he can to break up families and destroy homes where Christ reigns.

HULK SMASH!

2008-06-13T02:52:00.000-05:00

Ok, so you must be wondering why I am posting at 2:50am but its because I just got home from seeing a midnight showing of the new "Incredible Hulk" Movie. An of course I am WIRED after seeing such a great movie!

Why did I go see it at midnight you ask? Well for those of you who know me, its mostly because I am an overgrown, nerdy, impatient adolescent. But also because I LOVE being the first to see these movies from Marvel, and my buddies wanted to see it at midnight too.

So for my review of the movie, I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars! Nearly a perfect movie review, there are a lot of things about the movie I liked, and almost nothing I disliked. I guess it didn't get 5 stars simply becaue I didn't walk out of the theatre saying, "WOW that was the best movie I have ever seen in my life!" This movie really took you back the the old school Hulk that we grew up watching on TV, and it also stuck very well to comic story lines. Much different than the Ang Lee version, this one was directed very well, the special effects and graphics were off the CHAIN, although the plot was too predictable. I liked how they honored Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno, (who is still a massive and scary man in his cameo appearance), and how they went back the original storyline. Also with the Hulk himself, they really made him scary again, like it used to be. He was always a hero, but when I was a kid I used to have scary dreams about the hulk, he was truly frightening. This hulk in this movie was intense, his face when he roared really brought chills, unlike the "cartoony" looking hulk in the last movie.

Well I am going to bed now; go see the movie, its worth the money at the theatre. Go see it at the Warren East, the digital projector they have is TOP NOTCH, and makes you feel like you are watching the movie in HD...