And Friends are Friends Forever...

Well, today sucked. After six great years, our best friends packed up and moved to Scottsdale. We are going to miss the Andersons dearly. They have been our OKC family and our families have grown together. They've been our 'emergency contact' number, our last minute babysitter, and were first on our 'must call' list. Matt has taken a senior pastor position at McDowell Mountain Community Church and we are excited for that. I know God has a plan, but He sure didn't ask my opinion on this matter.

I know we have truly been blessed with such a special frienship. It's not easy to find a couple where all four people really enjoy each other. We had that with the Andersons. I know change can be good, but I need to be better at accepting it.

This won't be an easy or fun change, but I guess it's just part of being grown up. We will get to visit and do vacations together, but we will miss the every day things that we enjoyed sharing with them.

We wish Matt, Robin, Connor, and Calvin the best as they begin their new journey. We love you guys and we will miss you very much.

Second Job??

Last week at the Lake of the Ozarks, I was awakened by the footsteps of three year olds at about 6:00 in the a.m. Instead of yelling at the top of my lungs, I stepped outside onto the back porch and captured these award winning photos. Now I used to be impressed with Ansel Adams, but now I realize photography is not that tough. You just have to wake up in the morning. Enjoy.


Notice the lighting as the fishing boat dances on the water.

The calmness of the water is so elegant at 6:00 in the morning

I slowed down the shutter speed to capture the essence of the landscape.

I wonder if Gettys will be sending the contract soon.

Thank you kids for waking me up and helping me find my hidden talents.

(And please recognize that the above comments are strictly sarcastic. I have no clue about photography.)

The Family Circus

Last week, we went out of town for a few days and got to see both of our families (except Kev and Tera). We went to Bartlesville because Allen was finished with camp for the summer and Jon, Amy and Ella had come down to see Maggie. We had a great weekend with some golf, swimming, backyard, and some serious food. Scott and Maggie had a good time with their cousin Ella. Scottie also loved the tractor ride he had with Papa on Sunday night. Who knew a riding lawnmower could be so sweet? Now that is some redneck fun there.

PS--Congratulations Amy, you made the blog..

On Monday we drove up to the Lake of the Ozarks where Ryan and Emily had rented a place for the week. Ann, Emily, and Mom went to the spa on Tuesday. Then on Wednesday, Ry's bro-in-law, Dad, Ry, and I went on a catfish guided tour. The fishing wasn't great as we only caught five, but we had a good time. The guide said the 70 degree August weather jacks with the fish. Scottie had a great time with Ava and Quin on the boat and playing around the house.

After 5 days away from home, we got back Wednesday night about 1:00 am. Although we had a great week, Thursday was a good day of recovery. (I am officially old now that I need a recovery day after vacation) I went back to work Friday and as the song says, we were "back to life, back to reality."

Happy Birthday to Me...

In honor of my 31st birthday, I will let you in on 31 of my life secrets.

31. I'm not a big fan of vegetables.
30. I have a fingernail cutting obsession.
29. My throat itches after I eat cantaloupe, watermelon, and tree nuts.
28. I have only lived in three states. Missouri, Texas, and Oklahoma.
27. I have a sports sickness. Basketball, Football, Golf, Baseball, UFC, badminton, Slamball, Tennis. It doesn't matter to me.
26. My outfit of choice is shorts, long-sleeve T, and flip flops.
25. I'm too critical of people.
24. I don't feel that I'm great at anything, but decent at quite a few things.
23. I don't read enough.
22. I'd rather watch a Division II football game on TV than my favorite movie.
21. I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior when I was 18.
20. My favorite color is red, but it used to be green.
19. I met my wife when I was 15, we started dating at 17, and got married at 23.
18. I need to be more serious more often.
17. Sweet tea is really good.
16. I wish I would have finished my thesis in grad school. Actually, I wish somebody else would have finished my thesis for me.
15. I spend too much time online.
14. Little League baseball was the most fun I ever had playing sports.
13. If I went to college now, I would major in Finance.
12. I hate small talk and dancing.
11. I wish I was more handy around the house.
10. I hate getting dressed up, but I have to wear a shirt and tie every freakin day.
9. Texas Country is my music of choice.
8. I worked as a camp counselor for two summers in college.
7. My lucky numbers are 4, 7, 14, 22, 33, 36, and 58.
6. I love my Texas Tech Red Raiders, but I am never very confident in them.
5. I don't think there is such thing as a 'dream job' for me. Dream and Job don't mix.
4. My wife is the smart, gifted, good looking one in our family. Thank goodness our kids take after her.
3. I consider myself a pretty laid back fella.
2. Late spring/early summer is the best time of year.
1. I'm glad this list is over, I was having trouble thinking of things about me. For next year, I need to work on being more intriguing.

Happy Birthday to me, From me. Later.

Quote of the Day

Yesterday while Ann was at the movie, Scottie and I were continuing to work on his potty training. After holding himself for a solid five minutes, and sitting on the pot with three false alarms, he finally managed to take a leak. Here's the conversation that took place after he finished:

Daddy: Scott I am so proud of you.

Scott: Thank you Daddy.

Daddy: Now let's go to McDonald's and celebrate how good you are doing.

Scott: OK Daddy.

Daddy: Scottie, you are doing so good being potty trained.

Scott: uh huh, I'm like Thomas the Train.

Daddy: Yep, exactly, now let's go to McDonald's. (Different uses for the word "train" there buddy, but we can discuss nouns and verbs later.)

There's a POTTY goin on right here!!

That's right, the time is here. Scott's parents are finally ready for the potty training adventure. When Scottie woke up yesterday, there was a treasure box on the table. Every time he goes on his Scottie potty, he gets a 'special treat' out of the box. So far he has gotten two suckers, two candy bars, and some Cars stickers. Too bad he couldn't sleep last night because of the sugar high. Right now, we are five for five. Not one accident yet. I think he was more ready for this deal than we were. What a great kid.