Making Gwama proud!!!

So I threw out the question previously ( if I knew how to do that cool little link thing I would ) about whether we are rednecks or not. Wellllll, I think we may have further proof, imagine that. So I taped the CMA special that was on last week and decided to watch it this weekend. So, not only can my kids pick out Bud and Miller trucks on the road and sing "Save A Horse Ride A Cowboy", they have now added a few more songs to their repertoire ( had to look that one up ). Let's see they now know "Summertime" and "Livin' In Fast Forward" by Kenny Chesney and "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" by Trace Adkins. This is were grandma will be SO proud. So here are some of the words to the song:

Got it goin' on
Like Donkey Kong
And whoo-wee
Shut my mouth, slap your grandma
There outta be a law
Get the Sheriff on the phone

So ofcourse the part they like running around and singing the most is "...shut my mout, slap your grandma..." Gwama it's not ALL my fault, you raised me in Homossasa...

I do enjoy them liking music thought as I love it myself. Unfortunately I didn't get ANY musical genes what so ever. I have always said that I think I would have loved to live before TV when you sat around and listened to the radio on Saturday night's, that just sounds so neat to me. Well that's it for now. Happy Blogging!

Yesterday's Answers...

1. Terry Bollea

2. George Herman Ruth

3. Troyal Garth Brooks

4. Carlos Norris

5. Virginia Hensley

6. Virginia Wynette Pugh

7. Paul Rubenfeld

8. Yvonne Vaughan

9. Loretta Webb

10. Barry Pincus

11. Reginald Kenneth Dwight

12. Johnny Lee

13. Harold Ray Ragsdale

My TT...not a copy cat

Ok, so it's the opposite of Dan's, name their real names 1. Hulk Hogan ( you knew that was #1 ) 2. Babe Ruth 3. Garth Brooks 4. Chuck Norris 5. Patsy Cline 6. Tammy Wynette 7. PeeWee Herman 8. Donna Fargo 9. Loretta Lynn 10. Barry Manilow ( for C ) 11. Elton John 12. Johnny Bench 13. Ray Stevens Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Kids say the darnest things!!

So we're sitting here and C says the girls want to sleep on our floor tonight and I said as long as they sleep I don't care if it's on the toilet. Well D1 got a kick out of this so I went down the list of places they could SLEEP. I said the laundry room, but she said it was to dirty, next up was the shed, yep you guessed it the shed is to sheddy, although it didn't come out as clear as that. So C and I start rolling laughing and I make the statement that I have to blog after that comment, D1 procceeds to ask if I have to pee-pee or poo-poo. Which of course just sends us back rolling laughing. I often wonder what is going on in these little minds...

Weekend Review...

Not much excitement from the homefront. Friday afternoon consisted of daddy mowing the lawn as well as the neighbors lawn. Our neighbor is an "elderly" lady that goes to North Carolina from May to October and me being the great neighbor I am I offered to mow her lawn for her while she was gone so she didn't have to worry about a lawn crew doing it. It's no big deal, it takes me less than an hour to mow them both. After mowing we took the girls swimming. D1 is swimming about 3/4 of the pool on her own and D2 continues make make small strides towards not being scared of the water. After swimming we came home and daddy was back doing yard work. This time it was trimming the palm trees in our front yard.

Saturday began where Friday left off. This time I had to finish putting rock borders around the beds outside our front door so the mulch would quit washing away! It was HOT! After I got the borders down I then decided I'd pressure wash the front walk area, ,so off to Home Depot to buy a replacement nozle for the pressure washer. I tend to start these "little" projects and they turn to big ones. This led to washing the screens on our back porch. Finally through ( physically ) with chores it was off to swim again, but the weather got us and we didn't get to go.

Z had a horrible night Saturday as I was up with him until about midnight and C was up the rest of the night with him. He's cutting teeth so he's cranky and uncomfortable. So this morning I sent C to mom and dad's to sleep and have a day of peace ( they're out of town ). I stayed with the kids and watched the British Open ( great job Tiger! ). Z has stood on his own on several occasions this week, so I have a feeling it won't be long before he takes his first steps. Well the wonderful smell of lasagna is calling me to the table. Hope you all had a great weekend!

Christie's TT

Thirteen Signs We Might Be Getting Older... 1. When you wake up looking like your driver's license picture. 2. It takes two tries to get up from the couch. 3. When your idea of a night out is sitting on the patio. 4. When happy hour is a nap. 5. When you say something to your kids that your mother said to you, and you always hated it. 6. Getting "lucky" means you found your car in the parking lot. 7. You have more patience, but it is actually that you just don't care anymore 8. Your idea of weight lifting is standing up. 9. Your memory is shorter and your complaining lasts longer. 10. You give up all your bad habits and still don't feel good. 11. It takes longer to rest than it did to get tired. 12. You finally get your head together and your body starts falling apart. 13. When you step off a curb and look down one more time to make sure the street is still there. Links to other Thursday Thirteens!1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

G's WW - CHEERS!

Christie's WW - Embrace the lighter side of life...

What's The Purpose?

Let me first start off by letting all the educator's out there know that I have the utmost respect for you and don't know how you guys deal with some of the things you have to deal with on a day to day basis when it comes to kids and seeing the home lives ( or lack of ) some of them come from. So to all of you I say THANK YOU.

I hope I can relay this experience in writing, it may be long so bare with me. As I have stated before on here I am a football coach at a local high school here in Tampa. I take this very serious and not just a tool to fill an "egotistical need". We have a particular player, I'll call him Joe, that during Spring Practice was really a slacker and didn't give much effort during practice. Now this kid is to be one of my starters. Because of his lack of caring and drive to be better I stayed on him pretty good. Towards the end he semi started responding and then in the game although he didn't play outstanding he did show us more than we thought we would see. So Spring practice is over and we're heading into summer workouts. Now this is the kid that we figured would miss half the workouts and never put in the time he should put in. To this date the kid is yet to miss a workout and has lost fifteen pounds over the summer. So you're thinking Greg what's the story here. Well within the last week I've found out that this kid is pretty much left to fend for himself. He works at McDonald's to try and pay for the things he needs. His parents are not around and he lives with the friend of an uncle. From his minimum wage job he's left to pay insurance, gas, food, school, clothes, supplies etc. I know he has a car, but myself and another coach have sumised that it's simply a convience thing so that no one has to be responsible for getting him from point a to point b. It just sadens(sp?) me that here is a kid that is going into his senior year of high school, which should be the absolutely best time of his life and he has absolutely nothing to look forward to. No senior pictures, class ring, homecoming, yearbook etc. And all that aside the kid has to be worried about living day to day AND trying to get a quality education. I know this happens with millions of kids across this country everyday, but I guess this situation has touched me more since I'm so close to it and because I haven't had to really deal with a situation like this previously. He couldn't even pay $20 for a physical so he could play football and I worry about having money to go on vacation for a week. We are working with him to get him the things he needs just to live day to day. I will be cleaning out my closet and have plenty for him. I can only sumise that the reason educators ( most ) are in this profession is to make a difference in kids lives and I feel that is my priority in coaching. Hope this story transfered to here and that I didn't rammble and swerve all over the place, but for some odd reason I feel there is a purpose that this kid and this situation was put into my life and I look forward to the day I can reflect back and say now I know. I'll keep you posted on Joe as the year progresses.

Team Building Weekend

So yesterday and today was the Gaither Cowboys football team, Team Building Weekend. This was an event that I was "assisnged" to cooridinate. being the first time I've done such a thing I was a little nervous at first, then went through a worrying stage, but I can sit here tonight and say the two days were a complete sucess. As part of "rebuilding" the team we want to start instilling in these young men a sense of team work and family. These two items are not only vital in football, but in life as well. We as a staff truly feel that we are preparing these young men for life as well as football games. So yesterday we had a team bowling day. We had roughly forty players show up and they all had a great time. Today was the big day as we were volunteering at a horse farm that provides theraputic riding for the handicapped. We found this particular place through the United Way. Being that yes these are young men and should know how to handle themselves in public I was a little nervous because the programs name is on the line and I also felt my name was on the line as I was the one that set the event up. Anyways, what we had to do was "re-bed" the stalls the horses stay in. While it doesn't sound all that tough let me tell you it was tough and there's about forty young men and a few grown men that will sleep well tonight. We gave them eight hours of work and they were very appreciative of what we were able to accomplish. As I said the weekend was a sucess and hopefully it leads to these young men being better grown men down the line and hopefully we've instilled a family atmosphere in the program. Sorry if this is one big rambling run on paragraph, but it's late (for me) and I'm a whupped puppy. We took a bunch of pictures so hopefully I'll be able to post some in the coming days. GREAT JOB COWBOYS!

A Prayer for the beginning of the day......

O Lord, grant me to greet the coming day in peace, help me in all things to rely upon your holy will. In every hour of the day reveal your will to me. Bless my dealings with all who surround me. Teach me to treat all that comes to throughout the day with peace of soul and with firm conviction that your will governs all. In all my deeds and words, guide my thoughts and feelings. In unforeseen events, let me not forget that all are sent by you. Teach me to act firmly and wisely, without embittering and embarrassing others. Give me strength to bear the fatigue of the coming day with all that it shall bring. Direct my will, teach me to pray. And you, yourself, pray in me. Amen.

Enjoy the day everyone.....

C~

My Thursday 13...

Thirteen of Christie's memorable places 1. Statue of Liberty 2. Ellis Island 3. Times Square 4. Twinn Towers 5. Washington DC 6. Chicago 7. Mt. Rushmore 8. Kennebunk Port Maine 9. Our Family Farm in Wisconsin 10. The River House with our kids and Family 11. Vegas 12. Killington Vermont 13. St. Patricks Cathedral Links to other Thursday Thirteens!1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

G's WW for Sus...

Christie's WW - A beautiful sunset here in Florida is one of God's gifts to us...

My Front Porch Looking In

I'm not sure if others do this, but often times when I hear a song it causes me to reflect on my life and how it relates to my life. Evrytime this song comes on I can't help but think about how fortunate I am to have the wife and kids that I do. Recently I have come to realize that while it hasn't turned out exactly has I dreamed it back in high school, my visions of what I wanted to do have started happening. It all started happening about 5 years or so ago when I met my lovely wife and has let to a wonderful time in my life, that has produced the three most beautiful children in the world ( no debating, please :-) ) and a person in my wife that I didn't think existed and the wonderful home that we have built together and one that I can look at and being extremely proud of ( although Papa's racing trophy is the best decoration in the place ).

Yet another part of my vision is the fact that I have recently started coaching football at my alma mater Gaither with my best friend from my high school years. Coaching takes a lot of time and there is no pay, YET! I can't tell you how important CC has played in supporting my dream to return to football as a coach. It's very important to have a spouse that supports your thoughts, dreams and ideas and I have that in her. I'm sure she's tired of hearing how a guard should pull on the trap play or the endless phone conversation I have with Coach E, but her support is very much appreciated. Football has always been a part of my life and this chance to be involved with it and to help make a difference in young mens lives, as many coaches did for me, is an opportunity that I cherish deeply. I will keep you up to date on the season of the Cowboys through out the year.

For the time being I'll be on my front porch enjoying the view looking in.

Blogger's block!!!

So I've sat down two or three times and tried to post something, but my ADD ( family joke, though I know the problem is not a joke ) kicks in and I can't complete a full post. Other than the evryday happening's not much is going on. Between working, kids and football I do stay busy, but nothing to exciting. Only thing of eventful status is that our 4 year old swam across the pool by herself this weekend. It's more of a doggie paddle, but she's really getting the hang of which is a feat in itself especially since she's never taken swimming lessons. Little man is really scooting himself around these days, we often have to find him since he's discovered his new found freedom. We've started the "potty battle" with D2 so wish us luck. Well I'm off to play witht he girls before I head to football practice. Ya'll take care and come back now ya hear...

Some vacation Pics...

D2 does a little "cleaning"...




























S1 wakes up his cousin...

















D1 doing a little fishin'...

D1 doing sparklers...

Back In The Saddle...

So we're back from vacation and shaking off the vacation hangover, wishing we were still sitting on the river. We had a wonderful time as my mom and dad, sister, her 3 boys and one of their girlfriends were there. Other than it being a holiday weekend it also happens to be the opening of scallop season. Well evidently the scallops haven't been reading up on when this begins as there weren't any there. In two days we collected about 25 of them when you'll usually get around 1000 for two days! Things started of "rocky" on our first attempted trip out. The boat started overheating and we had to be towed back in, so that pretty much shot that day. Before I go any further let me say a huge thank you to my uncle and cousin for coming to our rescue and allowing us to use there boat for the weekend. Our girls absolutely had a ball swimming in the river, fishing and generally horsing around with their cousins. Zach found himself a girlfriend in my sister second oldest girlfriend. She was absolutely fabolous with the kids. Now she probably thinks I'm a little off my rocker after her, my nephew and my wife went to Crazy Dave's Fireworks, but it was all in good fun. As dad likes to say "we're making memories" and we sure did that. Hopefully we'll have some pictures to throw up soon, MOM?????