Merry Christmas

I can't believe Christmas was today...and now it's over! So sad!!

Julie and I had a whirlwind of a weekend - we were in the car for 17 hours in 4 days which is enough to make anyone crazy.
We had a heck of a time visiting with everyone though.

My dad absolutely loved his gift - Julie had the great idea of getting him a DVD of him playing college football - which we gave to him while we were in Houston. His reaction was priceless, he cried which made me and my mom cry. He was so excited. It was incredible to see him play, since I thought he was just making it up all this time - hahaha. I'm not going to lie, the dude was good.

We're now back in Abilene, and have to go back to work tomorrow - it's a bummer not having vacation yet....we're exhausted!!!

Friday we'll be going to the ranch to do Christmas with Julie's parents and grandma Frosty. Since they're bums and have been in Maui for the last week - we get to hang out with em!
Luckily, the Ranch is 1 1/2 hours from here and we typically do a lot of relaxing - so that'll be good!

Any who - I hope everyone had a blessed Christmas - We certainly did.

and he's back

So, it's been a while ey?!
I guess that's typical nowadays!
I just got back from Houston today. Left last Sunday for a week long training session. Man, the training was great but so intense. Learning the the system Cintas has in place to sell. Basically, it was a lot of listening, a lot of participation, followed by a lot of role plays/presentations.
I tell you what - I'm not one to be shy, but when you're presenting in a room with 10 people, going over stuff you've barely seen, it's pretty intimidating. But, we all managed to do a great (I actually won a starbucks gift card - neat) job and i really enjoyed getting to meet some different reps - one of which graduated from ACU and was friends with H-bomb (sister in law)
I gained about 7 lbs - literally!
Here's the list of what we ate:
Sunday dinner - Texas Roadhouse
Monday Lunch - amazing bbq
Monday Dinner - Pappacitos
Tuesday Lunch - fajitas
Tuesday Dinner - Pappadeux (i love that place)
Wednesday Lunch - Jason's Deli
Wednesday Dinner - Johnny Carino's
Thursday Lunch - Pizza
Thursday Dinner - Pappadeux - no joke - twice in 1 week

Seriously can't believe I haven't died of a heart attach yet. It was absolutely amazing food every day - and that was really all we did was eat!

Well, tomorrow Julie and I are heading back to Houston - yes, I just got back from there - to go visit my extended family. Sunday we'll be back in San Antonio for family Christmas, Monday we'll head to Uvalde, and Tuesday we'll be back in Abilene. I absolutely love this time of year but I cannot wait to get back to a normal routine.

New Years resolution
-Eat better
-excersize (haha - yeah - we'll see how long that last)

welp - I'm out. waking up in 6 hours to drive 6 hours.

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and be safe:)

who doesn't need an elf in their life?!

Julie, Boomer, Champ and I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. I can't believe it's that time of the year again! We decided to do something a little different this Christmas....so, instead of presents and what not - this is what you get.......it's awesome.....i wish I was an elf!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1209467800

check it out yo!

got em

So, this weekend we went to the ranch. Finally got to go deer hunting this year!
And....yuppers - I shot my first buck. It's a 10 point capped from about 100 yards.
Funny story, then I'll show the pics.
-I was supposed to go up early Friday so I could sight my gun in. Since we moved and what not I wanted to make sure it was on. Well - no such luck. Champ got sick and I had to take him to the vet. Saturday I basically slept all afternoon after being in the stand all morning so I still didn't get it sighted in.
Here it is - Saturday - almost dusk. There's a 10 point at the feeder.
I put my gun up - BOOM! Shot - apparently missed. But, the buck did not go anywhere. Kept eating corn. So, I unloaded another shot....Thought I missed again. The buck didn't act hit - just kinda stunned then ran off acting fine. I was hacked - thought I missed this guy twice because of scope being off. So, what do I do? I target practice with a baby coon that's right by the feeder. BOOM - dropped him instantly - my scope was dead on.
Now I'm just mad at myself because I thought I whiffed the shot due to Buck Fever (it's intense - hands are shaky, heart throbbing)
So, Mike and I walk back up to the cabin to eat some dinner. Mike took one of the 4 wheelers down to the feeder just to make sure I didn't hit it. Comes back to the cabin and says....Well, we know your scope is on because you killed a baby coon that weighs about as much as champ.
And, (paused) congratulations, you just killed your first buck.
I WAS ECSTATIC - did a little dance.
Anywho, here are the pics.

Ain't he a beaut??

I guess I showed him who's boss

you bring a sack lunch? it's going to be a long read (interpretation - this is a long blog)

So, it's been a while. I'm not going to lie - I know you've missed me.
To be honest - life has been awesome lately. This is my favorite time of the year.
You have Thanksgiving, cold weather, Christmas, fun times with family, giving gifts, etc.

I'll catch you up on what's been going on if you don't want to read this long blog.
Arlington, Cabellas, Mavs, Purse, Texas De Brazil, Cowboys, sleep, Oklahoma, family, observation of deer cleaining, food, sleep, food, food, food, football, football, football, snow, auction, and I'm spent.

You get the point.

So, Julie's bday weekend was a lot of fun. Cabella's was awesome as usual. I went with my father in law and we had a great time - though we got lost from each other for about 30 minutes.
I bought me some camo - yeehaw!
We had a lot of fun at the mavs game - though drunk people spewing beer on me was not the highlight - even if it was Justin Bobby - 2 first names - reminds me of Ricky Bobby
Sunday was great - my bride woke me up by jumping on the bed and yelling - guess what my parents got me?! She got a purse - it was too early for me to get excited about a purse but I'm now happy for her (primarily for the fact that there's just so much a man can handle when it comes to purse talk.)
After church we went to Texas De Brazil - amazing - last time I was there, Jon and I basically ate them out of business and I swore I wouldn't eat that much again this time - especially since Jon wasn't with us - and I was actually proud of myself....I ate way too much but could still breathe by when we walked out of there (unlike last time - needless to say, I'm gaining weight and my britches don't fit like they used too...what are you gonna do?)

After feeling miserable and very sleepy, Cody, Mike, Ken (Uncle in law), and myself trucked off to the Cowboys game. We had so much fun - it was actually Cody's first time at a pro football game so that was a lot of fun.

Driving home was great - Julie drove and I slept for a bit.


Thanksgiving was awesome. It's been a long time since I've seen her family and we had a great time. It snowed a whole heck of a lot. Wednesday night I watched as Julie's cousin and grandpa cleaned a deer - always enjoyable (hopefully I'll be cleaning a deer this weekend - right Mike and Barbara;)) We had a great meal for Thanksgiving followed by football and another lovely meal. Friday - food, football, Auction, and fondue night!! The auction is a cool deal - everyone buys random stuff and Julie's grandpa is the auctioneer - he's pretty awesome at it - hilarious!!
We each got 1,000 bucks....here's what I bought - a Gamma Alumni hoodie that Julie's mom made - 265 bucks, 5 packets of beef jerky - 150 bucks (julie ate 1 bag before the auction is over - she owes me like 40 bucks for that), tie downs - 300 bucks - and a 5 dollar sonic gift card for about 200 bucks. high rollin'
Champ was funny running in the snow - he absolutely loved it. Julie will post pics later but here's a preview - the snow froze to the fur on his feet like crazy bad and he basically looked like he was wearing fluffy white socks.

And that basically brings us to today.

some pics

So - about the gay prince thing. Julie didn't say specifically - Hey, I want you to be a gay prince. but, she did however give me a "cape thingy" that's velvety purple and the collar was furry white with black spots (looked like a Dalmatian) No lie. So, I in turn was a bad sport about it and turned it into a gay prince. Here is a scary pic of the tragic evening. It's pretty funny - hope no one is offended...:)

No worries, I actually had a shirt on - just thought this would be funny and help me get in the halloween spirit:)

howdy

There's a texas country song called....I've been everywhere.
Basically - the chorus goes......I've been every where man, I've been every where man, drove my tires bare man, I've been every where.
Yeah - so 1,000 miles on my truck since Monday. It's been a crazy week.
Monday - Actually In abilene
Tuesday - Brady and Llano
Wednesday - Eldorado, Sonora, Junction, and Eden
Thursday - Bronte (only an hour away - nice:))
Friday - not going anywhere as of now!

I also decided that Llano is a cool little city and I did not want to come back. It's beautiful.

This is the best time of the year. The weather is great....NFL and college are on....and It's the start of the basketball season. Yes - I think the spurs are going to win it again! Whatever Julie says is a lie:) haha

Halloween was fun - I had to be a gay prince because that's what my wife wanted. She was a beautiful princess....fairy which all the kids mistaked for a butterfly.....they were cute.

I'm ready for Thanksgiving break
Then I'm ready for Christmas break
Then I'll be ready for New Years break

Once again, I love this time of year:)

finally it's fall

Where did fall come from? I don't know but ya know what....I love it! Finally out of the 90's and into the 50's...well 59 was our high today. It's awesome. Makes me want to play some football. Perfect weather.

I had my 13 week evaluation today with my boss and his boss. It was basically an interview plus an assessment on where I'm at. Thank goodness that and training are over with. I had to do more role plays which is no big deal. Answer questions on the spot about our company and if this is the situation how would I respond. Typical business stuff. Needless to say, I sweated through my undershirt but lived to see another day. They said i did a great job, and that we just have a few more things to go over next week. All in all it went well and the job was awarded to me - thank goodness or that'd been interesting.

Today I made 50 phone calls to try to get appointments and new business and what not.....guess how many said no....you got it....all 50. Goes with the territory of sales but it's still frustrating. Especially since i just got my territory and I want to show people I'm competent at selling. but dah well...I'll be in Sonora and Junction tomorrow so that'll give me time in the field by myself.

There is a lot going on since the last time I wrote. ACUs homecoming was this weekend so lots of old friends were in town. Met up with some of them on Friday night...Makes me feel so old. All we did was sit around and talk about the good old days of club. How things have changed and we don't like them. And how we want to petition pledging because it's weak now. Wen't out to the homecoming float (every year at homecoming all of the "pledges" build a float for the parade.) I felt even older knowing that our pledges this year 6 years younger than me. But, needless to say it was fun.
Saturday morning I actually got up for homecoming breakfast at 6:30....decided that they should change it to homecoming brunch and I'd be much happier. It was still good to see everyone and circle up to sing our club song....which a) is still the longest song ever b) I barely remembered all the words. lovely

All in all, things are fantastic in my world. Truly blessed with a great wife and family. I hope everyone is having a great week and enjoys the good weather! Be blessed

monday = wow

Jason has a territory now. that's exciting. Listen to what my territory entails:
North of abilene to Munday (hour from OK and TX border)
South of Abilene to Sonora (hour from TX and Mexico border
West of Abilene to Colorado City
Some cities here and there like Mason, Menard, Junction, Brady, Winters, Ballinger, Eden, etc.
That's going to make for a lot of windsheild time ya think?!
I'm really pumped about my new territory. Things are crazy now that I'm trying to plan my days and my territory out. Luckily Garrett and Billy are helping me out or I'd be completely lost.
Any who, that's the good news!

UT vs OU

So, the big rivalry is tomorrow. I'm really excited about getting to go to the game but not sure how excited I will be about the outcome. Texas definitely isn't that good this year....offensive line can't block and when/if you throw 4 picks 1 game - it's going to be difficult to win. Offensive coordinator could be better and the coaching staff needs to tighten up on their players. All in all, it's going to be a long year. I have hope but I'm also realistic. We'll see what happens:)

We're going to see the quads this weekend too. That'll be fun because last time we saw them we couldn't touch them or anything!

Hope everyone has a great weekend. Hasta Luego

brilliant

I have ideas you see. Here's one. You know how one person likes to sleep under the covers but the other gets too hot and prefers to sleep with just the sheet? I have that problem over here. Julie sleeps with the sheet and I like the comforter. Well, when I get into bed she has the comforter thrown over the footboard, and in order for me to have any comforter at all, I pull it towards me....what happens? Either it comes up on her too causing frustration or i get the point of it which isn't comfortable. Some may say, just get a blanket....but, no...I don't wanna. So, here's what Garrett and I came up with....this is brilliant....
His and Her Comforter.
Top part is a patterned comforter (to the liking of the wife of course) The bottom is yet another comforter. Sew the 2 together but only about a quarter of the way on the bottom....allowing you to flip it over the footboard...the bottom comforter is cut vertically down the middle from the top about 3/4 the length....Therefore - problem solved. She can throw her side over, I can have my side up...and Everyone is happy....

Don't worry, I drew pictures if you'd like to see...i'm not what they like to call "an artist" so they look like poo....but I did sign and date them:)

Watch - tomorrow I'm going to see this on the news or in the store.
Give me some feedback....we kinda want to discuss it with some comforter manufacturers. Cause we be cool like that.

This is what happens when Garrett and I drive somewhere. Too much time for thinking...we come up with crazy ideas and think they're the greatest thnigs ever.

stupid truck

so....today I get in my truck to come home from work. rolled the window down to cool it off a bit (by the way - still 90 degrees...what the heck?) When I went to roll it up....i heard a pop and there went the window - back down into the door! Isn't that great! So I'm driving home with the window down....called a few places but no one could get me in until wednesday...so now I have to rig the window so it will stay shut. What do I do? I know you're probably thinking tape it up but, that's just not my style - I still want my ride to look good. So I used PVC pipe and duct tape to rig it. That's not ghetto...That's redneck! Good stuff

What's gone bad this week you might ask?
1) Microwave
2) Window
3) We shall see tomorrow - hopefully nuttin:)

i hate medicine

Man, this medicine I've been taking stinks. my stomach hurts 24/7!
I got the blood work test results back and apparently I need to eat better and exercise.
Not sure what that's about. I guess walking to the fridge or sitting up to get out of bed doesn't count as exercise. And enchiladas and pizza isn't a good diet. I guess my age is catching up with me and I am no longer invicible to bad health. Bummer.
Here's where we have been this weekend:
Friday:
1) Dinner at Roadhouse
2) Target
3) Pier 1
Saturday:
1) Home Depot
2) Target
3) Tiff and Garrett's for fajitas
Sunday:
1) Home Depot
2) Kohls
3) Target
4) United

I'm tired of shopping!!

What a weekend for college football. Freaking Texas lost. I wasn't happy about that. OU and Florida both lost and I was ecstatic about that. Notre Dame is now 0-5 which is awesome. But stupid Texas lost.
Guess I'll live. Should be an interesting game next week. you know....I'll be there cheering them on....burnt orange and all. HOOK EM'

new red shirt

so i got a new red shirt last week. washed it today for the first time. wasn't paying attention and my undershirts got thrown in with the wash.....yeah - they're pink....es no bueno....guess there's a first time for everything.
I'm trying to volunteer Julie to do my laundry but she said no:)
I wonder how much I could hire someone just to do my laundry......and maybe the dishes......and maybe make the bed.....i don't like any of those.....oh yeah - and maybe my yard work! haha - am I lazy or what:)

We've been going to Westgate Church of Christ for the last month and we absolutely love it. There are a lot of people our age and a TON of kids. It's incredible. We were talking to one of the ministers there and he said.....Don't drink the water or you might get pregnant. It was hilarious! Might be true. Good thing all we drink while we're there is the communion juice:)
Have to be careful!

that's whack

So, yesterday I was in Lubbock for some training...which was really great training. Went to dinner last night...hung out for a while with everyone.....walk out and my truck is gone. I was freaking out. Yeah, it got towed! Stupid lubbock. Apparently I didn't pay attention to where I parked since I've been to lubbock like 4 times in my life. Took 2 hours just to be able to get my truck out....2 am rolls around and I'm finally back at the hotel. 4 1/2 hours of sleep....4 more hours of training. and a 2 1/2 hour drive back to Abilene. I'm pooped!

grass pics and what not

Here are the new pics of the grass....we're about 17 days in i believe!

This is the right side.....doesn't look as good
Close up of the left side - looking better

Left Side yet again

How you know you're in a small town.

One of the stops we made today sold the following products.....under the same roof:

1) tires

2) auto repair services

3) deer feeders

4) mattresses

5) Appliances

6) trophies/plaques

I'm not kidding - it was awesome! You could get your tires fixed, order a trophy and take a nap all at the same place. How cool is that? Great idea!

fun weekend

Well - it was a fun weekend. Why do they have to go by so fast?!?!
Last night - after the bbq - I watered the yard - like I do every day of my life.
Sat down on the couch to watch tv....set my alarm to turn the water off.....well - I woke up this morning at 9.....blue jeans, shoes, contacts in my eyes.....and yes...the water still running. Whoops, my bad! good solid 9 hours of watering. needless to say our water bill is going to be sky high!
It's looking better though - still don't think it's going to have full coverage in 30-40 days considering the fact that we're on day 16. But, who knows - I've seen stranger things happen.

This weeks schedule for those who care:
Monday - in the office
Tuesday - on Route in who knows what city leaving at who knows what time
Wednesday - Same as Tuesday
Thursday - leaving at 7 to drive to Lubbock for training.....pm training
Friday - training in the morning and leaving in the afternoon back to Abilene

Should be a fun week. Only 6 more weeks of training - WOWZA.

Hope everyone is doing well:)

and I'm spent

So, Julie and I went to the fair tonight.....it was so much fun but we ate WAY too much!
You know what's coming...the list:

1) Fried Pickles
2) Corn Dog
3) Candy Apple
4) Funnel Cake
5) Bean, beef, and cheese burrito
6) fried snickers bar (I'm not joking - it was kinda weird)

We did have a blast though....Julie was like a tourist. She took a picture of everything. We went on the ferris wheel which was cool.....saw the ever so popular and huge Abilene skyline!:)
Got harrassed by the carneys to play their games - really annoying but what can you do?
bought some stuff for the house! Julie bought a candle that I wanted to eat - it smells really good (hot cinnamon i think)

The grass is looking better. Tomorrow I'll be posting pics so everyone can look in amazement at the progress - haha....don't get too excited!

It's 10:15 on a Friday night and my wife is already in bed.....we're getting old i think....yuppers

Tomorrow night we're going to my co-workers Billy's house for a bbq. It's going to be fun - Julie can finally meet some of the people I work with. Billy says..."Well Dippers" when he forgets something.....or cracker barrell....It's pretty dang funny. Great guy!
Julie is really hoping that Reese - Garrett and Tiffany's baby is awake so she can play. Every time she has seen him, he's been sleeping. He is so dang cute!

Welp.....esta bien, no mas para mi. yo necesito una siesa por que yo tengo mas comida en la fairiorio ( no clue how to say fair in spanish - i'm working on it though)

it is what it is

It's been a great...exhausting week.
Great news - we closed on our house in SA yesterday - so glad to have that behind us! Now we can really look ahead to what the future has in store! Yippee skippy!
Julie's grandpa had his surgery today. It went very well and he is doing great. He'll be in the hospital for a few more days! Thank you all for your prayers!
Tomorrow i'm going to work at 5:30...yes in the am! Apparently Cintas hasn't figured out that I am NOT a morning person! But, what can you do - drink my coffee and I'll be good to go!
Week 7 is coming to a close which means I really only have 5 weeks left of training! WAHOO!

Welp - I'm out. Boring blog I know...but you love it....don't lie:)

monday monday....baaaah dah baaah dah dah dah

Thank you mom and dad for making me listen to oldies growing up. I love them...they rock my face off!

So, it's been a while since I've posted. Honestly, I've been flat out lazy. Between the yard work, the grass, and the traveling...I'm flat worn out. Not to mention I'm 7 weeks into my training and still have 6 weeks left to go. Luckily, I still really enjoy work. Everyone is great and I'm still learning daily. I guess I'm just ready to get it all behind me ya know? But, it is what it is!

Here is what the last week was like:
Saturday (9/1) - Road to the ranch
Monday (9/3) - Road back from the ranch
Tuesday (9/4) - Road to San Angelo
Wednesday (you get the picture) - ride along from San Angelo to Sonora - 1 south of San Angelo
Thursday - same as wednesday but tack on an hour and a half back to Abilene
Friday - road to San Antonio
Saturday - road back to Abilene

So, it's basically been crazy traveling lately. San Angelo was good though. Find out tomorrow if I landed my first sell without my sales buddies around. So that's good! Bring on the bling bling - haha. The guy I rode with was still on light duty because he had back surgery a few months back....means I got to do all the heavy lifting. BTW - dirty linens that have been sitting in the rain for a few days are A) Heavy B) absolutely disgusting
but, i survived. Back on route tomorrow to make some more money for Cintas.

Recap of my life outside of traveling:
1) closing on our house in SA tomorrow - praise the Lord....seriously
2) grass basically looks the same as it did last week - will post pictures tomorrow
3) put together a book case....it was too big and un-sturdy - took it back
4) picked up my shed which I have to put together....it's still sitting in the box
5) hung out with Jeff and Hayley for supper last night and lunch today - it's awesome getting to hang out with them.
6) champ needs a hair cut
7) boomer barks loud when a door bell rings on tv
8) my hair is still falling out
9) i'm gaining a little weight....now where a 34x34 pant - whoda thunk
10) did I mention the back yard still looks the same....oh i did...well it's confirmed

Say a prayer for Julie's grandpa. He has his consultation on Wednesday for his upcoming gall bladder surgery!

lata

September arrives

I can't believe it's September already! I tell you what, it's been a busy/fast year! I love days off! They are awesome.

This weekend we spent time out at the Walker's ranch - I had so much fun! Luckily, cell phones don't work really well out there so there was a lot of time for relaxing. Basically all we did was lounge around. Mike, Barbara, and I did some target shooting which was a lot of fun. They're pretty dang good with a gun....but, I guess I held my own! I know you'll be surprised but Julie decided to stay indoors and forgo her invitation to shoot a shotgun - haha. I found out that hitting a clay taret with a pistol is pretty much impossible - but it was fun to shoot my 9mm since it's been a long time!

Today is a GREAT day. We got the last of the turfalo planted so now we just have to water like it's our job to make sure it spreads. Here's a picture of what the backyard looks like. i'm goin to start taking a pic a week so we can see if it works like they say it does. Should be completely covered in 30-40 days.

Hope everyone had a great 3 day weekend! Hasta Luego

que dia

man...what a day today was!
worked...tilled....started plugging the 1800 plugs of turffalo! It looks easy...and it is....but it's so frapping tedious! We got about 120 planted and it took us 1 1/2 hours! It's going to take a LONG....LONG time! But, it will be worth it - one day!

Just got an email from our realtor from SA...the inspection report came back....get ready for this junk.....the buyer wants us to pay 400 dollars for the lendor required repairs. We're already paying for ALL of his closing cost at 4500 bucks....I mean...really? thanks for playing but that's not going to happen! Oh well - what can you do.

Julie's mom came in today which has been great. She helped out a lot in the backyard - feel kinda bad..both times she's been to visit we put her to work! Maybe one day she'll stop by and will be able to relax!

I've decided -
1) I'm old
2) I'm tired
3) landscaping is not my cup of tea
4) selling a house is a pain
5) Abilene is awesome
6) work rocks my face off
7) red dirt turns a white beard chocolate brown - seriously, champ looks like a kid with chocolate all over his face...not sure whether or not to give him a bath or leave it because it's pretty darn funny
8) we're going to win the mega million Friday
9) that would rock my face off
10) i'm envious of everyone that started college on Monday
11) 99% of politicians are scum bags
12) dill weed really is a "spice" and not what I used to call people in 7th grade - had it tonight for the first time
13) cucumbers aren't bad if you add bread and ranch dip to the mix
14) mesquitos suck....literally
15) no one really likes list so I'm done

backyard...oh my

So the backyard is completely destroyed! Tilling is not much fun....I once loved working in the yard until we moved to Abilene. Maybe it's because my experience was putting in a flower bed that took maybe 3 hours.....and laying about 12 pieces of sod....tilling is a whole different animal.
I rented a tiller on Friday - worked for a few hours....woke up sore as all get out Saturday....worked about an hour more then had to stop. The tiller was a piece of junk!!! Apparently I got the wrong kind of tiller...whodathunk!
So today I rented a beast of a tiller and it was frappin' awesome! So much easier - it even has a few speeds as well as the capability to reverse....which I then took the opportunity to make the beep beep sound while backin' her up...yes I was bored and HOT!
We're (I'm haha - Julie is defintely not helping till) about 85% done with the tilling then comes the EXCITING part.....manually planting 1800 plugs in the ground. Doesn't that just sound like a barrel of monkeys? That's what I thought too!!
Soon...soon enough we'll be done with the back yard and it'll all be worth it.

Work is still going well....I'm doing a lot of riding with the sales reps and getting great experience. Making a few sales pitches while we're out and getting edjumacated on everything. Next week I'll actually have a quota for trying to upsell current clients...then in week 10 I get to go after new business. Crazy thing about it...they're going to pay me commissions on what I sell! IT'S ABOUT TIME...for those of you who know me, know the last job I had promised commissions for a bout a year and a half and I never saw a dime....So, it's been a long time coming!

I should be getting my business cards in a few days which will be lovely. Right now, when I'm making a cold call I'm having to hand the prospect a business card as either Garrett or Billy....then introduce myself as Garrett or Billy....I'm not going to lie...that's pretty dang hard to do. Crazy enough - introducing yourself as yourself is a pretty hard habit to break. Actually, yesterday while in Coleman I did the typical introduction as Garrett.....introduced Garrett as Jason....then when we were leaving I said again, I'm Jason and this is Garrett....DOPE - Not sure if he caught it but I sure chuckled. That's some good stuff right there - so professional!!:)

Please remember Jim Hughes (Julie's grandfather) in your prayers. He's having some test run.


I'll have more to follow! I know it's been a while and everyone has been anxiously awaiting to hear about my exciting life:)

come on now!!!

Ok....so I am a competitive person.....I hate losing....It doesn't matter what it is.....parcheesi, twister, basketball, etc. I just realized that my wife is kickin' my rear end in the number of people viewing her blog site.....That is not ok! I know she's good looking and all but come on.....Everyone should want to know what's going on in the life of a 25 year old, tall, skinney, and balding dude from Abilene, TX. I mean....lets face it....I'm pretty cool and definitely funny.
I don't care what you have to do to get people to look at my website.....email everyone you know....I'll put together some logos and some tshirts...whatever....but this is ri-darn-diculous
HAHA....just kidding. I know she's the only one that really ever looks at her blog....She just clicks on it a bunch of times to make it look like a lot of people are really reading her stuff. HAHA

Today we went to the big city of Mason......You know how you know you're in a small town?
When you go to the golf course and the sports complex right beside you....consists of a stadium called Puncher Stadium, baseball field....and yes.....a barn for rodeos and livestock shows. I tell you what.....I would never need to leave that complex! It's got everything you could want!

Garrett and I decided to that we're going to buy some land....so we found 60 acres were are going to split.....Tiffany (his wife), Reese (their son), and Garrett would take one side and we would take the other. Then we figured that we would have to sell our house because we wouldn't be able to get approved for another mortgage (and if you count the mortgage we have in San Antonio still, it'd be our 3rd mortgage.) So, we'd then have to find a place to live.....I had the great idea of putting a RV on the property we could stay in until the place was finished.....Julie said no....the dream was dead....and i was sad.

You know....there's absolutely nothing I can talk about....i'm really bored and had nothing to say which is why you got this really random....all over the place blog!

Midland today....Brownwood tomorrow

Today I was in Midland riding a long with a sales rep. Left at 6:30...got back at 7:30....it was a great day but I'm tired to say the least. Tomorrow I'm back on route with the other 2 sales rep for Abilene and surrounding. I'm getting a lot of great sales training during this 3 month training period which is awesome!!
My wife is great...my job is great...my dogs are great (most of the time)...our house is great....Abilene is great. For the most part - we are truly loving life!!!

On a sad note, Sunday a fellow fraternity buddy was killed in a motorcycle crash here in Abilene.
Aaron Fry was 22 years old and should have been starting back to school next week. His motorcycle went off the road and he then hit a road sign. He was pronounced dead at the scene. I was good friends with his sister during college. Please keep their family in your prayers during this difficult time. He was a great man and a good friend to many and he will be truly missed.
Their family was a very tight knit family and I cannot even imagine what they are going through. Thanks for your prayers!
His funeral is tomorrow at 2:00pm in Grandview. I really wish I could be there but since I will be out of town it's just not going to work out.

More to follow later.....I gots to retire to the bed b/c I'm old:)

offer!

We got an offer on the house today which we verbally accepted. NEAT!!!
Looks like we'll make a little money but at this point, we really don't care. We're just ready to be done with it. Say your prayers!!!!!

Apparently tonight we're expecting 1-3 inches of rain and....a co-worker of mine got a call from the city saying to be prepared to evacuate!! Isn't that lovely! haha

Hope everyone is doing well!

today

Here's the recap of what's been going on today......
1) my computer completely crashed...had to by a new one. My hard drive went awol and it would cost me as much to buy a hard drive as it would a new...cheap computer
2) Abilene is basically under water due to rain
3) water scare.....they thought there was some bacteria or something in the water....couldn't buy cokes, water, coffee or anything that had abilene water in it....gotta love abilene:)
4) had to work in the office all day today.....long and boring but some useful information
5) Julie's mom was here all day....I love her
6) dude came by to mount the tv over the mantel....it's pretty dang sweet!
7) went to outback.....service was sub par and the lights went out briefly
8) watched tv and now going to bed.
9) dropped the cashier's check off......we closed yesterday but we did not realize that Bank of America closes it's lobby at 3....we couldn't get a cashier's check or wire money yesterday so they actually let us sign the papers and bring the check by today! I LOVE ABILENE.....banks close early (I was livid) but it's probably one of the few places that will actually let you sign closing documents without paying!!!
10) went to get breakfast as part of my initiation to Cintas (they're so tough on me - haha)

Man...I love life in Abilene. Julie and I's relationship is so much stronger due to the fact that we're much less stressed than we were in San Antonio. With her not working much and me working 65 hour weeks.....out of the house....we were at each other's throat's. But...God is amazing and has blessed us so much!
More to follow.....I love you all very much!!!

Might have to go to wal mart to get some floaties so we don't drown.......might get some for the dogs as well:)

It's been a while

Yeah I know....it' been a while since my last post. Things are still rockin and rollin' around here!
Went to San Antonio this weekend to pack up all of our stuff. It was an interesting trip.
A realtor broke the key off in the key hole and did absolutely nothing about it. He said he wasn't strong enough to break the key and that it was our responsibility to get it fixed.....yeah and this was happening not only while we were driving to down there from Abilene....but the night before the movers were coming. Luckily he actually unlocked the dead bolt and we used a spare key to open the other lock.....yesh! Saved us about 120 bucks for an emergency call from a locksmith!
The Movers in SA were great. Actually one of the guys was the same guy who moved Julie into our house after we got married. They were great and did the job in about 2 hours.
I love driving U-hauls. We had the biggest one available (i think it's 24 ft.) It was a beast! Cost a jackload to fill it up.....but it's all good in the neighborhood (yes...i just said that...welcome back to the 90's - haha)
Our house (I know...which one right) in Abilene is awesome. Boxes are everywhere but we have the essentials pretty well taken care of....
1) tv - check
2) internet - check
3) kitchen semi organized - check
4) bed is put together - check

So - the rest are just details. Tons of work left to be done but once again...it's all good in the neighborhood because we're in abilene.

There was a showing on Sunday to a doctor and his wife. Apparently they complained about how dirty the house was. Seriously.....we just moved out on sunday......get over it!!!! So we're hiring someone to clean it so we dont have to go back to do it!!!! I mean....come on....look past the dirt and we can get that taken care of later....JUST BUY THE HOUSE!!! HAHA

Any who.....More to come....it's late and I'm exhausted!!!

And he's back

Well, it's been a while.....Thank goodness I finally have internet again. I've been going crazy.
So, I got to move into the new house on Sunday! It's so nice and I absolutely love it.
Things I have at the house
1) mini fridge with coke, turkey, cheese, and mustard
2) clothes
3) laptop (no internet until today)
4) 3 dvds (Count of Monte Cristo, Black ball, and Ghostbusters)

It's been so relaxing but honestly....there's only so much free cell you can play before you go crazy! So, it's great to be back up online.

The last 2 days have been great. Even though I had to be a work on Monday at 4:30, the day went fast and I was off by 2. We went to San Angelo to service 4 accounts and I learned yet again, another side of the business.
Today I spent all day with a sales rep....actually making calls in Brownwood....it was great getting back to selling but since it's been a while......i'm rusty to say the least!
The guy I road with is 26 and has a 5 month old baby named Reese.....His wife today asked while I was in the car, if Garret asked me if Julie and I wanted to be friends. It was kinda funny.....So I told him we were booked up on the friends department. haha - scary thing about it is she seems a lot like Julie....doesn't really like sports.....when they snow ski she shops while he's on the slopes...she was a teacher....she likes to shop.....they could be a dynamic duo! hahah
So, once Julie gets here and we get settled we'll have some other people to hang out with! Plus, they have a baby Julie can play with....maybe that will calm her down about wanting one:) Or....it could back fire and make her want one more...who knows...she's crazy!!
But, it went well and I'm counting the days until I get to sell in my territory (11 1/2 weeks)

Julie is coming into town on Friday....of which we're turning around and driving to San Antonio to get all our stuff packed and loaded onto a uhaul.....So by Sunday we'll actually have a fully functioning house (well....kinda)
Everything is going well with our loan and looks like we'll close toward the end of the month.....That's going to be a huge burden off our backs because we're so worried that something will fall and we'll have to back out. I would feel horrible for the sellers if that happens. Luckily we should be ready to rock and roll.
Our house in SA still hasn't sold so that's frustrating but hopefully soon. We're thinking about talking to the realtors this weekend and maybe dropping the price or offering an incentive to sell. Since we've had 11 showings and no offers, we're not sure what the problem is. But....in due time we'll figure it out. It's going to be great getting all of this behind us so we can start our new life in Abilene!

Days until Dove season....23 YIPPEE
Days until Julie and I live in the same city again....2
Days until our dogs will be reunited with us.....13 (give or take)
Days until closing....14 (give or take)
Days until we have cable in the house.....6
Days until my first Cintas paycheck....3 (I CAN'T WAIT)
Days in new house......3
Days being bored....0

Any who.....hope everyone is doing well!! I love you all very much.

what it is yo

So, it has been a crazy few days.
Between working in the plant, running routes, and working 12 hour days......good stuff
Monday I have to be at the office at 4:15...yes...in the am!! It will be a miracle if I can get up that early.
But all is well because I got to come to Arlington to come see my beautiful wife. It' was over a week since we had seen each other. So it's been great. Boomer and Champ both went nuts when I walked into the backyard. It was sweet and very slobbery.
So now we're here.
Today we're going to see my cousin Suzanne who just gave birth to quads. She's doing well and the babies are being constantly monitored. 1 baby might have a problem with a valve openning in the heart causing breathing problems but they will scan the heart today and determine the course of action. They will either treat it with meds or have to a procedure...but only if the problem does not correct itself. Keep their family in your prayers during the exciting but anxious time.
Update on the house - we signed the contract on Wednesday and I actually got to pick up the keys on Thursday. Sunday I'll be spending the 1st night in the new house!! Julie and I could not be more excited!

More to come.....We're outty 5000! haha how old school is that

exhausted? I think so

So, today I had the extreme pleasure of working in the plant. For those of you that don't know what Cintas (my company) does, they are a uniform rental company that also provides rags, towels, mops, door mats, etc to any and every company. Most of the clients are auto dealers, mechanic shops, concrete companies, etc. Basically, the messiest companies known to man - they serve. The back end of the business is more or less a laundry service....cleaning the uniforms, etc and sending them back out to the customers. So, today I got to do other peoples laundry. It was definitely not the most glamorous part of my work experience. Rags were oil filled and disgusting, uniforms are all kinds of jacked up, and that's what I was sifting through.
Separating everything out based on colors, pants, aprons, rags, and everything else.
Smells like throw up, no air conditioned which adds smelly sweat to the mix, and that was basically my day.
Luckily, everyone was very nice and helpful and they were actually short handed today so I got to get down and dirty.
My day:
1) 8:00 am - drink coffee and get the day organized
2) 9:00 am - start sorting through the nastiness of rags that needed to be cleaned
3) 10:00 am - loaded up the old ladies tables with dirty who knows what so they could sort
4) 10:15 am - loaded up washers with 400lbs of sheets
5) 10:30 am - loaded up washers with 750 lbs of oil stained rags
6) 11:00 am - took sheets out of washer and took them to the linen ladies and filled washer with a jack load of mats
7) 11:15 am - got to push the buttons on the hydralic lift (that was cool)
8) 11:45 am - LUNCH!!! Thank the Lord for Rosas and water
9) 12:45 pm - worked with the linen ladies
- lined up sheets to go on huge I wanna get one iron rotating thingy
- one by one put napkins on huge I wanna get one iron rotating thingy
- separated out aprons based on colors (you wouldn't think this would be difficult, but after they come out of the washers ALL of the strings and aprons basically make a HUGE knot)
10) 3:00 pm - worked with the loaders loading the trucks for next day deliveries
11) 4:15 pm - talked with a manager in training to see if I had access to my intranet login (NOPE)
12) 4:30 pm - Sonic for a 44 oz diet coke with vanilla (diet only because my dentist brother likes to gripe when i drink Dr Pepper
13) 4:45 pm - ON MY WAY HOME!! YAYAYAYAYAYA

All in all it was a great day. Definitely makes me appreciate the jobs I've had in the past as well as the one I have with Cintas. Tomorrow will be much like today, back working in the plant but Thurs and Friday I'll be back on Route with the Service Sales Reps doing stuff that is a lot more fun (goes by a heck of a lot quicker too.)

Next week will be even better because I actually get to spend thurs and friday with the Abilene sales reps..learning the actual position I'll be doing (can't wait to get back to selling....I miss it like whoa)

Anywho, we should be signing the contract on our house tomorrow. The loan is in place and the sellers agreed to our terms. Actually, I'll be giving them checks on Thursday for our first months rent until we close. So, I can move on Thursday if I so choose:)

Friday I'll be going to Arlington to see Julie and the dogs which I'm super excited about. Haven't see them since Thursday and it already feels like 2 months. I THOUGHT WE PUT OUR LONG DISTANCE TIME IN WHILE WE WERE IN COLLEGE:)
But, soon enough our family will be reunited (Reunited and it feels so good - haha sorry for the gay song, thought it was appropriate!!!)

Love you all - adios por que yo necesito una siesta (bye because I need a nap)

bada bing bada boom

Great news....we were approved for our house today. Looks like we're going to get the house Julie and I really want. As it turns out, we're actually going to be renting the place for the first month (basically paying a prorated rate of the sellers mortgage) giving us time to get our house sold and this house closed on. So that's awesome news!!! Julie and I are both really excited about the new house. Please pray it all goes well....the realtor (in abilene that actually acts like he wants to sell a house) is talking with the sellers tonight to get the contract written up.
Mean while, our house in san antonio has been viewed a few times over the last couple of days so that's good. The realtor down there still doesn't act like they want to help us much but oh well! It'll sell sooner or later!

I had my first "real" day at work today which consisted of me getting to work at 6:30 and not getting out of there until 4:30. I'm not going to lie....I'm exhausted!!! But, it went well. Everyone is very nice and helpful and I'm looking forward to working with a great company!
Tomorrow I'll be working in the plant - holy how hot can it be in a plant. There's no a/c and they are running at least 8 dryers that heat up to about 350 degrees. Man, it's frapping hot up in there.
My uniform still has the name of Dane on it which is cool. They got my patches today that they'll sow on tomorrow (hopefully) so I can be Jason again. Good stuff

All is falling into place for Julie and I know we could not have done it without the help of our family and friends with the prayers lifted!! We have an amazing God.

crazy weekend

So, Friday was my first day with Cintas.
It's going to be a great place to work. Everyone I met was extremely nice and my boss is like me...pretty easy going.
It spent most of the day going over policies and procedures, filling out paper work, signing my life away, and the best part....watching 3 hours of safety, products, and health videos (oh yeah...straight out of the 90's) They were awesome. They were actual VHS videos which i haven't seen used those in years. Forgot you actually have to rewing them and that they can get fuzzy...thanks tracking:) haha
I got my uniform in for the next few months while training. It's pretty cool.....navy pants....baby blue short sleeve button down with maroon pin stripes....and yes.....they messed up on my shirt so Monday I'll be crusing around with the name of Dane.....how awesome is that!!
Monday I'll be riding with the route sales specialist....yeah we're leaving the plant at 6:30 in the am......I'm definitely not a morning person so we'll see how that goes.
All in all, i'm really excited. I miss my wife but other than that, I'm glad to be back in Abilene.
We still need to sell our house....but what can you do with a realtor that basically uses the internet as her only source of marketing...never follows up with anyone unless I call and ask her several times.....might have to market it myself.

Thanks for your prayers in this crazy time. Until I write again.....peace out...a-town.

I actually worked today

Wow, what a feeling. I actually had to get up this morning....and learn stuff. It was great being back at work.
I had my ride a long today with the rep in San Antonio. It was great actually seeing first hand some of what I would be doing. You would never think it but there is A LOT more that goes into it than I ever dreamed.
I talked to a rep that had been with the company for 2 weeks and he showed me the huge 4 inch binder full of stuff I have to read. About 2 hours of reading a night for the first 13 weeks (training period.)
The rep i did my ride a long with was great. We had a few sales calls and a few just drop in calls to say Hi.
I'm looking forward to the challenge of starting fresh in a new city as well as doing something that is completely different than what I'm used to.
With SR I was talking to high level executives with a minimum yearly revenue of $60K (on up to 1.4 million dollars) With Cintas, I will be calling on mainly smaller facilities with 4-50 workers total and selling about 50-400 bucks a week in revenue. So the role is quite different but it will give me a great chance to make good money and live in a city that's perfect for Julie and I (and the kids:))

Hopefully tomorrow we'll get a showing on our house. So far, in the past week, we've had 2. None since Saturday!!! We're getting antsy since I'm leaving thursday for Abilene. but what can you do?

I'm tired which is why there are probably typos in this blog....but guess what....I DON'T CARE:)

adios senors y senoritas.....hasta luego.

big day tomorrow

I'm really excited....I have my ride along with a sales rep for Cintas. Not sure how long it will be but it will give me great insight on what my job will entail. I'm looking forward to gaining some knowledge...what works and doesn't....and find someone that can mentor me as I start this new job.
I'm not going to lie, i'm even excited about getting up every day and going into an office! With my personality, and being as outgoing as I am...the past 2 years of working out of my house has been difficult. So, it'll be great to be around people again to push me and train me as I get my feet wet!
I talked to my new boss today and they actually want me to start on Friday (7-27) instead of monday. I'll be going to Abilene Thursday night, working all day Friday, then coming home to finish packing and helping Julie with the house. Looks like there is going to be a lot of back and forth travel for the next month (hopefully less depending on the house.)
It's going to be hard to be away from Julie (and the kids) next week and I hope and pray that it will only last a few weeks!

It's still raining in San Antonio...man it's depressing. I miss the sun....No mas aqua por favor. We need it to dry out a little bit!!!!

We ate dinner with my parents tonight and had a great time. I am going to miss being 30 minutes away from them! Who knows...maybe we'll actually see them more when we leave!! With things being as crazy as they are, it's hard for both of us to find time to hang out. Luckily they'll kill 2 birds with 1 stone in the fact that they just have to drive to 1 city to see both of their boys and daughter in laws!

Did I mention, it hasn't stopped raining?
We had a river going through our back yard today....it was wild. I wish i had a tube so i could go chill in the rain.

Any who, I have a big day tomorrow so I'm going to bed. I'll let everyone know how tomorrow goes! I'm excited about getting out of the house:)

pot holes and pull strings

Man, this was an eventful weekend. Julie had 2 flat tires bright and early Saturday morning. Took 1/2 a day to get them changed out. Change the tire to the spare.....take the bad tire to Discount Tire. Go back to discount tire to pick up new tire...back to car to change 2nd bad tire. Drive vehicle to Discount tire to get the 2nd new tire put on the vehicle. drive back to discount to pick it up. That was loads of fun.

Sunday, the first day in a few days (or weeks) it has not rained. Mowing the lawn was top priority. Well, i pull the rope to get her roaring and snap. The rope breaks. I drove to home depot to get a replacement and spent about 2 hours trying to get it working. For those of you that know me.....know I'm not mechanically inclined. Needless to say, the 30 year old lawn mower (which belonged to my grand pa) was not going to be fixed by this dude. So, I bought a new one. Spent probably less money buying a new (cheap) one than i would trying to get the old one fixed.

No one came to look at the house today. Come on now....I know someone in SA needs a house:)
But, it has only been on the market for 5 days.....so I can't get too disappointed yet.

Tomorrow, I do not have to work for SR.....I'm so excited about that! No more griping by needy customers, being blamed for something that wasn't my fault, no more being thrown under the bus because I did not have the support/tools I needed to do my job successfully! What a relief!!!!
Friday was my last day, and actually....I didn't have to work because they shut down my internet/email etc right at 8:00am. My boss was not happy but apparently there were a lot of lay offs within my company on Friday and they just threw me in with all of them. Oh well....I was happy and got a free meal.

Monday - Oil changed, packing, and cleaning
Tuesday - Ride a long with a Cintas superstar in San Antonio
Wed, Thurs, Fri......No clue

It's going to be a great week. Hallelujah for some time to chill before I start the new job!

Yes Sir

So, it's official, we got a job offer today with Cintas. WE'RE MOVING TO ABILENE:)
Julie and I are extremely excited!!! My tentative start date will be July 30th. Gives me some time to rest up and get things situated before starting!
House news, we had our first showing today. Not sure what the outcome will be but we shall see!! Hopefully we can sell our house in 6 days like our neighbors did. that would be great!

I love you all very much!

Things to do before we move

I love lists now - I think it's I married an organizational nazi!

1) Paint
a) Stairs
b) door
c) trim
2) carpets cleaned (Thursday at noon)
3) move stuff out of the garage (holy wow - it's ridiculous how much stuff we have in there)
4) Sell the house
5) Buy a house
6) Pack
7) Peace out
8) Work on my hand stands
10) have fun

My wife will read this and probably add eleventy billion items....but this list is good for me!! Makes me think that we don't have that much to do:)

That's what I'm talking about

Wow, these past few days have been crazy hectic.
SR countdown.......................................................1 day and a few hours!!!! It can't come fast enough!

We have some great news though....i had my 2nd interview today (which we thought would be my last before the job offer.) It went extremely well and he passed me on the 3rd and FINAL interview. I have a phone interview with the VP of sales tomorrow (Thursday) at 9:00 am.
"My" soon to be manager basically said since I got to this stage that i was a shoe in!
Praise the Lord because he is faithful and true to His word.
Thank you all so much for your continual thoughts and prayers for Julie and I. It is greatly appreciated!
So, it looks like Julie and I will be Abilenians again! CANNOT WAIT!!!!
It was so amazing visiting Jeff and Hayley this past weekend and we are so excited about the great journey that lies ahead.

Ya know, I did a lot of driving this weekend. Never once were we stopped by traffic and I never got frustrated (as I do often) while driving with stupid people on the road. It is going to be great for my blood pressure to get back to a city that people actually....kinda....know how to drive!!!!
Of coure, as soon as we got back to SA, 2 people cut me off within 2 minutes of each other! I LOVE SA!!!!

My list of reasons to move back to Abilene:
1) Job
2) Jeff and Hayley
3) AMAZING SELECTION OF GREAT CHURCHES!!!!
4) Traffic
5) Construction
6) Drivers
7) Rosa's
8) Taco Bueno
9) Slow pace of life
10) cheaper living
11) Because Julie wants to move there
12) Most importantly, Julie and I really believe that this is the place that God wants us to be.

Once again, we thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. The Lord is faithful and our family and friends are by far the best!

God bless each of you!!!

That's some good stuff

So....it was a great weekend.
We surprised Jeff on Saturday for his birthday which was on Sunday. He was definitely shocked and excited. We had a great time hanging out with them all weekend!
Monday, to say the least, was exhausting but very productive.
I had a 10:00 am interview with Bank of America, which went really well.
I was trying to get an interview with aa Land Leasing Company for the wind turbines, but that didn't work out.
So, around noonish Cintas called me and wanted to interview me this week in Midland for a position in Abilene. I told the guy I was in Abilene and would love to meet him that day......drove to midland....MOST BORING DRIVE EVER!!!!! But, it had to be done.
The interview went really well and he passed me on to the next stage which is a phone interview with his boss (Wednesday at 4:00pm)
Both of these jobs seem extremely promising. It's crazy.....4 weeks and nothing, then 1 day I have basically 2 great opportunities to land a job!

Just for fun

Ok, so now I have to post a blog that's more Jason Webb style!!!

Crazy, scary, awesome, cool, wowza news: 5 work days left until I am done with my current job. WAHOO!!!
I'm not excited or anything:)

Random Thoughts
1) You wanna know what the most annoying song you can get in your head? Well, not even a song.....the stupid tones of the ice cream truck. For some unknown reason I had that in my head for like 2 hours today! It drove me absolutely crazy!!!
2) Champ has woken Julie and I up at 4:30 for the past 3 nights.......he doesn't realize yet that I'm not a morning person.
3) We need more Taco Buenos in San Antonio. 1 that is 20 minutes from my house just isn't cutting it.
4) queso with meat is very good on top of broccoli
5) I ate too much for super.....(2 servings of chicken, sausage, broccoli, potatos, and corn)
6) Its 2:17am and i'm delirious

Sermon, though I'm not a preacher:)

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Man, that's a tough pill to swallow for me. In the ever increasing stresses that life bring about, how can one always be joyful. And, giving thanks in all circumstances....that's difficult.
Life is hard, no doubt about it. God never promised it would be easy. In the midst of just getting married and adding the stress of trying to find a job, I will 100% agree that life isn't always as glamorous and easy as we would like it to be. But, that is life and we have to learn to accept it.
Honestly the only way we can always be joyful and to give thanks in all circumstances is through the middle part of that passage (verse 17) by praying continually.
All that life has to offer comes from God. The blessings are just that...blessings. They are not deserved nor guaranteed - they are gifts from the one who created us.
It's easy when life gets difficult to blame others or to blame God. It's easy when life gets difficult to forget about everything we have to be thankful for. Through prayer and strength God humbles us and helps us understand the circumstances placed before us are teachings for the future. And though we might not like them at the present, His will, will be uncovered.

This message, much like the last message I posted, truly rings home with me in the given circumstance.
I must ALWAYS be joyful, pray continually as that's the only way to make it through the day, and no matter what the situation, give thanks to Him because life is a blessing. Everything we have and do comes from someone so much greater than I and he deserves nothing less than our thanks and praise and more importantly our hearts in prayer.

God won't let us go through more than what we can handle and the trials we do have teach us the necessary lessons for the future.

The Bible - what an amazing...eye opening...amazing guide to get us through life's journey!!

I love you all very much! Be blessed this weekend!!

Sounds like someone has a case of the mondays...

Pretty typical day in the recent life of Jason Webb. Work was crazy as usual (8 days left). Dogs were crazy as usual. Julie cooked good meals as usual. I wanted to throw my computer out the window as usual. I applied for 30 some odd jobs as usual.
But hey.....I'm alive so it was a GREAT day:)

It's truly amazing how great God is! Even in times of desperation and anxiety His presence is still known and felt. With each step I take, he is taking it right beside me. When I cannot walk he carries me. When the burden of life seems overwhelming, he gladly takes the trouble away.
Our God is great.

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.
Romans 12:12

I love each and every one of you! Thank you all so much for the many thoughts and prayers through this great journey!

Great Weekend

This was a great and lazy weekends. I love those kind of weekends.
Friday night, Julie and I did absolutely nothing. It was glorious. I really enjoyed spending time with her! With everything going on it seems like we're both going 90mph non stop.
Around 12:30 (Saturday morning) Boomer heard something outside and started going awol. We had no idea what he was barking at but he sensed something. It was crazy!!! So, being the brave husband I am....I got to walk around with a loaded pistol to check everything out. I knew there was probably nothing wrong but it gave me a good excuse to have my gun in my hand (I'm a huge dork that does not get to shoot his 9mm enough) haha
We finally calmed him down and all was good for the night. He still hasn't acted the same since. In fact, today (Sunday) we had to give him a sleeping pill so he would calm down. I know I know...we're great parents, but he was driving us nuts. Almost to the point that physical abuse seemed like a winning answer. Needless to say, the pill worked and he slept like a baby.
Champ, still has no idea what's going and barks at everything just for the heck of it. He loves to hear himself growl - which is not so much impressive or scary. More or less just annoyingly cute.
Saturday, Julie and I went to see License to Wed. It was pretty dang funny. Of course, they never show reality in any kind of married life - which all my experience of being married, things don't always turn out like you'd like them too. HAHA But it was fun going on a date again.
Julie is a GREAT cook. I got very lucky and am getting extremely spoiled. I don't know what's going to happen when her work picks up and I have to start cooking lunch and dinner again. Microwavable meals....here I come!!!! Good stuff, just like I'm back in college.

Well, I have 2 job interviews this week. 1 in Austin on Tuesday with American Health Imaging. I would basically be a marketing/PR rep in promoting the services they offer (diagnostic testin such as MRIs and Catscans etc.) Would be a great job and a great opportunity to move to Austin to really get my foot in the door for future careers. So we'll see how it goes.
The other interview is a 2nd interview with a Regional Sales manager. It is another phone interview for a graphics company. I would be selling their commercial print services (marketing pieces, 4 color, digital processing, etc) basically throughout Texas, NM, LA, and OK. As much as I do want to be in the print industry anymore, I cannot afford to be picky. So we'll see how it goes.

That's all i have for now.
SR countdown - 12 days until unemployment - getting nervous but I know that God still has a plan. Patience is still not a virtue of mine but I'm learning. Ask Julie - ;)
Peace out homies.

Good times had by all

So this is funny....I got the 3rd degree today by a RECRUITER!!! What is that about?
She's supposed to be helping me find a job and she's questioning why I quit without having another job lined up and how she is supposed to explain that and why I'm not making commissions to a hiring manager.
I wanted to say - ya know what....if i wanted to get griped at i would call my co worker b/c she's great at griping. hahah
Good stuff.

That's it for now....I'm boring so I'm not sure what else I'll be writing about.

Craziness

So, I'm officially a "blogger." Everyone is doing it so figured I'd jump on the band wagon.
As you know, I have now been married for 3 months. Married life is such a blessing and my wife truly is amazing. I know for a fact that I would not be where I'm at today without her in my life.
I'm going to preference this paragraph by saying, God is great and I know His will is being done in our lives.
So, about 2 weeks ago I put in a 5 week resignation with my current company. I have been looking for other opportunities for the past few months but definitely did not want to "quit" before I had another job lined up. Given the circumstance and the situation of basically being forced to do so, Julie and I (with the prayers of many) decided it would be best for us for me to go ahead and resign. It was a very difficult decision but had it not been made, a customer of ours that I have butted heads with for the past few months basically made it his goal to get me fired or to drive me to quit.
So, here we are, 2 1/2 weeks until we are out a paycheck and I still haven't had a job offer.
There have been several interviews....a few call backs for a 2nd interview, but I fell short due to my "lack of sales experience." It's frustrating but, what can you do? Keep on keeping on (joe dirt)
Monday I had a 2nd interview with a great company that looked promising. The competition was stiff and I was very well aware of what I was going up against. With lots of research done on the company, their competition, and how I was going to answer the questions asked, I felt extremely confident in my chances. Afterall, I made it to the final 4 candidates. Well, needless to say they went with another candidate which was fine (only makes me mad b/c I'm competitive) It was actually a great experience and one that I can definitely learn from. The interviewer was great, she asked difficult questions and put me on the spot for me to show my stuff as a sales rep. I spoke with her today and got a lot of great feedback on things I can improve on going forward in interviews to come. She actually gave me a huge confidence boost in saying that my answers were great, my sales presentation was great (she basically said, I'm the physician, sell me your product without any script etc), I was more prepared than any of the other candidates, and that I was very articulate for being as young a I was. Then she basically said that she would love to take me under her wing and mold me into this fantastic sales rep which she knows I have the potential and drive to be but unfortunately she did not have time as they had to have immediate impact on their territory. Best part about it, she said to please keep in touch and said she would keep in touch with me to let me know how things were going and if another opportunity comes about I would be the first person she called. So, even though I didn't get the job (still upsetting) at least I have the confidence to keep uncovering opportunities.
So I'm back to applying again. I know full well that God will provide. With the prayers of my amazing wife, my mom and dad, Mike and Barbara (in laws:)) and so many others I am filled with so much hope that things are going according to God's plan.
He's taught me so much patience through all of this and my faith is ever increasing.

I know this is long but I had a lot on my mind to let go of. Lord take control and open our eyes to your good and perfect will.

"For I know the Plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "Plans to prosper you, and not to harm you." "Plans to give you hope and a future."

-Jeremiah 29:11