Party Animals

We went to the extreme this year for New Years!!!
Oh wait....no we didn't.....I'm too old for that!

Actually, Julie's been asleep since 9:00pm and I was busy watching tv.....I had no idea it was midnight until I started getting the text messages!

We rock!! haha - I love my life:)

I wish everyone a Happy and Safe New Year. May God bless you and yours.

Merry Christmas

These last few weeks have been so crazy - with traveling, work, Christmas, etc.

The weekend before Christmas I actually had to work 1/2 a day on Saturday. That's not my idea of a good start to a weekend. But, due to the short weeks, it was all hands on deck to get everything done.
Julie was off all week last week which....made me jealous but that's neither here nor there. Saturday after I got off work Julie and I high tailed it to Arlington. Julie's parents had an extra ticket to the Cowboys game Saturday night and asked if I wanted to go......but of course I did.....Even though the Cowboys really didn't show up - and lost a heart breaking game we had a great time. There were 6 of us there....Mike, Jon, his friend Colby, Julie' uncle Ken, here cousin Grant, and myself. It was so frappin' cold though!! I froze my rear off. but, after the loss - they had the farewell to Texas Stadium celebration which was...interesting. They had a lot of the former greats (Emmitt, Irvin, Staubach, etc), there were fireworks, cheerleaders....and frost bite. haha.

Sunday we went to church, ate lunch and I was back on the road back to Abilene....did I mention Julie was off all week last week?? Yeah, Jason wasn't. I had to be back at work at 7:00am Monday morning for 3 days of crunch time. I was at work for about an hour then had to jump in the "short bus" and head to San Angelo.....what a great day. We completed all the work on this HUGE project I've been working on for 6 months. It was cold and windy but definitely worth every hour I was there.
Tuesday I was in sweetwater for another job - getting dusty and dirty again.....and Wednesday was a bit more relaxed. I was actually in Abilene all day which is unusual.
After work Wednesday I was back on the road headed back to Arlington for Christmas with the Walkers. I had an awesome time. We exchanged gifts, every one did WAY too much......ate a lot (shocker), fell asleep on the couch, and got ready for Christmas with the other Walkers (Julie's uncle, aunt, 3 cousins, and Grandma Frosty. We did a gift card exchange where everyone sat in a circle and Julie read a story. every time the word right was said, you passed your envelope right, and left you passed it left. It was funny. I ended up with a gift card to Cabela's!!!!! YIPPEE - I love that place......(in fact last time I was there with Mike - we lost each other for an hour)
Friday was fun - Jon, Mike, and I went to the shooting range. Another favorite place of mine. Shot about 100 rounds and decided it was time for lunch. We went to On The Border....had an interesting waitress.....then headed home.

After being home for a bit Jon and I left to go to Cabela's - which turned into shopping for a long time and not buying anything - that's annoying especially since I had a gift card - but oh well.
We then went to Cavendar's - since I live in po dunk I needed me some cowboy boots....well - that didn't work out so well for me either!! I was down to 2 pairs and I couldn't decide. After about 30 minutes going back and forth - I decided to take pictures and as my fashion coordinator wife which ones she liked.....interesting fact....she actually picked the pair that I liked....that's unusual:) I had a great time hanging out with Jon - we never really get the chance to hang out and hopefully we'll get to hang out more often in the future.
Saturday morning the four of us headed home to welcome my parents to Abilene.
They got in around 1:00 - we went to Jason's Deli (btw - there is no discount for having the name Jason - whodathunk). Julie and I came home while Jeff, Hayley, and my parents ran errands. Julie napped and I was back at Cavendar's to get my new boots.....crud - I was stuck on 2 pair here in Abilene and actually had to get a worker there finalize my purchase - which I did get the same ones Julie and I liked.

Saturday was Christmas with my parents, and Jeff and Hayley....once again - everyone did WAY TOO MUCH!!! but, we had a great time!! Saturday night we went to chilis for dinner....came home and went to bed.

Sunday - neither Julie or I felt great - I've had this bronchitis lingering for 2 weeks and it's driving me nuts. So I got up.....ate breakfast with everyone at Cracker Barrell and my parents hit the road back to Boerne.

What a whirlwind......here it is Monday.....and back at work we all go! BUMMER!!!

I love this time of year. It's all about family and friend's getting together to celebrate the birth of Christ.

God truly has blessed Julie and I in more ways than we could ever count and I continually thank Him for my family. Our families love and support us unconditionally and they have no idea how grateful I am for that.

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and had time to reflect on why we are here.

not cool

So things with work have been extremely busy lately. Which is a great thing.
I've been doing a lot of driving, which is boring but it's a part of the job.
We finally landed a big job i've been working on since July which makes me happy. It also means that I have work to do to make sure it gets done correctly and in a timely manner. Last Friday (the 5th) I was in San Angelo kind of over-seeing the project and how it was going.
I WAS THERE ALL DAY! I had an appointment in Abilene at 10:30 that morning to get a new contract signed (hallelujah - also one I worked on for 3-4 months) then high tailed it to San Angelo. I got to Angelo around 1:00pm and did not leave until 6:30. Got back to the branch at 8 and headed home at 8:30...yes....that's PM....yes that's 8:30PM on a Friday. Can you say I work too much! But it's ok because the job will be done by Christmas:)
Last weekend was lazy.....we had the floors removed Saturday but other than that we did not do much of anything - I love weekends like that!

This past week was a bit.....interesting....well....different....well it flat out stunk. Monday I was here at the house with the bookshelp guy - helping him get the bookshelf up and running. Tuesday I was back in San Angelo with my boss, for a few meetings and getting some totes picked up......It was drizzly and cold and heck!!! Wednesday, I was with my boss in Sweetwater for more meetings (by Wednesday I felt like crap.) By the time Wednesday night rolled around I couldn't do much of anything. I felt so bad Thursday morning I actually went to the Dr. I had a 102 fever, body ache, sinus pressure every where, head ache, coughing, sneezing, wheezing, and all the goods. Found out I had bronchitis - awesomeness. Needless to say I didn't work Thursday.......went back to bed at 10:30 am and woke up at 4:30 pm - talked to Julie for a bit, went back to bed - slept on and off until dinner......ate dinner and went back to sleep at 9:00pm until the next morning.
Friday I was so sore - from sleeping WAY too much that I decided to go to work. I'm not a very good patient....but i get really bored....really fast.....So I actually worked all day friday and got home about 5:30 - ate dinner and was back in bed by 8:30pm.

I feel better today - still coughing a lot with a lot of congestion but at least I can kind of breathe!!!!!

I had an Awesome time

Well...Thanksgiving has come and gone - which is a bummer. I love Thanksgiving. Great time with family and LOTS....and LOTS of food. That's how we roll in our family. We make enough to feed a small army (as my dad always says) This year was no exception. We had the usual....
Fried Turkey
Dressing
Gravy
Vegetable
CasserolePapa's corn (the best stuff ever)
mashed potatos
Creme Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Dirt Cake
All of the food was absolutely amazing - good enough to each 3 times in the 2 days we were in Boerne.
Julie and I got to Boerne Thursday around 11:30. Which, we said hello and howdy, and got down to business - eating. After lunch we hung our for a while then got ready to go to Austin.

My dad last week won 4 tickets to the UT vs A&M game which started at 7:00 that night.So Jeff, my mom and dad, and I booked it to Austin, go there around 5:30 to go to the pre-game party State Farm had set up for us. It was awesome - we walked into the tent while the cheerleaders were doing some cheer.....lalalalala.
While we went to the game - Julie and Hayley went to see a movie - I don't know what it's called but it's the one with Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon......the only part in the movie I know from the commercials is where the baby throws up on Reese and Vince says - I'm going to vomit - i thought that was hilarious because I have this feeling that's how it's going to be if I see baby vomit.
Back to Austin....we had a blast!!!! That stadium is absolutely amazing! I havent' been there since Senior year of college - before they did all the renovations. The Jumbotron is enormous -pretty much takes up my entire neighborhood - and the game was obviously great for me.Here are some pics from the game:

Blury but totally Awesome

Da Boys
Jumbotron

Close up of Jumbotron

McCoy

Chiles

Stadium from our seats

Pre-Game warm ups

We got back around 12 that night and were starving - so we heated up left overs before we all went to bed (Julie went to bed about 9:00pm - yeah she's old;)

Friday was fun - Julie and Hayley decided to get up at the butt crack of before dawn to hit up the shops - they left the house around 5:30 am - yes - i said am - talk about die hards.....they didn't get back until after noon. That's a lot of shopping.

The rest of the day we pretty much hung out. Ate some more - Julie napped and we all watched tv. That afternoon Jeff, Dad, and I went out to shoot some pistols. My dad wants to get a hand gun and so he was shooting ours to see what he likes.....Jeff has a Glock 9mm and .45cal (both compact - and I have the full size Glock 9mm. So we went through about 10 rounds and had some fun shooting some stuff! I love shooting - it's awesome.

That night we went to Boerne on the Square. It's where they close down main street to traffic and open up all the shops until about 10 or so. That was fun.....i mean....that was ok.....i mean.....i was tired of walking - we'll put it that way.

I saw half my graduating class which was cool - julie bought some stuff....we went in 1 store that smelt like a nursing home gone bad but all in all they had some cool stuff to look at.

We took Champ and Boomer...Jeff and Hayley took Patton - Abby had surgery on Tuesday so she didn't get to join in the festivities. Patton was a little skeptical of Champ....for some reason....but it was entertaining to say the least.

So Saturday morning we woke up early and hit the road about 8:00 am. Champ and Boomer were pooped

Any who - it was a great Thanksgiving - we had a blast - now it's back to the grind of work - boooooooorrrrrrrriiiiiiiinnnnnnng.

I hope everyone had a great and safe Thanksgiving. We truly do have a lot to be Thankful for!

wicked awesome

things around here have been crazy!!!
Work has been absolutely great - a lot of great opportunities finally starting to hit!
This past weekend we went to Arlington to celebrate Barbara's, Jon's, and Julie's bdays - yes....all 3 in November (my mom's in november 30th) - we had a great time.
Saturday Mike, Jon, and I went to the gun range to shoot some pistols -
-Jason - 9mm
-Jon - 45
-Mike 380
We had a great time - it's been too long since I've shot a gun!

We then went to Chessecake Factory - that place rocks.
Saturday afternoon went as follows.....
-Football
-nap
-football
-nap
-nap
-dinner
-football
-nap
-bed
I'm not kidding, I really took about 4 naps Saturday - it was amazing - I got caught up on some much needed sleep since last week was crazy at work.
Sunday was another great day - we went to church then high-tailed it over to Irving for the Cowboy's/49ers game. The entire family went which was awesome. Before the game we had lunch at the stadium in the Stadium grill which - i ate too much. It was a buffet and the food was great. I ate:
1) Bacon
2) breakfast casserole
3) omlette
4) shrimp
5) chicken stuffed with pear
6) potatos
7) dessert
We then went out at half time to our seats and watched Dallas whoop up on San Fransisco - it was great.
Then we had to get on the road and head back to Abilene!!
What else has been going on? Here's a run down.
Julie's bday was Tuesday - we went to Olive Garden with Jeff and Hayley
Tuesday I was in San Angelo - on the truck - I needed a break from sales so I helped out my co-worker getting his stops done
Wednesday I was in Abilene
Thursday I was in Abilene
Friday I was back in San Angelo to wrap up and start a few jobs.

It's very....very rare that I have a Christmas list but this year....it's rather lengthy....here it is.

Laser sight for my 9mm

IPhone

Ariat Rambler boots

AK 47

Remington Tactical Shotgun

Hunting Bow

Why does it seem like the older you get the more expensive your toys are? I also want a bunch of stuff for my truck........here's that list:

1. Rhino Liner
2. 10" sub
3. CD/DVD/Navigation Deck
4. front and rear speakers
5. remote start (I have this, just have been too lazy to get it put on - plus i can't find anyone to do it)
6. grill guard

That's all she wrote!!!!!

Roller Coaster

That pretty much sums up my week in a nut shell.
It has been crazy. I have gone through every emotion this week.....happy, sad, hacked off, drugged up (I'll explain later), hacked off again...and again....and again....confused and so on.

Obama won the election which is where a lot of my "hacked offness" came from. I honestly thought to myself the night before the election that there was no way....once people were in the booth...could they ever pull the lever for Obama. But, I, obviously was wrong.
I cannot understand how people can honestly feel comfortable electing a man that we know so little about. The news media did a great job avoiding the issues, the dirt, and the words actually used by B.O.
Key concerns:
1) His associations (Ayers, Wright, etc.)
2) Taxes - for those people that actually think they will not be affected by the tax increases, you are sadly mistaken. You had to have noticed how the tax increases mentioned went from those making 250k plus down to 200k plus, down to 150k plus.....that number will only continue to drop. And I don't know about you....but I don't like working 60 hours a week just to see most of that money pulled out of my paycheck and given to someone who is too lazy to work.

Not only taxes on personal income but on businesses as well.
1 of 3 things can happen - which none are good. Business will not be able to afford these tax increases so they'll a) pass them on to the consumer (no company pays taxes - it's all passed a long to us) b) businesses will shut down - meaning more job loss c) they will move over seas - where we'll have more job loss and be paying a premium to import their goods/services
3) Gun laws - enough said - I wish I had money to go buy every gun I could find:)
4) Abortion
5) WHERE WAS HE BORN?!?!?!

But, you know what, there isn't anything we can do now but pray. Believe me...I hope and pray that Obama succeeds as president. It's obviously in the country's best interest. I hope and pray that what I think is going to happen - turns out to be false. My confidence in politicians in completely shot as is, so now all we can do is trust in the Lord and know full well that HE will deliver.

Any who - I'm done with politics - done with Washington - wish they'd fire EVERYONE up there and start from scratch.


Here's how the rest of my week went.....I only worked about 3 days this week. Thursday I had a dentist appointment with Jeff (it's still really weird for my brother to work on my toofs.) He did a great job......BUT....luckily for me, the tooth he was working on ended up having to be pulled - getting ready for an implant.
So the rest of the day thursday I was drugged up and looked like I got jacked in the mouth. I couldn't talk really....I drooled a lot...bled a lot....slept a lot....ate soft foods......and went back to bed. Friday it was pretty much the same thing. Went to work to catch up on what I missed the day before, left at 1 - went back to bed for a few hours......then it was time for dinner.


So, it's been a crazy week. Now it's time for bed again....my meds are kicking in.
Goodnight people! God bless you and keep you.

HE'S SAFE!!!!

So tonight was an interesting game.....here's how it went down....
-ref wasn't great
-other team was.....trash talking
-i slid "belly flopped" into second...created a new slide - so not only is my wrist jacked up but so is my knee - got some nice battle wounds - but i was safe
-my buddy was ejected
-the ref made up an excuse to call the game
-game over - we lost a lot to a little

gotta love church softball

bummer

Great game....didn't end up like I wanted it to but whatever. Tech came ready to play and Texas looked like it just rolled out of bed. Too many mistakes (dropped passes, missed tackles, dropped interceptions.)

But, there is still a lot of football left to be played.

Once again.....great game....it's a classic. Hook Em Horns

On another note, I actually went to the doctor yesterday to get my hand checked out...they took xrays and the doctor said there was nothing broken.....well duh....I knew that....also said there was no tendon damage or anything. Great, so my wrist hurts and I'm making it up.
It was odd though, he said if it was still bothering me ove the next few days then i should go see an ortho surgeon....DOES THAT MAKE SENSE TO ANYONE?!?!?! YOU JUST SAID MY WRIST/HAND WAS FINE - NOW I NEED TO SEE A SURGEON?!?! HUH?

is it really almost November?

dWhere in the hello has the time gone? Seems like yesterday we were celebrating New years and now it's time for it to get cold again.
This year has absolutely flown by. With every changing season and changing month even, i wonder if time ever slows down. After a year and a half plus of being married, my answer is still no.
Things in Abilene are still good. I'm anxiously waiting for the jack in the box to open....they put the sign up last week....it was a tease - they still have a lot of work to do. It's weird though, they have a patio......with an indoor/outdoor fire place.......That's the last place i want to hang out....i really just want my 4 tacos and bacon/cheddar potato wedges then be on my merry way. But...what do I know...I'm a sales rep....they pay me to sale...not to think.

Today was a great day.....I went to Taco Bell for lunch - got a Cheesy Double Stuffed burrito - like always (it's .99 cents - that rocks) - and got more than i thought...most of the time it comes with beef, rice, and nacho cheese - today - for some reason - they put beans on mine.....that's awesome. Then, I get a call from Double Dave's Pizza. Apparently last time I was there like 2 months ago I put my business card in their fish bowl for a free lunch. Well, they pulled my bcard out today - so between now and next Thursday I'll be getting some free pizza - that rocks.

Champ still whines, Boomer won't leave the dog next door alone, It's week 4 for me (means i work a lot....15 hours on Tuesday - that did not rock), Julie is Julie, working, working out, and cooking, and all is gravy.

We're both looking forward to a nice...relaxing weekend of hanging out at the house. It's been a long time since we've done that.

Hook Em Horns
Go Spurs Go
McCain/Palin better win or I'm moving to costa rica

life is good

That pretty much sums it up. Life is good. Julie and I are constantly busy doing something.
We've been out of town the last 2 weekends and had a blast.

We'll start with the Ranch.
We did abolutely nothing all weekend.....It was awesome....Seriously, I didn't even take my guns out of the trunk of the car. So, that being said, obviously I couldn't test out my wrist to see if it was badly injured - Therefore, I came to the conclusion that....wait for it....wait for it.....my wrist is fine - how did I come to that conclusion you ask? Because I rock and that's how I roll.
Friday night we got in around 8:30ish, ate dinner. I watched tv until i fell asleep while Julie and her mom sewed. I woke up about 12:30 when her dad got in, hung out for a few minutes, and went back to sleep.
The next day I didn't get up until 10 - which was awesome. Drank some coffee, talked to her dad, and made myself comfortable on the couch for the UT vs OU game. That rocked my face off. Mike and I both thought (probably along with most of America) that UT was going to get killed - but, turns out we were mistaken. What a game. The rest of the afternoon was devoted to eating lunch, taking a nap, watching football, falling asleep again, watching more football, and finally going back to bed.
What a great weekend.

This past weekend we were in Arlington at the Walker's house. I was a bit more active this weekend, but not a lot more active. Friday I got the flu shot (which I haven't gotten in years) and needless to say it didn't sit well with me. i was in a funk the entire drive there. I felt like crap. We got in, ate dinner and ended up meeting Mike up at the high school for Kennedale's homecoming. They've done a lot of renovations to their sports facilities and Mike proudly showed it off to us. (Kennedale won the game with a last second field goal - awesome game)
We then went home and back to sleep I went. Still filling like crap, with nothing to do early on Saturday I slept....and slept....and slept.....I didn't get up until 11:30 - I felt like I was back in college - just like a really old college student who wakes up from sleeping too much - bones cracking and body aching - awesomeness.
We went to lunch at Cheddar's - ooohhhh the Monte Cristo how much I love you.
Julie and I then got ready to go to my good friend from college's wedding. Catherine and Brian got married at Preston Crest Church of Christ. It was awesome seeing everyone again. It's amazing, most of the people there I haven't seen since graduation and yet, everything was just like it was when we left....we're just older, balder, marrieder, maturer (well, not me of course.) But it was a beautiful wedding and we had a great time.
After the wedding it was back to the house for....you guessed it....dinner and football.
Once again, Texas whooped up! They're freaking awesome this year. Sunday morning it was back to Abilene so Julie and I could start preparing for yet another eventful weekend.

This upcoming weekend is ACU's homecoming - GO FREAKING WILDCATS. I bleed purple and white - but not really - that'd be weird.
We have 5 people staying with us.....which I can't wait to see them. It will be a great weekend......
That's really all I have for now.

nada mucho

Actually, that title is a lie - Julie and I have a bunch of stuff going on.

So a few months ago I hurt my wrist. I have no idea what I did or how I did it but it still hurts. Now I feel like a wimp b/c I can't pick anything up with my left hand.....I have a brace that I refuse to wear because it's not comfortable....I have heat hand deals but they make me look too cool for school. It's really annoying - I need to go to the doctor according to my wife, mom, dad, and everyone else and their dogs but I hate doctors. So, i'll just complain about it instead.
Haha, my way of thinking is I'll test it this weekend - we're going to the ranch and if I can't shoot a shotgun or a rifle without it hurting, i'll go to the doctor....if it doesn't hurt, i'll survive.

This last weekend my parents were in town which is always fun. We did what we always do....eat non stop....Roadhouse, catfish fry at the convention center, chilis, jeff's house, and lytle land and cattle...that's where we were all weekend.
It was great seeing them even though my dad was sick - he's had a lot of problems over the last few months and the doctor's don't really know what's causing his pain. He's had mulitple test run with one final colonoscopy left - hopefully that'll help find the root of the problem - keep him in your prayers.

We won our game Monday night - it was a great game - 16-14 making us 1-5 on the season.....I can smell the championship - haha...by the way, when your wrist hurts.....don't play softball cause it hurts more.....but, if your wrist hurts and you do play softball, wear a heated hand wrap.....it doesn't help, just makes you look tough or cool.

Last week was absolute insanity. It was our period end which means we do nothing but pump in revenue, work long hours, and hope like heck we hit our numbers. Which, we hit our numbers, pumped revenue, and worked long hours.....We all dread week 4 - but it's all fun and games i guess. I did get a new boss this week which will be fun. They're doing some restructuring and my original boss was promoted......lots of changes going on with lots of opportunity to advance.

Here's the list of what else has been going on:

-Julie's working out
-I'm working on my gut
-Dogs bark a lot and I yell at them
-Julie loves target
-I love the PS3 (Brothers In Arms is an awesome game - I'm addicted)
-Julie dyed her hair and it's looks beautiful
-last week was so long I seriously thought Thursday was Friday......even took the trash out a day early because of it
-I love football
-UT won
-Cowboys won (they looked awful)
-Dogs slept
-I like napping
-I fell asleep on the couch twice this week and woke up the next day (the love seat and i are very close - until I wait up in the morning and can't feel my body)

That's the story of our life for the last few weeks - ain't it grand?!?!?! I'm exhausted just looking at what we've been up too - welp...adios -

all by myself

So, Julie is out of town for a while.....She left early this morning to go to OK to spend time with her grandma, aunts, and madre celebrating her grandma's bday. She's excited......Tuesday she heads to Wichita Falls for work and finally she is back home Thursday night.....so, we'll be spending lots of time apart - since I was in San Antonio Monday - Thursday last week.
I already miss her which is crazy:)

Last week - I was in San Antonio for training which was fun.
I had a busy day on Monday getting geared up to head out of town for 3 days, so I had a lot of last minute stuff I had to finalize for work. The plan was to leave around 4 that afternoon to head for old SA......did that work out? Not so much.
I got a call to head out to Nolan to a wind farm, they had a bunch of stuff to get rid of and needed someone there that day. So, I headed that way thinking I'd be out there for about an hour - my bad.....I was out there for 3 1/2 hours - It was a great meeting though and well worth my time but it delayed my trip to SA by almost 4 hours. I finally got on the road around 8pm.....putting me in SA at midnight - it was a long.....LONG drive. I dang near lost my voice because I was singing so loud to stay awake. I'm not kidding......I stopped more than I ever have on that drive (once in Brady, then in Mason, then again in Fredericksburg) because I was so tired.

but, I made it....got about 4 hours of sleep, got up and sat on my butt for 9 hours for training.

I hung out with my parents and got to eat some great food at Pappadeux Tuesday night - I love that place. Julie doesn't really like seafood so I jumped all over the opportunity to stuff myself - almost to the point that I was sick - full of fish....Man....Abilene needs a Pappadeux!

Wednesday night I went with the group to eat at Iron Cactus on the riverwalk......we were trying to eat and get out of there so we could all go back and study for our presentations the next day - that didn't so much happen. We sat down about 10 minutes after a 40 person table sat down....man - we were there for about 2 1/2 hours. Management felt bad so they said they'd give us a 30% discount - which he later corrected and said he'd give us $30 off. My food was good - had fish tacos but it wasn't worth waiting that long....and we didn't even have dessert.

But, Thursday was a beating. There were 9 of us in the class and each one had to get up in from of the class and pretty much do a full blown sales presentation with the teacher as the customer. I was glad when it was over.....We all did good but it was brutal. We didn't get down until about 2.....and then it was FINALLY time for lunch......I eat WAY too much and too often to wait that long to eat.
So we went to Alamo cafe before everyone went their different directions.

My day went from good to bad pretty quick. My mom sent me a text message and said Mamaw wasn't doing very good and was back in the hospital. She was having a hard time breathing (she has emphysema) and once she got out of the hospital she'd have to live in an assisted living home.
Then, I went to get some coffee with a few high school friends, and my good friend I've known for about 10 years told me she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. I was heart broken.

So, I finally got out of SA about 4 pm and back to abilene around 8ish.

Now....I'm here....hanging out with the dogs.....which, we had a rough start to our time away from mom....Boomer got in the trash - ate about 5 tortillas, some salsa, and who knows what else....has had bad gas ALL day long (I swear it smelt so bad I thought he sharted...no joke)
but, they finally calmed down and are back to their lazy selfs - thank goodness - i didn't want to put a for sale sign on them and let them start walking the streets only hours after Julie left:)


That's about all she wrote....I have 2 HUGE appointments on Tuesday so hopefully those will go well.
Please keep my grandma (Mamaw) and my friend in your prayers. They both definitely need them.

and...he's....back

Wow - i just realized how long it has been since I've posted a new blog. Thank you ALL for being so patient...haha...by ALL i mean....the 2 that actually read this blog! haha

Things have been so incredibly busy with life and work....well, mostly life. Over the last 2 months i've been hustling and bustling, just trying to get to see current customers as well as pick up some new business. It's going great and I still love my job. I'm working long hours but I know it will pay off in the long run.

A few stories from my travels:

A few weeks ago I spent the day in San Angelo (well...that's pretty much every week) but this drive home was definitely....interesting to say the least.

I'm jammin in the "Short Bus" (that's my BRIGHT yellow, GMC Astro's nick name), probably listening to talk radio (as usual) when a single cab toyota tacoma passes me. I didn't think anything of it b/c people typically pass me (short bus doesn't have cruise control - so i typically drive 75 mph but will, without realizing, slow down to 65.
So, we're cruising a long when all of a sudden, he gets really, REALLY close to the guard rail in the left lane. He gets back on the highway and off he goes again. So i start watching.....the dude is completely....and utterly HAMMERED out of his mind. It was obvious. He would go from lane to lane, and even from ditch to ditch (no joke.) After about the 3rd time he ran off into the ditch I decided to call the cops. The operator answers the phone, ask where I'm at, and what type of vehicle it was, yada yada...then says, Sir, you're the 5th person that's called about this vehicle. Holy wow!! That's a lot. Unfortunately we just entered Runnels county from Tom Green county so it took them a while to get someone out there.
I counted.....he was in the ditch 10 times and in the median (almost going into oncoming traffic) 9 times.....we lost 2 highway signs that day......and finally 4 police cars come hauling butt down the street....and he pulled over.
It was unbelievable - it was only 2:30 in the afternoon and this guy could have killed some one.
I'm totally surprised he did not flip his truck since he would hit the ditch/median driving about 75mph.
So, that was a fun day and made the trip home go by pretty fast.

What else - not a whole lot. Julie and I, Jeff and Hayley, and Katie and Donnie all went to the rodeo last weekend and had a blast. typically the fair is packed (which it was) which means parking is a pain. So, being the smart guy I am, I parked in the first spot I saw....come to find out, it was the furthest parking spot from the entrance - which would typically be no big deal except the fact that there were about 100 parking spots between where we parked and the entrance....I swear, I need a water break and a nap before we got to the entrance.....then, my bride had the great idea of going out the south entrance b/c it'd be closer....oh no....we walked like 10 miles.......after eating a lot.......it was not a pretty sight.....haha - we probably walked eleventy billion miles that night - no exaggeration:)

But, we did have a great time....Jeff and the crew left so Julie and I hung out with my co-worker Brent, his wife Tiffany, and their 3 (almost 4 according to her) Mallory the rest of the night. She was a blast - wanted to ride everything, telling her dad she didn't get scared on the roller coaster, and having a ball!!

I toned it down a notch this year as far as food goes for the fair - last year I was miserable - here's my list (and i'm sticking to it)

1) Fajita burrito
2) Cheese fries
3) Funnel Cake
4) Dr Pepper

That's it - I'm not kidding.

On another note, I'm playing softball again this season......which is fun except the fact that we've played 1 game out of 3.....the others have been rained out...which they just tack on to the end of the season...so we might be done with this season in January.....2010 or something like that.
The game we did play, it actually rained about 2 hours earlier......i don't think i've mentioned this but we had a bit of a mesquito problem late August......they were bad....frickin everywhere....and did you know that when you add water and humidity - they get WORSE!!! So we all hosed down with off and what not - but oh no...it didn't help....not at all....those suckers were out of control!!
It was not fun playing in the outfield that night - but hey - on the other hand at least we won our game - oh wait...no we didn't!! but, we only lost by 10 - it was a close one:)

Julie and I did go to the ranch a few weekends ago - man...I love that place.....It's so relaxing.
Saturday Mike, Barbara, and I went to Archer to load the feeders with corn which I thoroughly enjoyed. I got the crap bit out of my by a fire ant - and not just any fire ant but the ones that are HUGE!! They look like mini horses - no lie - that sucker hurt - I cried...not really - but it did sting for about an hour.

Then we ate at the Wildcatter in Graham - Julie has pics on her blog - it....was.....AWESOME...great food, great atmosphere, great scenary - I loved it.

That my friends is all for me. I promise, for the "It Is What It Is" faithful, i'll try to do a better job updating you on everything.

i'm pooped

It has been a long....long week....but it has been very good.
There's a lot of good stuff happening right now with work...which makes me happy.

We've had a lot of work done around our house as well. Since our last electric bill was OUT FRAPPIN RAGEOUS - we decided it was time to get some A/C and attic work done.
We met with the guy on Monday (which, come to find out is married to a good friend of mine from college - it's a small world....especially in the Abilene bubble) He said it might take a little while for his guy to start working on it....crazy enough they were here the next day and got all the work done. They added a "fan deal" in the attic as well as about 10 vents in the siding of our house to help cool down the attic. He also added some other vent deal to the front of our house that we did not even notice - it blended in so well.
Yesterday they came and blew in better insulation in the attic since the crap we have up there right now is just that....crap.

Saturday they're coming out to finish the project....Peep this, apparently there's an air filter in the unit up in the attic as well. Well.....someone.....we have no idea who or when....took the filter out and left the filter cap completely off - which means that the unit was pulling in dust, dirt, HOT AIR, and who knows what else from the attic into the ac unit - with no way to filter it all out....which means that our coils are probably all jacked up (that's the technical term.)
So that's what they're doing saturday - cleaning that coil as well as leveling out the compressor outside (which looks like it's about to fall off the containment)

So, we started Monday, and in 5 days, we'll have a much cooler, more energy efficient house. Isn't that special.

Any who. Apparently I caused a lot of chaos when I left California Friday. They couldn't handle seeing me leave so they tried to bury the state in the ocean with the earthquake. That was the craziest thing ever.....If i would have been there just 4 days later, i'd experienced the whole thing since Santa Ana is only about 30 miles from LA. That's whack - makes me count my blessings though.

Tomorrow is my cousin's quads 1 year bday - I cannot believe it! They're so big and time has gone by so fast. Seems like yesterday Julie and I were visiting them in the NICU.....I wish we could go to the party but we'll be celebrating one of Julie's friends weddings......yippee skippy....another one bites the dust

California and what not

I know, it's been a frappin' long time since I've posted anything.....I know...you're very sad because you don't know what's going on in my life....I know....i stink at posting......dah well.

It's been a crazy hectic few weeks. Feels like I've been here, there, and every where.

Right now I'm in Santa Ana, California!! The weather here is awesome. Low to mid 80's during the day and low 60's at night. I got here late Monday night and leave Friday morning around 9:30 Pacific.

Here's the link to where I'm staying at:
http://www.hiltonorangecountycostamesa.com/

My wife is super jealous - she loves the Hilton hotels. It's a pretty swank place. I'm on the 6th floor, have a balcony, 2 queen beds, etc.
The first night was a little rough. I get here and pretty much every hotel you stay at...especially when your company is paying for it....require you to put down a credit card - hold out about 75-150 bucks on that card - just for incidentals (ie, buying movies, long distance phone calls, or you burn down the place) No big deal - I kind of expected it. Well - all i carry is a debit card, which means it actually comes out of your account until you check out.
So, the dude checking me in, says we need a card for a $75.00 incidental fee. No problem - here's my debit card......then preceeds to say - what happened....called a manager over to take a look....and said it's no big deal.....he then says, my mistake, I acidentally charged your ENTIRE stay to your debit card....So instead of $75 it was....wait for it....wait for it....$625 bucks.....out of my account.......wowza......I said that was not ok - I'm not rich....I don't have 600 plus bucks just chillin' in my account for YOUR mistake. The manager comes back over and says...well, we can't do anything about it tonight because our accounts payable department is gone for the day - AWESOME...so we had negative bucks in our account.....good thing i had a little cash or i wouldn't be able to do anything.......Luckily - they got it taken care of the next day - still very frustrating.

I'm in training, actually learning about the products we sale - which is awesome - that way i actually know what I'm selling and how to talk to customers about it. It's pretty good stuff!!

I think tomorrow after class a group of us are going to chill at the beach - that'll be fun.....I didn't bring any t-shirts (IDIOT), so I'll be "That guy" possibly going to the beach in swim shorts and a collared shirt - that's hot.

Work has been extremely busy which is good - because busy = money in the life of a sales rep. I'm learning a lot and trying to continue my training all the while selling. It's a jugling task but when you're dealing with complicated stuff like hazardous waste - you have to know what you're doing.

I can't wait to get home....I miss my wife...and dogs....but it has been a nice break from the stresses of my job. I just wish Julie was here with me....She'd love it.

Each morning I get up around 6:00 am - go out to the balcony to drink my cup of coffee in shorts and an undershirt (since I'm an idiot and didn't bring t-shirts) and actually get a little chilled...it's pretty cooliolio.

random pics

He's "special" Nice helmet!!!

Julie and I's 2004 Valentine's Day dinner....no lie....That's how we roll - we love mullets and we were not disappointed!!

Dressed the part to go to the Flying J Truck Stop for Valentine's Day dinner....Told you I wasn't joking!!!!!! Pearl snaps and all!!

She's purdy

Mr. way too proud of Texas guy - yeah - that's me

Boomer Loves the Camera.....and Camo.....and Christmas Trees....can't you tell?

Such a cool pic....Lake Louise....Canada

Dude's getting ready for the wedding

First picture ever taken as a "couple"

Man....That's a buch of Turkey

turn it down a notch

What a whirlwind it has been lately. So many things going on so we'll start from where I left off.....LAST WEEK:

I was in town all week, basically getting on the trucks and helping out around the office.
Thursday was an absolute BEATING!!! We had a huge project we had to do which took up nearly all day. There were 83 55 gallon drums full of some sort of adhesive and some full of paint waste. We did not know what was in each drum so we had to physically open them all up to try to determine which truck they should be loaded on. They had to be separate from each other not only to keep them organized but to make sure they did not have anything in them that could possibly react with one another (that would be bad....could cause an explosion - built up pressure - etc.)
So, there were 5 of us out there man-handling these drums.....yeah, it was about 98 degrees......no shade......and absolutely NO breeze. Needless to say we took A LOT of water breaks.....went to the hose to water ourselves down just for it to dry in about 5 minutes, and slowly but surely, got them all done around 4:00pm - none of us had eaten all day so we were starving....hit up denny's, had a crazy waitress (seriously - what's up with me and crazy waitresses....i get them all too often) She had a BIG fake flower in her hair, said all 5 of us had blue eyes when there were a few guys with brown, said I had a nice butt (no joke)......even though I have no butt.....etc.
I pounded 2 pancakes, sausage/cheese scramled eggs, hasbrowns, and a few pieces of bacon in a matter of minutes....well - that wasn't a good idea considering the fact that I worked my rear off all day, was dehydrated, and still burning up - my stomach hurt like whoa - had to pull over a few times to throw some of it up....but finally, around 8:30 we showed back up to the office - by the time I left it was a 14 hour day of nothing but manual labor - shoot me.

THE WEEKEND
We didn't really do a lot - it was AWESOME!! Ran a few errands with Julie Saturday....cooked burgers that night....and slept a lot....my body was still hurting pretty good....Saturday I slept util about 11 - NICE!!! I'm lazy.


THIS WEEK:
I got to go to San Antonio for meetings. Monday night I stayed with my parents and really enjoyed hanging out. My mom cooked a great meal (enough to feed a small army)......pork chops, cajun cornbread, vegetable casserole, potato casserole, and one of my favorite creme pies for dessert!
After stuffing our faces for a while I helped my mom figure out her Ipod - which i think is a every time I'm down there thing -
then we just hung out on the porch and talked for a while. I got to sleep in my old bed which was nice - they bought it from us a while back - you can get lost in it - so soft!

Woke up the next morning at 5:00 am - yes that's at the butt crack of BEFORE dawn to drive into San Antonio to be at the branch by 7:00 am. Meetings started that afternoon which was fun. Tuesday night we all went downtown.....one of the vendors that presented took 14 of us to some place called Acenar on the riverwalk.....I ate too much again and stayed up way too late hanging out with everyone.
Wednesday we had a little training session then got out in the field to do a "blitz" on our new product. It was the first time I have tried selling anything in about 7 weeks so I was excited. I have the itch again to get out in the field......we had a good day - sold 1 unit and got a few lined up for next week.
I was supposed to come that night but my boss wanted me to ride with a rep to Austin for an appointment that was going to be a great learning opportunity. So, I shacked up with our friends the Scanio's for the night......ate pizza and watched a movie and actually went to bed early.

Well, Thursday all heck broke lose....we had some issues we had to take care of and ended up going back to the place we were at on Tuesday to do a full blown facility tour....which we already did Tuesday.....so it was a bummer not to get to go to Austin but what can you do.

I got back around 7 tonight - I'm pooped....all i wanted to do is play PS3 but it has to download new software which takes WAY too frappin' long - it's going on 45 minutes.....still not done b/c I keep getting disconnected from the Internet - so frustrating.

Now it's raining......it's pouring.....so bad I can't hear the old man snoring.

On that note, I'm going to bed......I know, this is another all over the place...probably didn't make much sense blog - but - that's what I'm good at when I'm exhausted.

back from Baltimore

Man, what a long week.

I flew out on Monday to head to MD for 5 days of training. Just got back tonight - I'm pooped.

The training was very interesting though which helped make the time go by pretty fast. I am now certified to carry/handle hazardous waste - if I were going to be driving a truck. Since I'm just a sales rep, I had to do the training any way for regulatory reasons.

We learned all about hazardous waste, chemicals, etc - what to do in case of a spill of certain types of chemicals, what chemicals react with other chemicals/water/plastics, etc. All in all, it was good.

We were in training Tuesday through Friday with everyone. What I didn't know is that only certain people had to be at training until Friday.....I also didn't know that I was the only Sales Rep there....Therefore, I was the only one that had to be in training on Saturday. Good times had by all.

Here's what the week looked like:



Monday: Fly in (stupid hotel did not have my room ready when I got there at 10:30 PM - )

Tuesday: Training from 8-5 - went to dinner at a seafood place - had excellent crab cakes which I love

Wednesday: Training from 8-5 - dinner at the hotel.....passed out at 8:00pm fully dressed (shoes, shirt, blue jeans, contacts, etc.) and didn't wake up until 7 the next morning

Thursday: Training from 8-5, sales rep training from 5:30-6:30 - went to Washington DC with a co-worker to see the sights and check out the Nationals baseball game. Got into DC around 7 - 30 minute train ride that cost us 9 bucks. Saw the Whitehouse, Washington Monument, the Capital, etc. Went to the baseball game which was awesome. They were up by 5 or so, St Louis tied it up in the 9th. Went to extra innings - St Louis pulled ahead by 1 with a single shot homerun in the top of the 10th...>bottom of the 10th, Dude hit a 2 shot homerun to win the game. The subway was packed so we got a ride from a dude on a bike that had the row seat attached for a few bucks.....we looked gay as all get out but it saved us about 30 minutes waiting to get on the subway. This is where it gets fun..........Went back to the train station to find out EVERYONE lied to us....the trains stop running at 9:30 - not 11:40 like we were told!!!! So here we are, stuck in DC with 2 options. Greyhound bus or cab - we walked to the bus station which was a little scary at 11 at night.....bought tickets for the next available bus - not until 1:00 am (1 1/2 wait) Decided we were too tired so we ended up taking a cab. Cost us 65 bucks to get from DC to Baltimore - 3 times as much as it cost to get us there. Finally, we got back to the hotel around 1:30......Tired much. (I COULD NOT FALL ASLEEP - finally around 4 I dozed off



Friday: Training from 7:30 - 3...sales rep training from 4-6 (once again I fell asleep at 7:00 pm and did not wake up until 6:00 am the next morning - and once again fully clothed with shoes and all - i did not move)



Saturday: Training from 8-11:30.....Lunch at the airport - Flew out of MD at 12:45 CST - Got to Dallas around 4 (had 20 minutes to get to my connecting flight to Abilene - which is difficult at DFW) Flew out of DFW at 4:50 and landed back in Abilene at 5:30)



All in all - it was a successful trip - had a great time getting stranded in DC - met some really cool people - and learned a lot!! But, that being said, I sure am glad to be home. It's been a LONG week.



It's so quite around my house right now - Julie is up in OK for her cousin Dustin's wedding and the dogs were boarded on Friday.....so I'm all by myself. I can't wait for my wife and kids to get home. Seems like forever since I've seen them.



This is probably a very random and hard to read post - but I've been up since 5:00 this morning so I'm a little delirious!! Hasta Luego yos

There's a lot going on

It's been a while since I've posted so I'll catch you up on everything going on in the wonderful Webb World....
Last week was my first week with Safety Kleen.....It was great. Most of the week was getting set up, filling out paper work, and doing online training until I couldn't open my eyes. I did 80 online modules, each having a brief quiz at the end which I had to make an 80 on to move to the next. Luckily I'm pratically done with that portion on the training.
I got out of the office a few times....Wednesday I went out to collect samples of oil (what we do when we're signing up an account...just to make sure there's nothing really harmful mixed in.) Friday I was on route all day which was great....Got me out of the office and I got to see what exactly our drivers do on a daily basis.
Backing up to Thursday...my manager was in town to finalize me actually being an official employee and going over training....here's what my next 4 months look like...get ready....it's incredible:

1) Baltimore, MD
2) San Antonio, TX
3) Santa Ana, CA
4) Irving, TX
5) Back to Santa Ana
6) Plano, TX

Basically - i'll cover a lot of ground. I'm really excited because I've never been to Baltimore....or Santa Anna so that'll be nice. Plus it's all expenses paid...nice hotel...good food....meeting new people. It's going to be nice.

Memorial Day Weekend.....awesome. I love time off but this weekend was great b/c we went to good ol' Boerne TX to hang out with my folks...We had a great time....last time we were there was Christmas so it was well overdue...I know I know....horrible son I am!! haha
Friday we watched the spurs stink up the court (my dad and I are very animated when it comes to the spurs.) Saturday was a day of eating. My mom made my favorite Aunt Martha's Pancakes for breakfast....it's basically the best pancake ever....has a fruit sauce that is awesome.
Got some good mexican food from "the dive" in Boerne. We all got snow cones and hung out at the river that runs through B-town....I haven't been there in years. Ducks everywhere....They do the weirdest things - I guess when they're looking for some food in the sand they stick their butt up out of the water and start kicking their feet...it was amusing to say the least.
Then we capped off the night with Chicken Fried Steak for dinner and watched National Treasure 2.
Sunday was Senior day at church so we went to breakfast to eat and say hi to everyone we haven't seen in a long...LONG time. I feel old but I guess it happens.
Boerne C of C definitely aren't hurting for babies. They're EVERYWHERE!!! My mom had a new one every time time I looked up. Next thing I know...Julie has one. Cutest little thing! Julie helped my mom out in the nursery for church and had a blast.....I'm never going back to that church again though....haha - just kidding.

Went to the hamburger place call Cheesy Jane's in Boerne after church - I love that place. great burgers and according to my bride amazing Shakes.

We got back home Sunday around 5....relaxed for a bit while the dogs completely crashed. Boomer didn't move for at least 4 hours and champed actually stayed still long enough to take a long nap.

How fun was my day off you ask? It was great - mowed the yard and picked weeds all morning - I'm giving up on picking weeds though. I worked on it for about 2 hours and barely made a dent....we're hiring someone - I'm too old for that crap!

Julie made the best chicken salad I've ever had with homemade bread....it was awesome!!!
Then turned around and made homemade soup....it was awesome too.
I got lucky with her....if it was up to me we'd be eating tv dinners every night!!!


Great weekend and great week - now it's back to work I go!

I'm like a kid the night of Christmas Eve

I can't sleep - i'm too excited. tomorrow I start my NEW job. I can't wait. I know it's going to be a lot of paper work and boring online training but I'm still pumped. They're ordering my laptop and my cell phone which is cool as crap!

So - wish me luck - it's going to be a great day!!!

Julie and I had a VERY relaxing weekend. We really didn't do a lot at all - went shopping today for some new work clothes.......I get to wear jeans and polos.....i have 1 pair of good jeans that are professional enough to wear to work.....so had to get another pair and some polos.

Ate dinner with Jeff/Hayley and Katie/Donnie tonight at Red Robin.....our waitress was something else. Always said the wrong thing at the wrong time....like by the way (after we get our food) we have no pineapples for your burger, or I ran out of water for the 3rd straight time - i must have put too much ice in here.....or Why didn't you tell me you didn't want more water so I didn't walk all the way over there to get more.....ya know - typical stuff like that. It was...to say the least....interesting.

Saturday we went to Katie and Donnie's for a cookout and had fun.....but really - that's about the extent of our weekend - it was awesome!!!

Next weekend we're going to good ole San Antonio to visit my parents. It's hard to believe but we haven't been there since Christmas. We can't wait.

Well - i'm going to try to get some sleep since it's after midnight!!! hasta luego yos

that's what I'm talking about!!

It was an exciting day at the Webb house today. I accepted a job as a sales rep with Safety Kleen!!! My official title is Market Sales Specialist - sounds so prestigious ey?!?! It's a great opportunity to really make some money as well as move up in the company. My territory is going to be huge! Covers...Abilene down to Sonora/Junction, out west to Snyder, up north to Knox City, and out east to Brownwood. That's a lot of miles but at least I'll be in charge of Abilene so I will be in town some. And, when I am traveling anywhere for work i'll be in a bright yellow Safety Kleen van (that's right - pimpin') So, if you see me...either get out of the way or stop me and buy some stuff - haha.

My last day with Cintas is Friday and I start the new gig on Monday - really...really fast how everything happened. It has been a good run with Cintas and I have enjoyed getting to know my co-workers at the plant...But, I guess it's time to move on and get this party started.

Julie and I both would appreciate your prayers during this crazy time. I'm so excited!!!!

This weekend went by way too fast

This weekend we were in Arlington for Julie to get her wisdom teeth pulled Friday. Though it was nice to have Friday off, it sure wasn't much fun....especially for Julie.

We got in Thursday night and had a great meal at On The Border (you'll be hearing a lot about this place)
It was great to actually get some good food besides the typical Chilis - which I'm over for the moment.
Friday morning Julie and her mom did a bit of shopping before Julie's 11 am consultation then following surgery. Stupid me did not eat anything before i met up with them at the drs office and was starving. She didn't get to go back for the consult until around 11:50. After the consult was done we were back in the waiting room for her surgery. FINALLY they took her back and Barbara and I immediately stepped outside to grab a power bar and a swig of water. By this time it was probably around 1:30 or so. She got out of surgery and everything went fine. I was really looking forward to her on drugs....I thought she'd be funny and it'd give us something to laugh about later.....I was disappointed. She didn't say anything at all...could have been all the gause in her mouth - she did however give me a really gay thumbs up when I asked her how she was doing. That was funny - haha. I'm just glad she was ok. It was the first time she had ever been knocked completely out but she handled it well.

The rest of that day was crazy. I went to walmart to get her meds filled but the pharmacy wasn't open (brand new walmart). Went to Albertson's, back to the house to change into shorts (it was HOT), back to albertson's to pick up the meds, back to the house, to Bath and Body works to get her a get better present, to On the Border to get some Tortilla soup, queso, etc, to Jack in the Box (HALLELUJAH - I've been craving JITB for the longest time since we don't have them here YET), then back to the house.
Later on it was back to OTB to go get some more soup - apparently that was a hit with julie. She loved it. That's all she wrote for Friday....I was pooped and Julie was hurting but still kicking.

Saturday, Mike, Jon, and I went to have some fun. We went over to the Ferrai/Maserati dealership in Plano - holy wow it was awesome. So many fun cars there. My next car is only worth about 135K - pocket change ey?! We then trucked over to the lamborghini dealership just to see what was going on over there....>They had SO many frapping cool cars. Jon and I picked out our favorites and Mike got to talking to the sales guy. They really are some sweet rides.
They had a 01 Diablo that I wanted to drive off the lot.....Apparently they don't do many test drives on those cars - i was bummed - haha. But the Diablo and I go way back...It was kind of the cool car in my childhood. I had a toy Diable growing up that was red and purdy....Luckily the sales guy showed us all the ins and outs of their coupe....it sounded awesome when he cranked it up - honestly made me jump.

We ventured back to the house to check on my bride and were basically in for the night. Had pizza and watched TV.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!
I love Mother's day. It really is a great day to reflect on how lucky we are as guys to have our mother's in our lives. Especially for me - I have the world's greatest mom who unconditionally loves me and shows nothing but support for me and my wife. Today when Julie got done talking to my mom.....my mom told me how glad she was that I married Julie and how much she loves her as her own....Just the little things that make you feel great about yourself. but, you know the decisions you make are directly influenced by your parents and I am blessed.

Not only do I have an amazing mother but also to have an amazing mother-in-law. Barbara truly loves me and treats me as her own. It's awesome to visit my in-laws and to feel like I'm apart of the family.
So...here's to you Mom and Barbara - I hope you both had a fantastic day...You both Deserve it! I love you both so much and cannot thank God enough for each of you blessing our families like you do!

last week was nuts

Last week was so busy with work. It was all a blur.
I was on the road a lot and actually had some great appointments. Hopefully they'll pan out soon so we can make some money money money....moooooooooooooooney.

Friday we went to the Ranch for a night and as usual...had a blast. Went hunting early Saturday morning....I didn't even plan on hunting b/c I was so tired. But, figured what the heck - I got excited. Tried to kill this hog that's been hanging around the feeder quite a bit for the last few weeks. But....he never showed up - stupid hog. Guess he didn't feel like getting shot that today.

We ate a lot again - not really a shocker there. Julie made bacon/cheddar scones which are absolutely amazing! The only time she ever makes them though is when we go to the ranch or if she makes them for her work. Oh but it's worth the wait.

Saturday...Jon, Mike and I went into Olney b/c they were having an 80's and older car show which was cool. There was a huge 80's (i think) chevy truck with some monster 44 inch tires on them. I could almost stand under the fender wells - thing was sweet. bet it got -3 miles to the gallon though. It was one of those if you thought about starting er up - you'd need to get gas.

Today was very relaxing - did the typical lounging around and getting groceries!

All in all - a great weekend. I love my wife - she's awesome!!

holy crap we won

You're not going to believe this....coming from the team that once lost 45-10....but....we WON on Monday night. 11-9. I can't believe it but we actually started playing well. It was awesome. I guess that's what it feels like to win the world series....or close to it.
We were down 5 in the last inning and went on a hitting frenzy. Scored 7 and held them to 3 up 3 down in the final half of the inning. So stoked!

The floors look great still - we love them. Champ and Boomer have no traction on them what so ever so it's very entertaining watching them slide all over the place. Champs (poor guy needs a helmet anyway) is like a pinball - just bounces from one wall to the next.
We need to get some grips for the bottom of the couches because he'll run as fast as he can, jump on the couch, and it'll fly back.
These floors are also fun for me. I find myself when I'm bored, putting on some socks and busting a Saved by the bell slide. It's awesome...cheap entertainment - at least for me! haha

This weeks ventures:
Monday: Actually in Abilene
Tuesday: Brownwood (I met up with our route guy and ended up helping him out...in slacks and dress shoes....not so comfortable)
Wednesday: Ballinger (It frapping poured like crazy here - bad thunderstorms)
Thursday: Stephenville
Friday: Cisco or Eastland or Coleman or who knows

I'm a travelin' fool. Mileage on truck now: 59361 (ouch)

floors etc

It's been a busy...fun weekend. Friday we did not do a lot except get groceries and watch tv (I know, we're old)
Saturday, however, was different. I met up with some friends to play a little golf...by play I mean attempt to play. I'm awful. Of course, it was my first time on the golf course since 2004 (last time I was in Maui) I had a blast but needless to say, I need some practice before I go make a fool out of myself again. I think I shot a 120 - haha no joke. Apparently in the game of golf, it's the lowest score wins.I thought I was doing good. haha I had a lot of fun and got nice and sun burned.
Saturday night we go to go out to Perini Ranch. Julie's boss gave her a gift certificate out there b/c she's doing such a great job. We love that place....great jalapeno bites, steak, catfish, and bread pudding.
Today we went to church, Julie cleaned, and I mowed the grass/weeds. our backyard is nasty with weeds. They're nice and green thoughI also had softball pratice this afternoon. So between the golf, mowing, and practice - I'm all kinds of tired.

Here are the much anticipated pics of our new flooring. They did a great job and we really like them! There are a few touch ups that need to be done but other than that - it's complete.

Carpet and furniture

Carpet and no furniture (duh)

Furniture on concrete (that was comfortable)

painted with killz

hallway with killz

Ta Daa

Hallway to master bedroom (bonus pic with dogs)

Hallway going to other bedrooms

the ranch

Just got back from the ranch and it was AWESOME as usual.

Here's a list of what I had to eat:
1) Homemade bacon/cheddar scones (amazing)
2) oatmeal cookies
3) grilled cheese
4) soup
5) lasagna
6) chocolate crepes
7) cream cheese with rasberry chipotle sauce
8) chicken
9) ham
10) potato casserole
11) chips and queso
12) fiber one bars

I gained about 4 pounds - seriously.

BUT, SUCCESS! I shot a turkey - here are the photos:

20+ pounds, 10" beard, 1 inch long spurs

dead turkey, jason, champ with his stuffed turkey

I shot this Saturday morning - it took me by surprise. We didn't hear/see anything else all weekend. It was a bit windy for them to call and move around but at least I got to shoot one.

stressed

This week has been very stressful for me with work. I've lost 2 big accounts this week alone to the competition due to our prices being higher. I cannot tell you have frustrating and draining that is. I work hard, I do what I'm supposed to and to have 3 weeks in a row with low numbers is getting old! I know, everyone has their highs and lows and you have to take it while it's there, but I'm too competitive for that crap.
I have 1 more account thats pretty huge that I should hear back on tomorrow or early next week, and if that one falls through as well, I'll be spent.

Oh well - it's camo and killing this weekend - so I have that to look forward too. 1 more day of work - hallelujah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and so it begins

We got everything squared away for the flooring in the living room and hallways last week. We're hoping to have it done Monday or Tuesday of next week. We couldn't be more excited. Not sure if it's to actually get the flooring installed or for it to be over.

This past weekend we took up all the baseboards...didn't take too long and I didn't think it was that bad until I woke up Monday morning sore as all get out. My hands are raw and scratched, I actually got carpet burn - which is awesome. but that was done and I thought it was a downhill slide. I was badly mistaken.

Today we started ripping up carpet so we could clean and paint the concrete. It was insane. Awful odor - No way it was our dogs either! Once we got all the carpet and carpet pad out it was time to rip up the carpet tacks/nails whatever have you. Whoever put our carpet in sucked because they used a nail in some cases every 1/2 inch. Needless to say - we got everything up and out...put the couches back and even a rug to make it more "homey" looking. It looks awful.
Tomorrow we'll start the cleaning process which will be loads of fun. Hopefully NOW it's a downhill slide....or crawl....or flop - anything to keep it moving.

We took pictures today - before with carpet and furniture, before w/ carpet and no furniture, before w/o carpet or furniture, and before without carpet but with furniture.
We'll post those next week after we get the floors installed! The countdown begins.

This weekend we're going to one of my top 5 favorite places.....THE RANCH!! It's so relaxing and peaceful. An unbelieveable place to just get a way for a few days!! Julie typically lays around and watches tv and I 75% of the time and walking around with a pistol, chasing cows, riding 4 wheelers, acting like I'm a rancher type a dude - (by the way....Came up with a new genre of person....you have the metro dude who dresses nice and is into luxury....and you have a redneck who loves to hunt, fish, shoot guns, etc.....so I've combined the 2 to come up with.....Metro Neck - Likes to dress nice during the week but it's camo and killing on the weekends - I know...it's gay....but I thought it was funny:)

I can't wait....it is Turkey season which means i have 4 turkeys to shoot!!! Hopefully we'll see more than we did last year - we saw 1 small tom that appeared out of now where....I flipped my gun around and just pulled the trigger....obviously not aiming because who needs that. Yeah - he flew away. There are tons of turkey at the feeder...here are a few pics of what we have to look forward too.

That's what I'm talking about

Yeah that's a hog

man....I hate losing

but, we're pretty good at it. tonight was a rough night. We did manager to score a season high 8 runs BUT that goes out the window when you give up 45.....yes I said 45...Embarrassing.

I'm still really competitive but I'm learning to control my frustrations. Slowing but surely.

things really seem to be popping around here. Should find out about a HUGE account I've been working on this week and still traveling a lot. That being said....isn't gas ri-donkulously high?!?! It cost me 90 bucks to fill up the other day - and that was when it was 3.19 a gallon - it's now 3.31.....I'm nervous. I need a bike. Might be hard to bike my way to stephenville but I think I'd survive!!!

We are getting wood flooring put in next week - It makes me excited except for the fact that the pre work is not so fun. We got all of the baseboards taken down this weekend which was a chore. Now we just have to pull up the carpet...killz the floor...and the new stuff can be installed. It's going to be awesome!!!

Things left to do on the house after the flooring is done:

1) decorate the Living room, guest bedrooms, and master bedroom
2) fix up the study
3) get grass in the back yard - it's nasty weeds and abilene red mud - lovely
4) buy a new house - hahaha

Any who - I'm out

lots to catch up on

I'm so lazy when it comes to writing blogs.
My birfday was absolutely incredible. Family and friends did WAY too much but it was much appreciated.
For starters, my wife had sent out puzzle pieces to my parents, her parents, her grandparents, and yes, even Champ and Boomer for me to put together. So, there it was....a beautiful Saturday and she let me open my cards early....i put together the puzzle and quickly turned into a giddy little kid....it was a PS3 (as most of you know I've been wanting for since they came out)
She then, however, told me that I couldn't get it until that next weekend b/c we had to get the rest of the money...bummer.....but WAIT.....i walked away and turned around and there was a beautifully wrapped BIG box....and what was inside....nothing but a PS3 - i was ecstatic. But, that wasn't it....she then hands me 3 other boxes.....one with guitar hero, one with Call of Duty 4, and the other was an extra remote. I couldn't tell you how excited i was so here are some pictures....



We then ate dinner with a bunch of friends at Perini Ranch, had a dang good time....came back and ate some ice cream cake from Coldstone - it was awesome.

2 weekends ago we had a great weekend in Arlington. As usual, I ate way too much but really enjoyed getting to hang out with the family. Sunday, Julie and I with, Charla and her friend, Tim, went to the Mavs/Spurs game. This doesn't need to be said but it's worth pointing out....I'm a HUGE Spurs fan and Julie likes the, I like to lose big game Mavs. It was awesome - they had a guitar challenge before the game....I won...just kidding - there was one dude that was ridiculous at that frapping game.
but, the Spurs did win which made it a lot more fun for me. At least it was a good game - except that Dirk got hurt...Eva Longoria was about 15 yards from where we sat - that was cool.


HAPPY ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!! Can't believe it's been a year already since we said "I Do." Time really does go by fast but it has been an amazing year. I truly am blessed with such an amazing wife that loves me unconditionally and is my best friend. Married life is such a blessing through the good and the tough times. We've learned a lot about each other and ourselves and continue to grow each day. It's weird, with as much traveling as I do....and typically just day trips, I find myself missing Julie more and more with each passing day when I'm gone. Not like a I can't function miss her, but just said that she can't see some of the neat things I get to see in the small....po-dunk towns I travel too. She's amazing and I look forward to many more good years!!
That being said - we did get to go to Fredericksburg this weekend. Man, we had a great time. WAY too much food and WAY too much walking but it was dang fun. It was great getting away for a few days just to enjoy each others company again. The food was awesome, the stores were cool, and....man, I miss the hill country. It's so beautiful.

On that note....I did however manage to get in the dog house on Monday. I'm such an idiot....With the awesome weekend we had it completely just left my mind to get her flowers or even a card. WHOOPS!! Even my mom and dad were mad because they definitely taught me better than that. I felt horrible for be so dumb. Learned my lesson pretty quick....Unfortunately I have to wait until next year to rectify that! 365+ days of being married....365+ days of being in the dog house. hahaha - just kidding...but seriously, it's amazing how are......oh well!!

Welp - I'm done - sorry for the long blog - I'll do better at posting more frequently...maybe

flat worn out

Time change is killing me. I'm exhausted!! Oh well.

So, Yesterday I went over 55,000 miles in my truck. Sad day I tell you. It's almost 3 years old now which I guess isn't too bad except for the fact that when I started in my territory a little over 3 months ago it had 42000 miles on it. Yup 13000+ miles in 3-4 months. I'm not mathematician looks like this year alone I'll put on about 52000 miles on my truck. Man, I sure as heck hope not.

This weeks schedule:

Today - I was in Stephenville
Tomorrow - San Saba
Thursday - Brownwood
Friday - Clyde then Cisco

Oh well - work is going well at least. I have several big things working so that's good. Gas here is now 3.19/gallon. Ouch.

Last night we got to eat at Perini Ranch. There was a Texas Restaurant Association meeting there and the president of the TRA came in to speak. It was awesome. The meal was free which made it that much better. i was proud of myself - I only ate about 15 bacon wrapped jalapenos!

really, that's about all I've got for the night

Holy SNOW

So today has been exciting to say the least.

I had an appointment in Stephenville at 10:00 this morning - so I get up to leave, make my way to the office and it starts to sleet. Not bad sleet but just kind of annoying sleet. The longer I wait to leave the office the harder the sleet gets. No big deal - I figured once I got out of Abilene I would miss the weather and all would be gravy. I'm an idiot. The drive to S-ville wasn't bad - just a little rain here and there.....Then - it started sleeting like mad when I pulled into S-ville. turned on the windsheild wipers and I'll be danged if the dirver side wiper didn't come off the hinge.....it's 30 degrees and sleeting while I'm changing this stupid wiper.

So I have my appointment and we signed the deal so that was great. It's still sleeting so I decide to call it a day and head back to Abilene. about 30 miles south of Eastland it starts to snow.....not just a little bit but a full out blizzard. Snow flakes as big a round as a golf ball - no lie. I don't think anything of it cause I can handle a little snow. Well, it keeps snowing and snowing and the temp keeps dropping. The bad part about snow is it's good at covering up ice on the road. Man, it was wicked slick out there. So I'm poking along, IN 4 WHEEL DRIVE- driving about 40mph when all of a sudden I start to slide. no big deal right?!?! Well, I started to panic when my back end slide to the left....into on-coming traffic....side ways....so I'm freaking out and there's really nothing you can do except ride it out. So....I'm still sliding sideways - in oncoming traffic (basically if someone hit me - they'd hit right at the driver side door) then I get a little grip and the back end decides that it wants to do 180 degree turn so now I'm back on my side of the road....still sliding sideways. Finally I slid into the ditch where the grass and 3" of powder stopped me.
What a rush - not a good rush - but a rush.

So I start creeping along just trying to make it to Eastland so I can wait out the storm. It took me about 30 minutes to go 7 miles. The snow finally let up enough to where I could get on the road but it was intense. cars all along the median spinning wheels and all. Glad that's over.

but - my truck made it and I made it so that's good. At least I got a sale out of the craziness of today:)