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Getting Political

The day after the election and the solid beating that the Republican Party took I made a blog post about about getting involved. Since I am a firm believer in walking the talk not just talking the talk I headed out to the first political meeting of my life this morning. I did not go alone though. Ron Davis went as well since he is tired of the same old politics and is on a personal mission to see Saxby Chambliss unemployed next year. While I may not see eye-to-eye on everything with Ron it was nice to have someone to go with.

Overall the meeting was interesting and I learned alot about issues I did not even know where issues in Georgia. Maybe I will post more on that at a later time. Suffice it to say... did you know that we have been in a border dispute with Tennessee for over 150 years? Yeah, me neither.

There was also lots of talk about the run-off election that will occur for Georgia on December 2nd. Saxby Chambliss is in a serious fight for his job and his re-election chairman for Paulding county was there to urge us to vote for him. He said that Saxby got the message and that he plans to return to fiscal conservatism and to fight for the conservative values that the Georgia people want. I want to hear it from Saxby though before I will believe it. Ron talked to the guy on the way out the door but I will leave that for him to comment on his blog.

Overall my first trip into politics was enjoyable and I plan to go back for the next meeting. If you live in Paulding county and want to get involved in something other than armchair politics then let me know and I will make sure you get the details on the next meeting.

Blank Sign

I passed a church the other day that had a sign that can be changed each week to make an announcement or display some cute message like, "What is missing in CH -- RH... U R". However, in this particular case the sign was blank. I couldn't help but think this sign was screaming, "Keep driving... nothing going on here". To make matters worse, this was the church that my family had recently left after attending for over 7 years. If you passed a church with a blank sign out front, what would the sign be saying to you?

So, what now?

I think there are a lot of republicans are scratching their heads this morning. I think we expected Obama to win but not in the landslide victory that we saw. What happened? What do we do now? I've given some thought to this and here is what I have concluded so far:

1. The people have spoken. The democracy that makes America great is also the thing that allows the "other guy" to win and it is also the thing that I have had a friend die fighting for and that John McCain spent years as a POW for. While I may not have voted for Obama, or even really like him, I can give him the respect that his position deserves... and I will.
   
   
2. Get involved! I am as guilty as the next person of playing arm chair politics. With the Republican party in a shambles this morning it is time for young America to get involved again. Find your local party office and see how you can help. Run for office. Donate. Attend rallies. Educate yourself on the issues. Do something... not nothing.

Today I am just as proud to be an American as I was in 2000 when President Bush was elected. It's the other party's turn now. It is their turn to celebrate like I did in 2000 and 2004. However, when the celebration dies down I hope that the rights, the lefts, the Christians, the Jews, the Catholics, the Blacks, the Whites, and everyone else can just be Americans and work toward a better tomorrow.

My Vote Is In

I decided to wait until the official election day to vote. Some said I would pay for it based on the turn out they were seeing for early voting. I still decided to take my chances. To make matters worse my wife was sick today and I had to take the 8 year old and 2 year old with me. I pulled up to the school (polling place) at 1:06 and pulled away at 1:33... 18 minutes to stand in line and vote and 9 minutes to walk to and from my car. Why can my gamble never pay off when I am in Vegas?

I will probably be up late watching the returns come in but in the end it does not really matter. The candidates are not that far apart and Washington is so screwed up right not that neither of them will likely come through on most of their promises. Major changes are needed not just another middle-of-the-road democrat or republican.

One a lighter note my eight year old had these comments on the election:

"Don't vote for Obama because he will make me go to school on Sunday and will raise taxes"

"Don't vote for Bob [Barr] because he is going to lose anyway"

"Dad, did you vote for all the Republicans?" This was said in his "outdoor voice" while I was voting!! And, no I didn't... take that Saxby!

Almost Done!

As many of you know I spent this week in Pensacola helping my parents with the new daycare center they are starting... Kidz Academy. Mainly my work has been construction as well as misc office tasks that needed to be completed. I am nearly done and ready to go home. I figured out a few months ago that 3 nights is the point where I am ready to get back to my life with my family. Things are going good here at the daycare center and I think they are on track to be doing really well by the end of the year. The worst job of the week... climbing around in the ceiling pulling an ethernet drop to the front desk. Some moron decided to put spray insulation down on top of the drop ceiling. Needless to say, I am little itchy and dusty right now.

Personal Records

This week I have set a PR in a few areas. I know that this is not as big as a WR or an OR but big to me none the less.

1. This is the 18th post for October. This makes it my most posted month. I am really getting into the blogging thing and enjoying it. Someone should've thought of this a few years ago.

2. I ran a 5k in 26:50 last Saturday. This is 40 seconds faster than my previous PR for a 5k and on a very difficult and hilly course. I think a sub 26 minute 5k is possible very soon. I also ran the first mile in 7:47 which is over a minute faster than I have ran any mile in a 5k. All around a good day even though I had to walk some of the final hill.

Goodbye Brandon

Today is one of those hard days to deal with. I have had very few occasions where someone's death has been close enough that is has truly affected me. The last time this happened was when my friend, Josh Dingler, died serving his country in Iraq (another reason we should not run from Iraq like Obama thinks we should). I remember trying to drive home after I got the call and having to pull off to the side of the road.

Yesterday, Brandon Craig passed 2+ years after an auto accident that should have killed him back then. Brandon was not a close friend and I barely even knew him. But, he was my sister-in-laws brother so that makes it personal. Steph is one of my running buddies as is her sister Stacey. I will be thinking and praying for you guys.

Kenny, Kenny, Kenny

I go to a "mobile church". This is not a denomination like Baptist, Methodist, or PCA. Instead it means that we unload our church stuff from a truck each Sunday morning and pack it back in the truck at the end of the day. Kenny is our truck. Kenny decided to call in sick this past Sunday. I knew it was bad when I pulled up at 7:00 and they were unloading stuff from car trunks and any other vehicle that could be used. Despite Kenny church went smoothly and we were able to complete setup and be ready on-time for the 9:30 service.

I have to say though that I get the priviledge to work with some awesome people over at Freedom Church. Even with Kenny not showing up for the first time since the church started, everyone pulled together and got the job done. Even better... I did not hear a single complaint all day even though tear down took about an hour longer than normal. Great job everyone!!

Home -> Indiana -> Home -> Las Vegas -> Home

It's been a whirlwind couple of days to say the least. Last Friday I left for a visit to the in-laws in Indiana and at 9:30 last night I returned from Las Vegas. Both trips went well and much was accomplished. Sunday after church I leave for Pensacola where I will spend a week helping my parents with their daycare center. That give me 2 days to catch up before being gone again.

For those keeping up... the meeting I did not have in Las Vegas went well. That's all I have (and can) say about that!!

The hotel had a nice fitness center so I got to run while out there. I did 4.2 miles on Monday in 35 minutes and 4.6 miles on Tuesday in 40 minutes. I also hit 25:34 for the first 3.1 miles (5k) on Monday.

Whoa Scary

So, I am in Las Vegas meeting with people that I cannot name concerning a project that I can't talk about. In fact, forget I am in Vegas at all since I can't talk about it.

This is my fourth trip to Vegas this year and the town never gets any less... let's say... "interesting". It is midnight here as I type this and I have just returned to my hotel. For this trip I am not staying at my usual hotel because this one was closer to the people that I wasn't here to meet with. Anyway, I came in a different door than I usually do and got a little turned around trying to pick my way through the casino to the hotel rooms. As I rounded the corner I must've looked a little lost because off to my left I heard, "Where ya headed honey?" I turned my head and nearly screamed in fright at the "lady of the night" standing by a slot machine. She was at least 6 feet tall, 95 pounds, and probably older than my mom. I was so startled that the only clever comment I could muster was, "This way" and walked off. I guess I can mark #9,999,999 off my bucket list now -- be solicited in a surprise attack by a random hooker!!

P.S. That was not really on my bucket list in case there was any doubt.

World of Goo

The other day I stumbled across a new game and downloaded the demo. It is called World of Goo and was written by 2 guys with a new game studio called 2D Boy. I am addicted. If you enjoyed games like: Lemmings, Worms, or Marble Blast then you will like World of Goo. I suggest that you download and try the game for yourself. Right now it is available for the PC but a Linux and Mac version are in beta testing according to their website.

I love these kinds of stories because in a world where major game studios are spending 10s of millions of dollars on new games there is still room for the little guy with a great idea. GO LITTLE GUYS!!

3rd Time's a Charm

Me and the aforementioned crazy father-in-law decided to work on putting the tongue-and-groove cedar siding up on the walls going down to the basement. We got one wall done and for non-professional carpenters I am fairly impressed. Of course there were several times when we had to measure twice and cut three (or more) times to work around light fixtures and the stairs. By the end though we were flying through it and getting it right most of the time. It was great at the end to stand back and admire the work. You probably had to be here to really appreciate it though.

Ran 4.0 miles tonight in 36:24 which is right at the 9:00 mile that I have been running. It was fun to run here in Indiana where you see 2 cars, 1 house, 2 falling down barns, 3 abandoned tractors, and 15 dogs all in a 4 mile run. Plus, you get to hear the animals scurry as you come running by.

Ahhhhhhhh Vacation Day!

Hang on a second... had to check my email real quick! As previously noted I am in Indiana visiting the in-laws. The drive up here was as horrible as I expected it to be. At least the kids slept for the second half of the trip. While I still think my father-in-law is crazy for taking on the task of building his own log cabin (no, he did not chop down all the trees for it) I have to say that it looks great so far. There is still a ton of work to do but it is livable and way better than some hotels that I have paid to stay in before. It'll be awesome once it is totally complete.

Went for 3.0 mile run today in 26:45. It still felt like my feet were made of concrete like earlier in the week. I am not sure what is causing that but I am guessing I just need to slog through this phase. If you have stumbled across this blog and have some advice in this area I'd be glad to here it.

Off To Indiana

I'm about to leave with the family for a quick weekend trip to visit the in-laws in Indiana. Other than the drive the trip is usually not too bad. My father-in-law took on the crazy task of building his own log cabin a couple of years ago so I am sure there is some manual labor in my not-to-distant future. There is a certain level of satisfaction though to stepping back and saying, "I hung that piece of plywood and once they put the siding on you will never be able to tell it's crooked!"

If You Can't Run With The Big Dogs....

you know the rest. Today it was announced that Safe Eyes has an amazing new feature that you will not find anywhere else -- clip-by-clip YouTube filtering no matter where they appear online. You can see the updated Safe Eyes page here and the full press release here. Traditionally filters had to block all of YouTube because of some of the content that was available. Now, with Safe Eyes, you can allow YouTube and just block the offensive content. If you are already a Safe Eyes user, simply download the latest version from the website to enjoy this new feature. If you are not a Safe Eyes user, you should be!!

Running Last Night

I went out for a run last night and right from the start my legs felt heavy and mentally I had no interest in running. About a half mile in I decided to cut my planned 3 mile to a 2 mile run. Everything just felt "off" and I felt like I was walking rather than running. Experienced runners tell you that if you don't feel like running then don't. If you take the enjoyment out of running then there is no reason to be doing it. (I know some of you will question what enjoyment you could ever possibly find in running!) When I got back to the house I had completed the 2 miles in 18:12. That is a 9:06 average mile which is pretty fast for a slow night. I'm sure there is some life lesson about "pressing on" in this somewhere, but I will leave you to draw your own conclusions.

Catalyst - Day 2

I did not get to sit in on as many of the sessions the second day of Catalyst but what I did catch was good. Plus, as mentioned in a previous blog post there was some great music from Steve Fee and Aaron Keys.

The morning started with a talk on leadership from Dave Ramsey. If you know me then you know that I am not a huge Dave fan. I will not go into the reasons here but I was able to set them aside and sit in on his session. He did a great job talking about the 5 things that can kill an organization:

1. Poor Communication
2. Gossip
3. Unresolved Disagreements
4. Lack of Shared Purpose
5. Sanctioned Incompetence

His definition of "gossip" was interesting as well - "Complaining to anyone that does not have the power to resolve your problem." I had never thought of it that way before. I think there will be some changes put in place at InternetSafety.com over the next couple of weeks based on his talk.

Overall the conference was great and we were able to talk with a ton of pastors and youth pastora about Safe Eyes. I am looking forward to going back next year.

That Was A-MAZE-ING

I am still at Catalyst but it is winding down. I will post the full details later but I just sat in on a 5 song set by Steve Fee. It was incredible. I also managed to score a copy of his CD to put on my iPod. Aaron Keyes played this morning as well and he did an awesome job. Steve and he are opposite styles but I enjoy both. As a bonus I got a chance to meet Aaron Keyes and talk with him for a few minutes. He has used Safe Eyes and we hope that we can get him to start promoting it when he travels.

Catalyst - Day 1

I have been looking forward to this conference for a couple of months now. Not only will it be a great audience to promote my company's product to but I also get to sit in on great leadership sessions by people like Andy Stanley, Steven Furtick, and Craig Groeschel. Then, on top of that I get to hear great music from people like Steve Fee and others. It is great combination of work and fun all rolled into one.

Andy Stanley started the morning with a home run. He talked about how a leader must first handle forgiveness, family, and finances in order to be effective... great stuff. Steve Fee opened Andy's session with 3 songs and one of them was new... BONUS!

Steven Furtick talked about how between The Promise and The Payout you have to endure The Process. While he applied it to church planting it is equally applicable to business and life in general.

Finally, Craig Groeschel spoke to the leaders that are burned out in their current role and have lost "it". While it did not apply to me right now it was obvious that there were plenty of the other 12,000+ people in the room that they needed to hear this. Plus, I can tuck it away in case I ever need the advice he gave.

Overall it was a great first day. Andy is on again tomorrow as well as others I look forward to listening to. Oh yeah, great response to Safe Eyes as well.