OK, I found this link while surfing and checking out the blogs of people that post on daily dancer's blog. I actually think this guy dances pretty good. Much better than I ever could.

Everybody Dance

My advice is to stay away from the website that is referenced on the video, though.

Not much else going on today. I feel like I really should be living alone lately. Not much room in this house for an Alpha Male.

Refreshed?!?

I guess if you enjoy driving over 2100 miles in a few days, touring a college campus and walking through kudsu and pine to evaluate tree harvest value...

Really, the trip was good and I think there was a lot gained by the three of us. I don't know if my daughter will choose Auburn, but I think it meant a lot for her to hear the good stuff from several members of the equestrian team and the dean of animal science.

I was reminded of how much I love the friendliness of that town. There are people there from all 50 states and 180 countries. The campus is more diverse than it has ever been. Yet, the "spirit" of Auburn continues, just the way I remembered it... just the way my Mom remembered it. Hopefully the way many of my children will remember it.

2100 miles! I drove almost all of it. In a car with terrible acceleration. Chevrolet can't have meant the Lumina to be a travelling car. I guess a few hundred miles would have been ok, but you've got to rest sometime. I'd definately give the trunk an A though. Plenty of space in there for all our stuff.

That includes all the stuff we bought at Priesters. I'm not a big eater of pecans, but when they cover them in stuff like this... Most people will eat them then. I bought some brittle and pecans covered in key lime flavoring. I doubt I'll get to eat much of it once the kids see it all. I've got it hidden for now, though!

There's a new show on ABC this season called My Kind of Town. For the first episode, they featured the town where my Mom was born - Greenville, AL. They gave everyone in the audience a scooter. I didn't see any while down there because they are still 6 weeks away from delivery. I know this because the wife of the guy who manages my Mom's timberland was there.
While we were in Greenville,we went to the local Winn Dixie and found that it was closing for good. Seems that Winn Dixie has filed bankruptcy and has sold many of it's stores. This particular one had what was left inside on sale for 70-90% off. If we'd had room in the car, I would have bought a lot of stuff... I guess Chevrolet got it right after all...

One of the things I like about travelling in the South is the variety of food. Funny how I formed so many memories related to food while I was down there years ago. When we were out in the countryside, we stopped at a roadside place that served bar-b-que. I'm talking slow cooked ribs and boston butt. They serve it slapped between two slices of white bread (which is almost too soggy to eat, but you still do since it tastes so good!).
On the way home, we stopped outside Atlanta to share lunch with my nephew and some of my favorite friends from Auburn and Drum Corps days. We ate at Olive Garden. Most of us got the soup, salad and breadsticks special. Parts of the salad were a little limp, but overall it was good. The soups were excellent. And the breadsticks... yum! Now to loosen my belt...

A smile for you.

I was testing the children in my Sunday school class to see if they understood the concept of getting to heaven. I asked them, "If I sold my house and my car, had a big garage sale and gave all my money to the church, would that get me into Heaven?"

"NO!" the children answered.

"If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the yard, and kept everything neat and tidy, would that get me into Heaven?" Again, the answer was, "NO!"

By now I was starting to smile. Hey, this was fun! "Well, then, if I was kind to animals and gave candy to all the children, and loved my husband, would that get me into Heaven?" I asked them again.

Again, they all answered, "NO!"

I was just bursting with pride for them. "Well," I continued, "then how can I get into Heaven?"

A five-year-old boy shouted out, "YOU GOTTA BE DEAD!!!"


Now that you've laughed, I hope you will continue to pray for my dear friend, John, as he begins the difficult task of separating from wife and family for an extended period of time. Longer (I think) than ever in the marriage. Know that I am praying for you, my brother!

Monday!!

For those not so happy to be at work this morning, I give you this link. I know you've probably seen it before, but it will make your day better. Trust me.

And don't forget your dose of the Daily Dancer.

I went fishing with three of my sons yesterday. We only went out for a little while and I forgot my fishing license, so I couldn't fish anyway. They got to do it and that was good enough. I usually end up baiting hooks and replacing lures most of the time anyway. Soon they will be able to do it themselves, though and we will all be able to have more fun. Didn't catch anything, but the time in God's creation was good.

I have a few pictures that I'm hosting on photobucket of the concert this weekend. Revelation Generation was a success and I plan to add it to my regular summer routine as long as the crowds don't get too huge. I'll just link you instead of posting the pics. It's easier today. Go here.

Barlow Girl and Skillet were awesome! I was a little disappointed with Katinas. They didn't get very funky ;-) Paul Colman did a great job of engaging the audience and making up lyrics on the fly.
There were two negatives from the day, though. The heat/humidity and the price of the food. I know they can't do anything about the weather, but they could easily have required their vendors to lower prices by about 40% without any problem. I mean come on! $3.00 for a plain hotdog!? $4.00 for a hamburger!? $2.50 for anything from the ice cream truck!? It's just wrong! More like robbery to me. I think they would sell plenty more and make ample profit with lower prices. I know I would have bought more.
One more thing... souvie prices at these concerts need to come down a little too. I've been to shows where you could get a CD for $10 and a shirt for $12. I think many more folks would buy them at those prices (vs. CD - $15 and shirt - $15 to $25). I know I would, anyway. Seriously! I would have bought a shirt from each artist if they would price them cheaper. I know they get them for around $6 each if they buy in bulk (as they should). $4-6 is good enough for profit.

So I guess that was three things.

I saw an old friend from high school at the show. I haven't seen Bill in probably 9 years. We used to be best friends. Different paths, I guess. He's just now starting his family. Been with the same girlfriend (now wife) for close to 24 years. Has two adorable daughters that kept him very busy at the show. I think he got tired and decided to leave early, 'cause when we got back to the chairs from jammin' to Skillet, he had left a note saying g'bye. No phone number or address, though. I have no idea where they are living. Guess I'll just have to wait for the next random meeting...

Well, that's enough for today. I'm working day shift this week. Pray for me! You all know I prefer not to be around these guys on days. I like nights so much better.

Don't forget to pray for John and his family in Ethiopia. I haven't heard anything from them, so I'm hoping they are having a good time.

Something else...

Did I mention that I will be going to an all day Christian music festival on Saturday? It's called Revelation Generation and there are some great artists that are going to be there: Skillet, Barlow Girl, Paul Colman, The Katinas, and a couple of local groups. There will be speakers, too. I'm looking forward to hearing all the great music and hopefully, the Lord will have something to say to me through the spoken ministry. I'm bringing two of my kids with me. They have been struggling with loving each other and I felt this would be an opportunity for them to grow together. I pray that they will.

The concert is in Frenchtown, NJ. Come on out if you are in the area!

Time passes much too quickly

So I'm sitting here looking at old Chicago videos and thinking "Where has the time gone?" Not just this week, but my whole life. I really miss some of the stuff that I used to do. I've missed out on a lot of opportunities.
Then I think of that book by John Piper that I've been reading about not wasting your life and that puts a whole 'nother perspective on it. Missed opportunities to bring folks into the Kingdom. Even missed opportunities to give a reason for why I believe the way I do.
Has my life been wasted? Would the Lord be pleased with what I've been doing with the time He's given me? Lately, I really don't think so.
I have been getting out to the Thursday morning men's breakfast fairly regularly these last few weeks. I think that's the most contact I've had with "church" type activities in a while. Strange how far (and how easily) I've gotten away. Hope this doesn't shock my readers too much. I've really struggled over the last 3-4 years because of some things that happened in the life of my oldest daughter and the churchs' response (or lack of).
I think we all know how easy it is to get out of the habit of going to church and reading the Bible and praying regularly. I don't think I've ever really stopped praying, just not getting much further than the ceiling.
For the sake of my kids (and wife) I need to find a church home where we can get plugged back in again. It's just so hard to get out in the mornings though... and all the other excuses. Pray for me. Pray that I will lead as the Lord instructs. Pray that I will continue to heal and be able to minister to my family.

Don't forget to pray for John (and his family) as he is in Ethiopia these weeks. For safety and emotional healing. And for some fun!

Great new song from Steven Curtis Chapman!

This song is going to be on the soundtrack for the new Chronicles Of Narnia movie.
You can view a trailer here. You need Quicktime to view it. Looks like it will be a great movie. Sorry they couldn't find someone other than Disney to distribute it...

New Reading Material

Has it really been a week since my last post?!
I spent Friday and Saturday in Allentown, PA recharging my Drum & Bugle Corps batteries! What a fantastic time! I really miss doing that all summer. The kids are all tan and in such good shape. What a workout that was.
I do remember the negatives though... lack of sun protection, long hours of practice, sleeping on gym floors (un air conditioned usually), long bus rides.
But the show was the thing. 12 minutes of power and entertainment for crowds of anywhere from 3000 to 40000. That's what made it worthwhile. That and the killer chops I took back to "regular" band in the fall!

I took lots of pictures, but most of them came out blurry. I guess it was the excitement. That or the dehydration. I didn't drink enough water on Friday and it was really hot and humid. Especially in the stands where the breeze was not very much. I did better on Saturday. Drank lots and lots of water throughout the day.

I got to see my kid at the show. Not actually one of mine, but one that I sponsor. He plays euphonium with Crossmen. He looked fantastic! I think he's dropped something like 45 pounds this summer and is in great shape.
There is another one that I have a vested interest in (although not financial). She marched in Seattle Cascades. It was great to see her as well! I watched her marching their show and she had prime real estate the whole time. When I was marching, the front of the field was the best place (most recognition, best visual, etc.). Here's a picture of them both and me.