Well, this past weekend was quite a trip! First off my birthday was Friday and the goal for Friday was to be in Wichita, KS. watching a play at the Crown Uptown Theatre which my son Billy was performing. Shelley and I had decided to both take the day off so we could get an early start for KS. and have some time to spend with Billy before he had to be at the theatre. Well, we left at 0930 hrs, so much for early. I'm one of those guys that likes to get on the road between 4 and 6 in the morning, (thanks mom). Mom used to like to do that as well, of course she would also want to drive until dark. There was one trip we made driving straight through from Electra to Phoenix AZ.. The trip was being funded by an Uncle of mine and she didn't want to use his credit card for anything but gas, Uncle Mel was very upset, anyway I digress. The trip took us about 7 hours with the rain and storms that we had to pass through, but we made it. Billy decided that he would just meet us at the motel and visit with us until he had to leave for the theatre. On this trip we also did something that we have never done before and that was bring our family pet, which meant staying at a pet friendly motel, our selection was Motel 6. We had a pretty good visit before it was time to go and off we went to the show.
The show was the same show that he performed in Branson and he was in the same role that he played in Branson, the only difference were the actors around him. Well, that made a BIG difference in the quality of the show. You could tell by the way the show went that this was a group of professionals that truly enjoyed working with each other. All of the cast members played a musical instrument and most of them played three or more instruments including Billy who played the stand up base, mandolin and guitar. Oh BTW the leading actress was played by Ms Kim Dugan, former Ms KS. and she was brilliant! Anyway, after the shows each evening the cast set around and visited with each other and we were invited to join them Friday night which made my birthday a long long day but a very memorable one. You know that no matter how old your children get you still worry about them and want them to have positive experiences in life. After this visit we can rest assured that this is going to be a good experience for Billy. Finally, Shelley and I got back to the motel around midnight and settled in for a good snooze. Now this is where things turned sour.
At about 0230 hrs our phone rang, I picked it up worried that is was Billy with bad news but instead it was Cindy who said she thought she was calling Stacy! Not too bad right? Well Cindy decided to start getting friendly over the phone with me. What's you name? What are you doing? Do you have to work tomorrow? What do you do for a living? I played along for a bit and then I advised my new best friend that I was not interested and that I was going back to bed with my wife! She sounded hurt and was trying to say something else when I hung the phone up. Then back to sleep I fell until around 0430 hrs. when the party outside in the court yard arrived and that went on for about 30 minutes until someone from the motel staff finally arrived on the scene and broke the party up. Motel 6, they kept the light on all night and have friendly folks calling your room in case you get lonely being so far from home!
Saturday went much better, we had a brunch with Billy and then off to the Wichita Zoo we went! It was a pretty nice zoo and showed evidence of expanding and making things even better. The weather cooperated and besides the wind it was a good day for all. We went to the show again and headed for home around noon on Sunday. Anyway, if you are around Wichita between now and June 7th, stop by the Crown Uptown in Wichita, KS and see "Smoke on the Mountain" , I guarantee that it will be a positive experience for you too and as far as Motel 6 is concerned, we just unplugged our phone and had a good night sleep on Saturday night!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Now What Do We Do?
Well, I have a dilemma, we are on our way to see our youngest son perform in Wichita, KS. and we want to take Scooter with us. I'm retired military so we were hoping to be able to stay in lodging on McConnell AFB but there are no pet rooms available at this time. We are now in a search for pet friendly motels but the ones we have call so far want to charge a pretty pricey pet deposit. We could just leave Scooter with his brother and my son's family but my youngest wants to meet Scooter. Anyway, a decision has to be made soon; if anyone has any suggestions please let me know! We want so much to take him we just don't know if this is a good time or not.
My next rant is; what has happened to youth baseball? My oldest grandson Dallas starts t-ball this spring. My son, who is going to coach his team informed me that this league provides shirts only! I can understand not providing baseball pants but what about the hats? This league says that the hats have to be provided by the player. When I entered LL Baseball I was provided a t-shirt and ball cap and in case my mom couldn't afford a glove, the team equipment bag had several gloves in it to be used by the team. I was fortunate that I always had my own glove but there were kids on my team that if there weren't gloves in that bag they wouldn't have been able to play. Some folks may argue that the cost has gotten to be too much, we had sponsors and their cost went up if need be and they knew they were expected to buy t-shirts and caps. As far as the cost for field up-keep, we had work days and parents got out there before the season started and numerous times during the season to insure that the kids had a safe place to play, they were called "volunteers"! Now every facility thinks they need to hire someone to do the maintenance for the fields. People have just gotten lazy and don't even want to go through the effort to organize work days and things of such. We even had volunteers to mow the fields and when it was time to mow it, was time to repair the field. Oh well, I guess things aren't what they used to be! Thanks for listening! Oh BTW you will be receiving Dallas "the Slugger" Rowland t-ball reports as the season progresses because you know PaPaw will be right there helping out where he can!
My next rant is; what has happened to youth baseball? My oldest grandson Dallas starts t-ball this spring. My son, who is going to coach his team informed me that this league provides shirts only! I can understand not providing baseball pants but what about the hats? This league says that the hats have to be provided by the player. When I entered LL Baseball I was provided a t-shirt and ball cap and in case my mom couldn't afford a glove, the team equipment bag had several gloves in it to be used by the team. I was fortunate that I always had my own glove but there were kids on my team that if there weren't gloves in that bag they wouldn't have been able to play. Some folks may argue that the cost has gotten to be too much, we had sponsors and their cost went up if need be and they knew they were expected to buy t-shirts and caps. As far as the cost for field up-keep, we had work days and parents got out there before the season started and numerous times during the season to insure that the kids had a safe place to play, they were called "volunteers"! Now every facility thinks they need to hire someone to do the maintenance for the fields. People have just gotten lazy and don't even want to go through the effort to organize work days and things of such. We even had volunteers to mow the fields and when it was time to mow it, was time to repair the field. Oh well, I guess things aren't what they used to be! Thanks for listening! Oh BTW you will be receiving Dallas "the Slugger" Rowland t-ball reports as the season progresses because you know PaPaw will be right there helping out where he can!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Meet Scooter Rowland!
One of the hardest things I've ever had to do in my life was having to put our family dog Dusty down. I was heart broken and I swore that I would never own another pet especially a dog. Well, this past weekend I saw why you should never say never. Please allow me to introduce to my readers the latest addition to the Rowland Family......Mr. Scooter Rowland!
He's a charmer and brother to my grandson's puppy Rowdy! I don't know why I waited 5 years to get another dog. Welcome to the family Scooter!!
He's a charmer and brother to my grandson's puppy Rowdy! I don't know why I waited 5 years to get another dog. Welcome to the family Scooter!!
Friday, April 17, 2009
You Never Know
This week has been one tough week. On Friday the 10th I received a text message that a very dear friend of mine had lost his 26 year old daughter. I was heart broken and called my friend immediately. Well as you can imagine I wasn't able to speak to Charles until Saturday morning and he and his Sharon were devastated. He tried to explain to me what had happened as he understood it to be and then Sharon completed the call. Charles has been like a brother to me and this was like losing a niece. Shelley and I spent Easter morning on the road to Big Spring, TX.. It was a long drive but Shelley and I felt like we needed to be there for Charles and Sharon. Once we arrived in Big Spring Charles shared with me his final moments with his daughter. He told me that the last words spoken between the two of them were "I love you". This child entered into eternity knowing without a doubt that she was loved by her father and mother.
Anytime I speak with my sons it often ends with an "I love you". There have been time when I wondered if I say it too much and it comes across as just another comment, but when I think of how fragile our lives are I realize how important it is to let those you love know how you feel about them. I didn't have a father at home but every time I spoke to him he told me how much he loved me and I believed it, and as dysfunctional as our family was I knew I was loved because none of us were afraid to say "I love you".
Your assignment today is tell someone that is special to you, how much they mean to you, tell them that you love them!
I love you Jeremy, Jason, and Billy aka William!
Anytime I speak with my sons it often ends with an "I love you". There have been time when I wondered if I say it too much and it comes across as just another comment, but when I think of how fragile our lives are I realize how important it is to let those you love know how you feel about them. I didn't have a father at home but every time I spoke to him he told me how much he loved me and I believed it, and as dysfunctional as our family was I knew I was loved because none of us were afraid to say "I love you".
Your assignment today is tell someone that is special to you, how much they mean to you, tell them that you love them!
I love you Jeremy, Jason, and Billy aka William!
Friday, April 10, 2009
It Happened!
Well I was worried that when I started this blog that something like this would happen and it did. I am sorry to the friend that were reading my blog and I hope I can get this thing cranked back up again.
There has been so much to happen since I last wrote that I don't know where to start, so I'll just keep it simple.
My youngest, William, who was in Branson is now in Wichita, KS.. He was hired by the Crown Uptown Theatre and will be playing the exact same role that he played in Branson, only this time it has been a more positive experience.
Jeremy and Stephanie are expecting their third child so their lives have been full of trying to figure out things like a name and where to put her or him when she or he gets here.
Jason and Lindsey have had their hands full with their two boys between birthday parties, soccer, and soon t-ball.
Shelley and I are in the market for a new or very good used SUV crossover. We have been driving them all and think we are about to settle on the Saturn Outlook. If anyone has any warnings or suggestions please speak now!!
I can't believe the price of these SUV's how in the sam hill could they be broke! But that's another subject for another day!
I will try to get on here and do some more sharing about the things I love! Hey it's baseball season I should have plenty to say!!
"This is the Day that the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!"
HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!!
There has been so much to happen since I last wrote that I don't know where to start, so I'll just keep it simple.
My youngest, William, who was in Branson is now in Wichita, KS.. He was hired by the Crown Uptown Theatre and will be playing the exact same role that he played in Branson, only this time it has been a more positive experience.
Jeremy and Stephanie are expecting their third child so their lives have been full of trying to figure out things like a name and where to put her or him when she or he gets here.
Jason and Lindsey have had their hands full with their two boys between birthday parties, soccer, and soon t-ball.
Shelley and I are in the market for a new or very good used SUV crossover. We have been driving them all and think we are about to settle on the Saturn Outlook. If anyone has any warnings or suggestions please speak now!!
I can't believe the price of these SUV's how in the sam hill could they be broke! But that's another subject for another day!
I will try to get on here and do some more sharing about the things I love! Hey it's baseball season I should have plenty to say!!
"This is the Day that the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!"
HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Why Baseball! (Rant)
There are few sports where a young boy growing up can legitimately dreaming of playing on a professional level, baseball is one of those sports. At 6 years old I began playing baseball with visions of playing some day in Yankee Stadium. In my dreams I was the all-star short-stop, pitcher or catcher that single handily won the world series. I watched the major league player and tried to emulate every move they made. The first moves I learned was at bat, I would pick-up some dirt in my hands and rub it in to my hands and into the wooden bat I was about to swing, then just before I would step into the batters box I would spit some juice from my double-bubble gum on the ground. Next I would take the bat and knock the dirt off of my tennis shoes, which later became metal spikes. When I would pitch, the catcher and I would come up with 3 signs (1 was the fastball, 2 the curve-ball and 3 the slider), just so I could shake them off for the only pitch I really knew how to throw, fastball down the middle. Well to me it was a fastball! I will say that pitching was not my strongest position, I was much better on the other side of the batter. I was small with quick hands and when I got to SR League ball, right on top of the bag at second base was the extent of my arm strength therefore, anyone trying to steal on me had very little chance if the ball came to me in a timely manner. I loved the game, it was one of few places where I felt like I was loved back. I loved it so much that when I finished playing, which in my home town was about 17, I started umpiring and coaching and did so from 1974 until 1998. Well, anyway I told you that to tell you this, I am crushed at what baseball has become today. There are very few player in the sport today that do it, for the love of the game. Greed, as with everything else has infected my sport to the point of destruction. The championships have been bought and sold for a price. The Yankee's whom I grew up loving, are a disgrace to the greats that played there before them. Oh I'm not saying that the Yankees of old were saints by any stretch but they loved the game and it wasn't all about the money for them. Today's players will change teams in a heartbeat if the price is right, just ask A-Rod. The good thing about what is happening now is that the players that truly love the game stick out above the rest, Derek Jeter and Micheal Young, just to name two. I was fortunate to grow up with baseball in the time that I did. Who do the youngster have to emulate today? Lord, before I got out of coaching that first thing I would have to do was break habits that the youngsters had learned by watching the players today. It was difficult to bat everybody through batting practise on that first practise because the kid would take a swing and want to back out of the batters box and adjust, EVERYTHING! When they realized that Coach Dale didn't stop throwing just because they needed to adjust, they would stay in the box and work on their hitting skills.
Well, in light of everything that is coming out now with the cheating of the game through performance enhancing drugs, and lying about your use until you get caught, you would think I would be through with the sport. The answer is NO, I loved this game from the first time I played catch with my brother to the last time I walked across the infield to congratulate the other team for a game well played. I love the smell of the leather glove on my had and the sound of the wooden bat cracking a leather baseball to deep center field. I will continue to love it to the day I play catcher for Saint Peter's Gatekeepers. There's a line in the movie "The Rookie" where Jim Morris comes up to another rookie and says, "Hey, Brooks, you know what we get to do today? .....we get to play baseball!" or another movie when Kevin Costner realized he wasn't what he used to be, he resigned from the game with a baseball to the GM that simply said "For the Love of the Game". That's what baseball used to be about. Oh yeah, my oldest grandson Dallas, starts Tee-Ball this year and guess what, I'm back in coaching, right along side my son! One because he is my grandson, and two because I want him to learn how great this game can be with hard work and determination. Baseball is special to me and I want it to be special for my grandchildren! Here's a poem my son wrote about his love of the game enjoy!
“A Day at the Ballpark”
By Jason E. Rowland
As Dad and I walked to the booth “tickets for sale”,
Programs! Programs! The man out front yelled.
As we walked through the gate my eyes opened wide,
I couldn’t wait to see inside.
We walked up the ramp and I was amazed,
When I saw the green grass and the batting cage.
I’ll never forget the sound as we sat,
It was Pudge Rodriguez and the crack of his bat.
Dad said, “here he comes the one we came for”,
The pitcher wore the number 34.
I was speechless and didn’t utter a sound,
As Nolan Ryan took the mound.
He pitched so fast the batters couldn’t see,
And they returned to the bench after strike 3.
He broke a record that hot summer day,
He had thrown 10 or more strikeouts in a consecutive game.
A new hero that day I found,
As Nolan Ryan left the mound.
My dad said, “ a hero what’s his name?”
I replied “ You dad thanks for the game”.
Well, in light of everything that is coming out now with the cheating of the game through performance enhancing drugs, and lying about your use until you get caught, you would think I would be through with the sport. The answer is NO, I loved this game from the first time I played catch with my brother to the last time I walked across the infield to congratulate the other team for a game well played. I love the smell of the leather glove on my had and the sound of the wooden bat cracking a leather baseball to deep center field. I will continue to love it to the day I play catcher for Saint Peter's Gatekeepers. There's a line in the movie "The Rookie" where Jim Morris comes up to another rookie and says, "Hey, Brooks, you know what we get to do today? .....we get to play baseball!" or another movie when Kevin Costner realized he wasn't what he used to be, he resigned from the game with a baseball to the GM that simply said "For the Love of the Game". That's what baseball used to be about. Oh yeah, my oldest grandson Dallas, starts Tee-Ball this year and guess what, I'm back in coaching, right along side my son! One because he is my grandson, and two because I want him to learn how great this game can be with hard work and determination. Baseball is special to me and I want it to be special for my grandchildren! Here's a poem my son wrote about his love of the game enjoy!
“A Day at the Ballpark”
By Jason E. Rowland
As Dad and I walked to the booth “tickets for sale”,
Programs! Programs! The man out front yelled.
As we walked through the gate my eyes opened wide,
I couldn’t wait to see inside.
We walked up the ramp and I was amazed,
When I saw the green grass and the batting cage.
I’ll never forget the sound as we sat,
It was Pudge Rodriguez and the crack of his bat.
Dad said, “here he comes the one we came for”,
The pitcher wore the number 34.
I was speechless and didn’t utter a sound,
As Nolan Ryan took the mound.
He pitched so fast the batters couldn’t see,
And they returned to the bench after strike 3.
He broke a record that hot summer day,
He had thrown 10 or more strikeouts in a consecutive game.
A new hero that day I found,
As Nolan Ryan left the mound.
My dad said, “ a hero what’s his name?”
I replied “ You dad thanks for the game”.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
What a week!
It seems like a month since I posted anything on the blog! This has been one of those weeks where I spend all day on the computer and phone at work and the last thing I want to do is get back on the computer. Anyway, my thoughts for tonight goes back a few days to Groundhog Day and College Football Signing Day!
Have you ever seen the movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murry? Well in case you haven't it's a movie where Bill gets wrapped up in some sort of time freeze where he lives Groundhog Day over and over and over again. Well, that leads me to this thought how would you like to be able to live a day over and over again until you got it perfect? At first I thought man it would be great to be able to go back and correct bad decisions. Then I thought well I would also have to remember all of the good decisions I had made thoughout that day. When I really look at it I realize that I'm not the one in control anyway and I would more then likely end up smack dap in the middle of the same place I'm at. Why bother going back.
Next, how about college football signing day! This was the first time in a long time that I paid much attention to signing day for college football. I am as you know an Arkansas Razorback fan and when it comes to recruiting we have desperately lacked in signing top recruits. With a new coaching staff on board I was excited to see how well he would do in recruiting top talent. Well the day came and went and according to the local sports talk radio this was the best recruiting class in the schools history. For me that is exciting because in 1964 we did have a National Championship under Frank Broils. I know 1964, hey we gotta start somewhere. According to Rivals.com, Arkansas was ranked 14th in the nation in recruiting. The scary thing is that in the conference, SEC, there were 10 schools in the top 25 schools, and topping the list was another favorite school of mine Alabama. At number 2 just below Bama was LSU. The problem with playing in the SEC is we beat up on each other. The good thing is we play in the SEC where National Championships are won!
Buck said a few days ago: "I don’t watch football on Sundays as a general rule, believing as I do that football, the sport, is played on Saturdays… and Friday nights. Football, the bid’niz, happens on Sundays… and Monday nights and even Thursday nights, occasionally." Exile in Portales
I have to agree with you Buck, I love Friday night lights and Saturday's excitement!
You know Lou, I too have had a brain dump the only difference is I wasn't smart enough just to let it go. Oh well, I hope there is at least something in my ramblings that you like!
Have you ever seen the movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murry? Well in case you haven't it's a movie where Bill gets wrapped up in some sort of time freeze where he lives Groundhog Day over and over and over again. Well, that leads me to this thought how would you like to be able to live a day over and over again until you got it perfect? At first I thought man it would be great to be able to go back and correct bad decisions. Then I thought well I would also have to remember all of the good decisions I had made thoughout that day. When I really look at it I realize that I'm not the one in control anyway and I would more then likely end up smack dap in the middle of the same place I'm at. Why bother going back.
Next, how about college football signing day! This was the first time in a long time that I paid much attention to signing day for college football. I am as you know an Arkansas Razorback fan and when it comes to recruiting we have desperately lacked in signing top recruits. With a new coaching staff on board I was excited to see how well he would do in recruiting top talent. Well the day came and went and according to the local sports talk radio this was the best recruiting class in the schools history. For me that is exciting because in 1964 we did have a National Championship under Frank Broils. I know 1964, hey we gotta start somewhere. According to Rivals.com, Arkansas was ranked 14th in the nation in recruiting. The scary thing is that in the conference, SEC, there were 10 schools in the top 25 schools, and topping the list was another favorite school of mine Alabama. At number 2 just below Bama was LSU. The problem with playing in the SEC is we beat up on each other. The good thing is we play in the SEC where National Championships are won!
Buck said a few days ago: "I don’t watch football on Sundays as a general rule, believing as I do that football, the sport, is played on Saturdays… and Friday nights. Football, the bid’niz, happens on Sundays… and Monday nights and even Thursday nights, occasionally." Exile in Portales
I have to agree with you Buck, I love Friday night lights and Saturday's excitement!
You know Lou, I too have had a brain dump the only difference is I wasn't smart enough just to let it go. Oh well, I hope there is at least something in my ramblings that you like!
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Band Family Grows
MARK, JACQI, AND JULIAAs many of you know I have three sons, Jeremy, Jason, and William (Billy). Each one of my sons spent their time in the North Pulaski Band program in Jacksonville, AR. So as you can imagine my wife and I were very involved in the band program for many years, 12 years to be more precise. We loved working with the band and supporting our boys and the rest of the band. We took trips all over this state and extended our travels as far as Washington DC. One of the great things about being involved with the NPHS band program was that for those 12 years we had the same great band directors, Ms Kohler and Ms Dismuke. Ms K directed the middle school band and assisted in the high school and Ms D assisted in the middle school band and directed the high school. Another great thing about being a band parent was working with these kids and developing life long friendships.
One of those friendships that Shelley and I have developed is our friendship with the Haines family. Mark and I worked on the band trailer and any other maintenance that was needed for the band concession stand. Jacqi and Shelley managed the concession stand and kept the kids fed when we were at competitions and before major events for the band. Our friendship has developed to the point that our families spend Thanksgiving together each year. Mark and Jacqi's children refer to us as mommy Shelley and daddy Dale and we love those girls like our own. When Megan became pregnant Mark broke the news to me by telling me I was going to be a grandpa again. On Monday Megan gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Julia. We couldn't wait to see and hold Julia and we got our chance on Friday night. We love being a part of this family and having them be a part of ours. As our families grow so does the love between our two families. What started out as hard working band parents turned into a friendship that will last a lifetime!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Frustrated
What do you do when you try to help someone that needs help but they keep sabotaging themselves? I mean you know they need help, everyone around them knows they need help, they even know they need help, but they keep throwing a "monkey wrench" in the help you're trying to get them. Day in and day out I help veteran with various issues. Example; I have a veteran that tells me he hasn't received his medication that he is supposed to receive each month. Well the first time you order the medication that the veteran needs and explain to him that all he needs to do is as soon as he receives his meds he can go ahead an order his next refill, which will be suspended until it is time for him to receive them. Then the next month rolls around and it's the same picture all over again, and what do I do, I order his meds and again explain to him the process. I am his enabler, thanks mom.
Another example is an alcoholic. You know, everyone else knows, and even he knows that he has a problem. You convince him that he needs to seek help so he goes through the processes to get the help he needs until he gets to that last step. The doctor ask him if he has a problem and he says no. What's the doctor to do he can't force the program on him, because he has to want the help bad enough to follow through with getting the help he needs. Some see the light and eventually get the help they need some refuse and face the consequences they have in store. Which, in my father's case, was a very early grave at 47.
When you see your loved ones suffer through things and you try to get them help but they refuse, it rips your heart out. What do you do? Well, I'll tell you, when it comes to love ones especially, you fight! With everything that is within you, you fight and you pray! I believe that God answers prayer in one of three ways, (Yes), (No), or (Wait). Paul tells us to pray without ceasing and that is what you do and that is what I will do!
I feel a little bit better now thanks for listening!!
Another example is an alcoholic. You know, everyone else knows, and even he knows that he has a problem. You convince him that he needs to seek help so he goes through the processes to get the help he needs until he gets to that last step. The doctor ask him if he has a problem and he says no. What's the doctor to do he can't force the program on him, because he has to want the help bad enough to follow through with getting the help he needs. Some see the light and eventually get the help they need some refuse and face the consequences they have in store. Which, in my father's case, was a very early grave at 47.
When you see your loved ones suffer through things and you try to get them help but they refuse, it rips your heart out. What do you do? Well, I'll tell you, when it comes to love ones especially, you fight! With everything that is within you, you fight and you pray! I believe that God answers prayer in one of three ways, (Yes), (No), or (Wait). Paul tells us to pray without ceasing and that is what you do and that is what I will do!
I feel a little bit better now thanks for listening!!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
More Monster Pics
PaPaw and Landry at Monster Trucks 09
Landry and Dallas having fun at Monster Truck 09
A grand ol' time was had by Dallas, Landry, Daddy, Uncle Billy, Uncle Michael, and PaPaw!!The Big Non-Event
I wonder sometimes how weather-persons manage to keep their jobs. For several days they had been predicting that we would get blasted with ice and snow all the way through Wednesday night with the greatest accumulation coming during the wee morning hours of Wednesday. I fully expected to wake up this morning only to be able to roll over and and go back to sleep because the roads were to bad to get to work. Didn't happen, I'm at work and because of the weather that the northern/southern parts of the state did get, we won't have a lot to do. I plan on playing catch-up! I can hear Maxwell Smart saying, "missed me by that much!" Oh well maybe next time we will have a beautiful snow fall!
If the weather persons call for it should I believe them, that is the question! We have employees that live less the 30 miles from that couldn't get in. We have had massive wrecks on the freeways just minutes from downtown LR, but the roads here are dry. I lived 15 miles further north I probably would not have been able to get out of my driveway today. Weather in central AR is very strange year round.
I was glad to see from my blogs I read that most of my friends have kept save and that is what counts!
If the weather persons call for it should I believe them, that is the question! We have employees that live less the 30 miles from that couldn't get in. We have had massive wrecks on the freeways just minutes from downtown LR, but the roads here are dry. I lived 15 miles further north I probably would not have been able to get out of my driveway today. Weather in central AR is very strange year round.
I was glad to see from my blogs I read that most of my friends have kept save and that is what counts!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Weekend and More
First off let me apologize for not getting back to you sooner. It was a busy weekend and I never managed to get to a computer.
Anyway, the weekend was a blast starting off with the monster trucks. OMG my grandsons had a great time watching the trucks and the motorcycles. The youngest set with his daddy in the beginning and then ended up with PaPaw. Dallas acted like an old pro at monster trucks and was trying to tell his younger brother all about them. The funny part about the night was also disturbing. About half way through the night PaPaw slipped to the vendor store and bought his grandsons some checkered flags and a couple of monster trucks. Well anyway, I brought the flags back to the boys and they started waving them around and having a good ol time. Landry the youngest was sitting with his father at this time who was setting next to this toothless, (well not totally toothless, she did have about 4 in the front but it looked like one was going fast), redneck woman that kept asking my 3 year old grandson if she could borrow his flag as she was taking it out of his hand. The first time she did it we were so shocked that we just let it go, but after the second time she did it I had my son send Landry down to me. It amazes me how bold some people are these days. The second time she just sort of grabbed the flag and then asked if she could borrow it again, unbelievable! Well we still had a great time and Uncle Michael made sure the boys stayed awake on the way home by loading them up with cotton candy! It was a great night out with the boys!
Saturday was a trip to the cell phone store and $500 later the wife and I walk out with those new iPhone gizmos. I love mine but they still haven't created a way that they can send or receive pics. The only way I get pics in my phone is email them to my yahoo account. They say the a patch for doing this process is on the way soon. I hope! Saturday night Shelly and I watched the boys so my son and his wife could go to the bank Christmas party, yep that's what I thought, a little late for a Christmas party.
Sunday was birthday party for Dallas. He turned 5 on the 20th so we took the first weekend available at the Party Zone. It was a lot of fun, this place has go-carts, mini-golf, lazer tag, bumper cars, bowling, and loads of other games all under one roof. We ate pizza and cake and away we went to play. The children were too young to do the go-carts alone so a PaPaw had to ride with one grandson while Daddy road with the other. Landry was a hoot as we went around the track I told him to wave at Mimi and mom when we would pass by them and he would wave all the way around the track. The boys and my grand-daughter were grinning from ear to ear. I could go on and on about the fun we had but I'm sure you get the picture. I was especially glad that my grand-daughters were there for the party to have fun as well. I am also glad that Aunt Marcy and Uncle Michael stuck around for the party before they headed back to Alabama.
Monday hit and all the fun went away and it was back to work, uck!!
Anyway, the weekend was a blast starting off with the monster trucks. OMG my grandsons had a great time watching the trucks and the motorcycles. The youngest set with his daddy in the beginning and then ended up with PaPaw. Dallas acted like an old pro at monster trucks and was trying to tell his younger brother all about them. The funny part about the night was also disturbing. About half way through the night PaPaw slipped to the vendor store and bought his grandsons some checkered flags and a couple of monster trucks. Well anyway, I brought the flags back to the boys and they started waving them around and having a good ol time. Landry the youngest was sitting with his father at this time who was setting next to this toothless, (well not totally toothless, she did have about 4 in the front but it looked like one was going fast), redneck woman that kept asking my 3 year old grandson if she could borrow his flag as she was taking it out of his hand. The first time she did it we were so shocked that we just let it go, but after the second time she did it I had my son send Landry down to me. It amazes me how bold some people are these days. The second time she just sort of grabbed the flag and then asked if she could borrow it again, unbelievable! Well we still had a great time and Uncle Michael made sure the boys stayed awake on the way home by loading them up with cotton candy! It was a great night out with the boys!
Saturday was a trip to the cell phone store and $500 later the wife and I walk out with those new iPhone gizmos. I love mine but they still haven't created a way that they can send or receive pics. The only way I get pics in my phone is email them to my yahoo account. They say the a patch for doing this process is on the way soon. I hope! Saturday night Shelly and I watched the boys so my son and his wife could go to the bank Christmas party, yep that's what I thought, a little late for a Christmas party.
Sunday was birthday party for Dallas. He turned 5 on the 20th so we took the first weekend available at the Party Zone. It was a lot of fun, this place has go-carts, mini-golf, lazer tag, bumper cars, bowling, and loads of other games all under one roof. We ate pizza and cake and away we went to play. The children were too young to do the go-carts alone so a PaPaw had to ride with one grandson while Daddy road with the other. Landry was a hoot as we went around the track I told him to wave at Mimi and mom when we would pass by them and he would wave all the way around the track. The boys and my grand-daughter were grinning from ear to ear. I could go on and on about the fun we had but I'm sure you get the picture. I was especially glad that my grand-daughters were there for the party to have fun as well. I am also glad that Aunt Marcy and Uncle Michael stuck around for the party before they headed back to Alabama.
Monday hit and all the fun went away and it was back to work, uck!!
Friday, January 23, 2009
Monster Trucks
Well the day finally got here, it's Monster Truck Day!! Each year the monster trucks come to Little Rock and for the last three years I have taken my grandson Dallas to see the trucks. It just so happens that the trucks come around his birthday so this is PaPaw's birthday gift to Dallas. This year Dallas's brother Landry is coming along and I can't wait to see the expressions on his face when he sees and hears those big trucks. My son Jason (daddy) has told me that for the last couple of weeks the boys have been asking him if it's time to go to the monster trucks. This is going to be a great time! Next trip will be to the rodeo and then it is the grand-daughters turn with PaPaw! Skylar loves horses so she will be in hog heaven! I'll try to post some pics from the monster truck adventure!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Veteran Differences
As I told you in the beginning I have a special place in my heart for our countries veterans. As a Patient Representative in a VA Medical Center I have the opportunity on a daily basis to interact with a wide variety of veterans. I have come to know what I suspected all along that there are great differences in the veterans we serve based on the era they served. Now let me preface this by saying this is just an opinion of one man and I know that not everyone will agree with what I have to say. This is just a mear observation and a perception that I have of our veterans. I don't mean any harm by this because I truly do respect and love our veterans and believe they all deserve a great gratitude of thanks from all Americans.
Lets start with the WWII veteran. This veteran served his country because it was just what you did. Many WWII veterans chose to serve because there was a war on and their country needed them. They didn't question the war or their responsibility to serve, they just served because it was the right thing to do. So they left their farms and other jobs and headed overseas to take the fight to the Japanese and Germans. When the war was won they came back home, rolled up their sleeves and went back to work. They didn't feel then and many don't feel now that this country owes them anything. They were humbled by the celebration of their return and you won't hear many of them talk about their war experiences unless you ask. They never have been boastful and almost seem embarrassed when you stop to thank them for serving their country so honorably.
The Korean war veteran is much like the WWII veteran in the fact that they joined to serve because that was your obligation to the country. When the war was over they too came back and went to work. However, the country had began to change. There wasn't the same welcome home celebration that the WWII veterans received. Oh there may have been some small town welcome home parades for the local veterans but nothing like the WWII veterans received. I believe too that this was a beginning of distrust towards the government for our country as a whole. This country had never lost a war and in effect this war was more of a tie. Hence, we still have communist North Korea and a somewhat democratic South Korea.
This brings us to the Vietnam veteran. These veterans were either drafted or joined to avoid being drafted into the Marines or Army and many, as you know, burned their draft cards and fled the country to avoid serving. This was a very unpopular war when our country was struggling to find it's own identity. Many wanted peace not war and the government did a poor job of explaining why we were there in the first place. When these veterans returned it was a horrible reception. When they stepped off the plane it was to people yelling obscenities at them, calling the veterans "baby killers" and spitting on them. the country had lost it's respect for the veterans that served. Now many of these veterans have grown bitter and cold towards this country and have totally lost faith of the government that they had felt, with just cause , failed them. These veterans feel the government owes them and they want what is owed to them. These veterans are very demanding and many of them walk around with a huge chip on their shoulder and many of them have turned to substance abuse in order to cope with the pain that they feel. We as a country have let this veteran down and in a effort to not let any other veterans down, we as a country, have done everything we could to try to make the return veterans of today feel loved and appreciated. This is some cases have just poured salt in the wounds of the Vietnam veteran. We can't go back and correct our mistakes but we can darn sure make sure it doesn't happen again.
Now, a large part of my time in the military was served during peace-time conditions, thank God! I did however fall into the next group of veterans known as Desert veterans, as did my son. When the Desert veterans returned the nation was so determined to get it right this time that it was like the WWII veterans return all over. This group of veterans have learned, from the past mistakes, how to work the system so to speak. They are just as demanding mainly because they usually know what benefits they are eligible for and they want those benefits NOW.
Finally, we have our current veterans. These young veterans are returning to a similar situation that the previous desert veterans returned to. They too can be demanding and in some cases feel that once they are out of their service commitment they are forgotten about. They appear almost to be in a panic about how things are supposed to work for them. Initially I don't believe their exit briefings were thorough enough however, that has changed. The OEF/OIF veterans carry the highest priority in the health care system and groups have been formed to specifically assist them with their transitions.
As I look back at what I have said there may have been some rambling but like I said in the beginning it's just one mans opinion. Each day as I serve this variety of veterans I have one thought in mind and that is how honored I am to have the opportunity to serve such a fine group of men and women. And what an honor to be counted among those that have gone before me in service to their country.
"There only two that have been willing to die for you, Jesus Christ and the American Veteran. One died to save your soul and one died to save your freedom!"
If given the opportunity thank a veteran today, I thank every veteran that enters my door regardless of when they served.
Lets start with the WWII veteran. This veteran served his country because it was just what you did. Many WWII veterans chose to serve because there was a war on and their country needed them. They didn't question the war or their responsibility to serve, they just served because it was the right thing to do. So they left their farms and other jobs and headed overseas to take the fight to the Japanese and Germans. When the war was won they came back home, rolled up their sleeves and went back to work. They didn't feel then and many don't feel now that this country owes them anything. They were humbled by the celebration of their return and you won't hear many of them talk about their war experiences unless you ask. They never have been boastful and almost seem embarrassed when you stop to thank them for serving their country so honorably.
The Korean war veteran is much like the WWII veteran in the fact that they joined to serve because that was your obligation to the country. When the war was over they too came back and went to work. However, the country had began to change. There wasn't the same welcome home celebration that the WWII veterans received. Oh there may have been some small town welcome home parades for the local veterans but nothing like the WWII veterans received. I believe too that this was a beginning of distrust towards the government for our country as a whole. This country had never lost a war and in effect this war was more of a tie. Hence, we still have communist North Korea and a somewhat democratic South Korea.
This brings us to the Vietnam veteran. These veterans were either drafted or joined to avoid being drafted into the Marines or Army and many, as you know, burned their draft cards and fled the country to avoid serving. This was a very unpopular war when our country was struggling to find it's own identity. Many wanted peace not war and the government did a poor job of explaining why we were there in the first place. When these veterans returned it was a horrible reception. When they stepped off the plane it was to people yelling obscenities at them, calling the veterans "baby killers" and spitting on them. the country had lost it's respect for the veterans that served. Now many of these veterans have grown bitter and cold towards this country and have totally lost faith of the government that they had felt, with just cause , failed them. These veterans feel the government owes them and they want what is owed to them. These veterans are very demanding and many of them walk around with a huge chip on their shoulder and many of them have turned to substance abuse in order to cope with the pain that they feel. We as a country have let this veteran down and in a effort to not let any other veterans down, we as a country, have done everything we could to try to make the return veterans of today feel loved and appreciated. This is some cases have just poured salt in the wounds of the Vietnam veteran. We can't go back and correct our mistakes but we can darn sure make sure it doesn't happen again.
Now, a large part of my time in the military was served during peace-time conditions, thank God! I did however fall into the next group of veterans known as Desert veterans, as did my son. When the Desert veterans returned the nation was so determined to get it right this time that it was like the WWII veterans return all over. This group of veterans have learned, from the past mistakes, how to work the system so to speak. They are just as demanding mainly because they usually know what benefits they are eligible for and they want those benefits NOW.
Finally, we have our current veterans. These young veterans are returning to a similar situation that the previous desert veterans returned to. They too can be demanding and in some cases feel that once they are out of their service commitment they are forgotten about. They appear almost to be in a panic about how things are supposed to work for them. Initially I don't believe their exit briefings were thorough enough however, that has changed. The OEF/OIF veterans carry the highest priority in the health care system and groups have been formed to specifically assist them with their transitions.
As I look back at what I have said there may have been some rambling but like I said in the beginning it's just one mans opinion. Each day as I serve this variety of veterans I have one thought in mind and that is how honored I am to have the opportunity to serve such a fine group of men and women. And what an honor to be counted among those that have gone before me in service to their country.
"There only two that have been willing to die for you, Jesus Christ and the American Veteran. One died to save your soul and one died to save your freedom!"
If given the opportunity thank a veteran today, I thank every veteran that enters my door regardless of when they served.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Significant Dates
On my way into work this morning the radio station that I was listening to was talking about significant dates in history. This of course, was driven by the inauguration of the first black president in American history. The callers were calling in with all kinds of dates. So I started to think about specific dates that I could remember. The specific dates that I could recalled were few. I remembered December 7, 1941 (Pearl Harbor), October 1962 (Cuban Missile Crisis), November 22, 1963 (Assassination of JFK), and September 11, 2001 (Terrorist's Attack). Now before anybody starts throwing things at my blog, these are just the dates that immediately came to my mind. Now I can tell you that there are many more events that happened in American history that I recall but specific date I'm not too sure. Oh I could recall events and google them to find the specific dates, like when man landed on the moon (July 20, 1969), but to recall the specific date was a little tougher. Today's date, I believe, will go down as a specific significant date in American history. How about you, what specific dates do you recall from American history?
Monday, January 19, 2009
Here we are again!
Well getting started was the easy part, keeping it going might prove to be a little tougher. I really want to have a blog that will be updated daily but this weekend without the internet has already caused me to stumble out of the blocks.
As I said in my previous I have three sons, the youngest of which is a professional actor. He has just finished the season doing "Smoke on the Mountain" in Branson. Notice I said just finished which means he is currently out of work. When he made the choice to pursue a professional acting career I knew it would be a hard row to hoe, but he's facing it like a real champ. I actually think it has been harder on mom and dad then it has been for him to some degree. Anyway, he is closing the chapter in Branson and hoping for a bigger and better opportunity with his next company.
This leads me to this thought.......when do parents stop worrying about their children? When do you stop trying to correct or fix every mistake they make and let them find out on their own? With the older sons it was probably around the time that they found someone else to look out after them. For the youngest I'm not sure I will ever let go completely. Hey I'm nearly 52 years old and my mother still calls me her baby as do my older siblings. As far as letting go completely I think we have a hard time doing that because we desire for our children to have a better life, to not go through the same aches and pains that you went through. We don't want to see them hurt no matter how old they get. When my son's was having a tough time with his actistic director, I wanted to give her a piece of my mind but I bit my tongue and let him handle the situation as he saw fit. As tough as it is we have to let them grow, through mistakes, ups, and downs. Through it all I know we can set back and see the fine young men our sons have become.
One day one of my older sons was thanking his mother and I for what we had done for him. He asked me, "dad what can I ever do to repay you for all that you have done for me?" I simply told him to strive to be even a better dad for my grandchildren and just be there, it's as simple as that, just be there. Our children grow so quickly, and then they are gone with lives of their own. I have told my sons, "charish every moment that you have with your family and alway make them you number one priority and you can't go wrong." You know, they haven't let me down and I don't think they ever will when it comes to their children. Until tomorrow, I hope!
As I said in my previous I have three sons, the youngest of which is a professional actor. He has just finished the season doing "Smoke on the Mountain" in Branson. Notice I said just finished which means he is currently out of work. When he made the choice to pursue a professional acting career I knew it would be a hard row to hoe, but he's facing it like a real champ. I actually think it has been harder on mom and dad then it has been for him to some degree. Anyway, he is closing the chapter in Branson and hoping for a bigger and better opportunity with his next company.
This leads me to this thought.......when do parents stop worrying about their children? When do you stop trying to correct or fix every mistake they make and let them find out on their own? With the older sons it was probably around the time that they found someone else to look out after them. For the youngest I'm not sure I will ever let go completely. Hey I'm nearly 52 years old and my mother still calls me her baby as do my older siblings. As far as letting go completely I think we have a hard time doing that because we desire for our children to have a better life, to not go through the same aches and pains that you went through. We don't want to see them hurt no matter how old they get. When my son's was having a tough time with his actistic director, I wanted to give her a piece of my mind but I bit my tongue and let him handle the situation as he saw fit. As tough as it is we have to let them grow, through mistakes, ups, and downs. Through it all I know we can set back and see the fine young men our sons have become.
One day one of my older sons was thanking his mother and I for what we had done for him. He asked me, "dad what can I ever do to repay you for all that you have done for me?" I simply told him to strive to be even a better dad for my grandchildren and just be there, it's as simple as that, just be there. Our children grow so quickly, and then they are gone with lives of their own. I have told my sons, "charish every moment that you have with your family and alway make them you number one priority and you can't go wrong." You know, they haven't let me down and I don't think they ever will when it comes to their children. Until tomorrow, I hope!
Friday, January 16, 2009
Here Goes!
Welcome to anyone that might be interested in what I have to say. I guess the best place to start would be to tell you all a little about myself.
First off I grew up in a very small community in North Central Texas by the name of Electra, TX.. I married my high school sweetheart (still married) and join the USAF in 1976 (retired in 1996). I have three sons and four (they're the best!) grandchildren. I am currently working on my second retirement at the VAMC in Little Rock.
Growing up in a small town I have a tendency to have small town values and conservative opinions. However, with 20 years of military I also have a tendency from time to time to put a liberal twist on some of those conservative opinions. I love God, family, and friends in that order. I have a very soft spot in my heart for this countries veterans. I come from a veteran rich family dating back as far as the civil war right on up to the current war. I believe our countries great asset are the men and women that serve her in the military. I am a sports enthusiast. I referee football, I play golf and I love to hunt and fish. You will find that my favorite college teams are teams located in Arkansas (especially the Razorbacks) and my favorite professional teams are the Dallas Cowboys and the Texas Rangers, both of which have been a big disappointment lately.
Anyway, that's the brief version of who I am. I will try to make daily post and hope that you will join me in the adventure. As I learn more about how to work this blog I will add links and various other items. The two blog sites that got me started in this stuff are the site of a very dear friend of mine, and Buck whom I met through her site. So be sure to visit Lou at her site as well at http://www.bagwag.blogspot.com/ and Buck at http://www.exileinportales.blogspot.com/ .
PS. I will be away from a computer this weekend so my next post will probably have to wait until Monday, but be sure to check it out then.
First off I grew up in a very small community in North Central Texas by the name of Electra, TX.. I married my high school sweetheart (still married) and join the USAF in 1976 (retired in 1996). I have three sons and four (they're the best!) grandchildren. I am currently working on my second retirement at the VAMC in Little Rock.
Growing up in a small town I have a tendency to have small town values and conservative opinions. However, with 20 years of military I also have a tendency from time to time to put a liberal twist on some of those conservative opinions. I love God, family, and friends in that order. I have a very soft spot in my heart for this countries veterans. I come from a veteran rich family dating back as far as the civil war right on up to the current war. I believe our countries great asset are the men and women that serve her in the military. I am a sports enthusiast. I referee football, I play golf and I love to hunt and fish. You will find that my favorite college teams are teams located in Arkansas (especially the Razorbacks) and my favorite professional teams are the Dallas Cowboys and the Texas Rangers, both of which have been a big disappointment lately.
Anyway, that's the brief version of who I am. I will try to make daily post and hope that you will join me in the adventure. As I learn more about how to work this blog I will add links and various other items. The two blog sites that got me started in this stuff are the site of a very dear friend of mine, and Buck whom I met through her site. So be sure to visit Lou at her site as well at http://www.bagwag.blogspot.com/ and Buck at http://www.exileinportales.blogspot.com/ .
PS. I will be away from a computer this weekend so my next post will probably have to wait until Monday, but be sure to check it out then.
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