Just for Laughs!

I got this email last night and it made me laugh! It was titled:


Why Men Shouldn't Own Action Figures!

I thought it was funny...and I can see me doing this!

A Great Email

It's been a couple of days since a post...and I got this email I liked. Take a look!

The Best Gift to Give Yourself and Others by Jim Rohn
I'm often asked the question, "How can I best help my children, spouse, family member, staff member, friend etc. improve/change?" In fact that might be the most frequently asked question I receive, "How can I help change someone else?"

My answer often comes as a surprise and here it is. The key to helping others is to help yourself first. In other words, the best contribution I can make to someone else is my own personal development. If I become 10 times wiser, 10 times stronger, think of what that will do for my adventure as a father... as a grandfather... as a business colleague.

The best gift I can give to you, really, is my ongoing personal development. Getting better, getting stronger, becoming wiser. I think parents should pick this valuable philosophy up. If the parents are okay, the kids have an excellent chance of being okay. Work on your personal development as parents; that's the best gift you can give to your children.

If you have ever ridden in an airplane, then you might have noticed the oxygen compartment located above every seat. There are explicit instructions that say "In case of an emergency, first secure your own oxygen mask and then if you have children with you then secure their masks." Take care of yourself first... then assist your children. If we use that same philosophy throughout our whole parental life, it would be so valuable.

If I learn to create happiness for myself, my children now have an excellent chance to be happy. If I create a unique lifestyle for myself and my spouse, that will be a great example to serve my children.

Self-development enables you to serve, to be more valuable to those around you; for your child... your business... your colleague... your community... your church.

That's why I teach development skills. If you keep refining all the parts of your character, yourself, your health, etc. so that you become an attractive person to the marketplace - you'll attract opportunity. Opportunity will then begin to seek you out. Your reputation will begin to precede you and people will want to do business with you. All of that possibility is created by working on the philosophy that success is something you attract by continually working on your own personal development

A Fun Swim Party

We attended our church's swim party on Sunday night and the girls had a great time.



Jade, who has just realized this week that she can swim, was all about the deep end and going off the slides.



Skylar had a great time too!





And of course the Stockdale gang was there...and I think they had a good time too.





It was nice to have this night!

A Great Night for "Wine" ing!

Saturday night a group of us went over to the Browns for a "Wine Sipping" party. I use the quotation marks because most of you have met me. I don't sip.



It was a fun night and luckily the camera ran out of batteries after the first few pictures.



It's a good group. I have no idea why they put up with me!

A Great Outfit

One of the activities we did as a family was to tie dye shirts! We all did our own...and it was a good time.

Here are a few shots of us showing them off! I really like this family shot!

More from Vacation

Next up on the list of "to do's" was to play a little tennis at Salt Fork. I gave Amy 30 minutes as the Over/Under as to how long the girls would want to play. She took the over...and won.



The girls had a good time playing. And as we were getting to the courts, guess what we saw...that's right! Deer!

Another Adventure...Geocaching

The next adventure we had was to go "Geocaching." To do this you are armed with a GPS system with the location of a "prize" programmed into it. Then you hike through trails and follow the GPS in order to find the prize.



We took our trip and walked onto a trail toward the waiting "cach." But on the way we got up close and personal with a deer! It never did move...just sat there and watched us.



We had to go off the trail and then hike up a steep "cliff" to get there...but eventually we found the prize.



Geocaching was fun. We should have done this on a whole new day so we would have been fresher. There were many trails to do...but after the first one we were ready to call it a day. It was neat...and I would recommend it though!

Son of a Son of a Salesman...er...Sailor!

Our next adventure on this vacation was to rent a boat at the marina. I was really looking forward to this...and it did not disappoint! We spent 3 hours out on the lake with a 50 HP Pontoon that was just perfect for the occasion!

The girls got used to riding on the vessel by "surfing!" It didn't take long until they had their sea legs.



Then they hovered around dad for a nice shot!



Amy took the opportunity to soak up some rays on the front.



And then we all took different turns cooling off in the lake. It was pretty hot...so we had several different stops to jump in!



This was a bit of a breakthrough for Jade. She was jumping off the boat and having a great time...with no fear. By the time we got back home she swam the length of the pool with no floaties. Big deal for her!

The whole time was great...but this was definitely the highlight for me!

The First Day of Vacation...The Wilds!

Any time people would discuss the Wilds around me I wondered, "Why have I not been there?" Well now I know! It's not something you just happen across and wander in! We were close to the exit off the highway when Skylar proclaimed that she had to pee. We told her we would be there "soon." So about 1/2 hour later we were there!

Once we got there though, it was a really neat experience. We loaded the girls onto a bus and it headed out into "the Wilds." Our first experience with an animal was with a Rhino. The tour guide told us that last week this one had charged a bus! I was hoping for some action...but alas it just walked on by. But it was really close!





Then we stopped off for a walking tour to see feed some catfish the size of Volkswagons...and take some pictures.







Then we saw some wild horses...right up close.



And a great look at some very still Giraffes. I swear you thought these things were statues...they didn't move! (This is not a picture...it's actual video! :) )



One of my favorites was the Seshuan Takin...here's a shot of this ugly creature!



At the next stop...we all got to try on some horns!







All in all it was a fun day at the Wilds...but we made sure we all went to the restroom before we left!

A New Look for the House

Since we bought our home a couple of years ago, Amy has wanted to replace the flooring. The carpet was very light. And let's face it, with kids, a dog and me, that's just not good policy. We had carpet by the fridge, in the eating area...everywhere. We did have hardwood in the foyer...but it was hard to decide where to stop with our new project!





This week we had the carpet and the front hardwood pulled up...and we put a new wood laminate put in. I love the way it looks. Amy is still making up her mind! So feel free to let her know what you think!

A Cute Shot

We had some work done at the house last week so I had Scooter at the office with me. On Friday I had Jade too...and they kept each other company.



I took this while they were relaxing!

Training Blog

As promised...I have begun the work out plan for the half marathon. If you want to keep up with my workouts (as if you care!)...I have re-started my training blog!

Check it out here!

A Festive 4th of July!

So the weather outside wasn't frightful, but it wasn't ideal 4th of July weather either. But that did not stop us! A small but dedicated group of folks headed to the Country Club for the 4th of July buffet. They had games all ready for the kids, so they just decided to do them inside!





Then we decided that it wasn't that bad outside...so out to the pool we went. Anytime we can get the adults to do hoola hoop...it's a good time!





It was actually pretty nice temperature...and only a slight rain! So in the pool they went.



And then we broke out the blow up toys.



And this picture is simply worth a thousand words. Nice Matt!



And I love this shot of Scotty and Madeline showing some skills!



Finally the weather cleared off for the evening and there was a great night for the kids with the fireworks!





All in all it was a fun 4th of July!

Rox's 40th Birthday

So our very own Roxanne Potter turned 40 this past week. She had told the group that she did not want to make a big deal about it. So against our better judgement we just had a nice civilized dinner out!



It was nice. There was no hearse. There was no blow up doll. I can't say I wasn't a bit disappointed about that.

But Happy 40th Rox! We love ya!

Happy 4th of July

I got this email from someone today that I thought was interesting to contemplate this weekend.

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army, another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War. They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.

What kind of men were they?

Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated. But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife’s bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart.

Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates.

Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more. Standing tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged:

For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.

They gave you and me a free and independent America. The history books never told you a lot of what happened in the Revolutionary War. We didn’t just fight the British. We were British subjects at that time and we fought our own government! Some of us take these liberties so much for granted. We shouldn’t.

So, take a couple of minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It’s not much to ask for the price they paid.

Have a great holiday everyone!

A HUGE Success for United Way

As you know, my lovely bride is the Executive Director of the United Way of Coshocton County. Last night the United Way held an auction to sell a very nice double wide that was gifted to the local organization. The auction brought the local United Way $21,000! What a great success!



The crowd at the event was very encouraging before it all began...but you never know until the bidding starts. Local auction and realty company Peddicord Rice did a fantastic job as well.

All in all it was a great success for United Way. Great job Amy!