Content to Stay Home

As I was walking through the parking lot towards work this morning, I was noticing how much Alabama and Auburn signage was in plain view from cars, trucks and vans at the school. It made me wonder how many of those vehicles belonged to alumni from either the University of Alabama or Auburn, so I started to look at the parking tags to see if they were staff or student tags. Most were student tags and it was clear that the majority of community college students are not also alumni from four year universities.

That started me thinking about traveling and how it seems like almost everywhere I have lived, the majority of people living there where natives. Growing up in a military family has made me curious about those who have lived in one place all of their life. There are those that have always lived in one city/town, many with generations of their family living within blocks of their homes and, most shocking to me, there are many of these people that are happy about it! 

I cannot begin to imagine having lived in one place all my life or having family close enough to "chunk a rock at".  These are foreign concepts which make me wonder again about how anyone could be happy without traveling the world and seeing what else is out there.

I don't get to travel much anymore and in many ways would like my kids to have a stable foundation for a home, but frankly, I would be disappointed if I was unable to offer them the opportunity to travel and see what else is out there. Most importantly, I would be heartbroken if they lost the desire to see more of the world. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it is bad thing, just a different way of thinking. 

I treasure the fact that I have been able to experience different places and cultures and believe that the person I am today is largely related to experiencing diverse people and places.

Parallels of Nature

When I look around me...no really look around carefully, I notice the simplistic geometry of nature. As with these trees which grow next to the kid's school line the horizon with parallel lines gracefully reaching for the sky, nature is full of symmetry which tends to induce a calming affect. Take a note of the geometry of nature and tell me which type of scene brings you more peace: the flowing concentric circles after a pebble has broken the surface of a pond or the explosion of spray as a speedboat races by? It is not always at the top of our minds, but really look around you some time as you are chilling in your favorite spot and see what the parallels of nature have to offer.

Decatur Mardi Gras Parade 2012

The city of Decatur Alabama hosted its first annual Mardi Gras parade last Saturday night and we decided to go at the last minute. It was a little on the cool side, but the kids had their jackets so why not. We were able to drive onto the parade route and park about midway before the barricades were placed. We only had to wait about 5 minutes before the parade started and the kids became quite excited when the flashing lights from the police cars came into view. The parade didn't last too long so the kids (and the adults) had a good time while collecting a plastic shopping bag full of beads, doubloons and even moon pies. All in all, it was a good time and not a bad 1st attempt at a parade.

Our Journey on the Road of Life

It was 2 decades ago today that we packed the bags, topped off the tank and headed out on this journey. We said we would stay on the road for the rest of our lives and enjoy all of the sights and sounds waiting for us. Now 20 years later, we are still moving along in wonder of the things life has shown us. We have experienced a few flat tires, some unwise shortcuts and the loss of a bag or two along the way, but we have also found many uncharted side roads which lead to adventures we can call our own. We have relished life and even searched desperately for the next gas station a few times. We have added a couple of eager new passengers and lost some long time travelers. We have traveled, toured and tired, but I hope there are more adventures ahead than behind and I look forward to experiencing them with my best friend and our new backseat guests.

Happy Anniversary Cathy, it has only been 20 years, so let's not stop the car. The new luggage is packed, there is a fresh tank of gas and the car has a few hundred thousand more miles left in her. Let's hit the road and drive and drive and drive and drive and drive and drive and drive and drive and ...

There's a Bee in Me Kilt

I discovered that it is the Scottish Bee that makes its home in the ground and wears the black and gold tartan for I have just met the William Wallace of bees.

It was a day like most others while pillaging and plundering the green country side of JonesLawn, when I came across the village which was presumably home to the rebel Wallacebee. As good English tend to do when stumbling across a Scottish hold, I leveled the village with the rotating blade of my superior war machine and proceeded to murder the villagers with a hardy dose of insecticide.

I proceeded on with my travels through the countryside and upon turning towards home was bee-seiged by a lone freedom fighter crying out for liberation from the oppression of the royalty. I felt the sting of his attack and knew the time to flee was upon me. Upon arriving in the security of the royal dwelling, I looked back to see that his fight was a lone one and with only a slight blemish on the face of the nobility, I realize that the supremacy of the kingdom was intact.

As I gazed across the blighted lanscape, I wondered if the self-sacrifice of Wallacebee would lead to a larger uprising among the Scottish Bees or would be a verification of the power of the Monarchy. We will see when next I wander out to pillage and plunder the mighty yard.

IAAAM Conference 2011 in Las Vegas

It was the first weekend in May that I jetted out to Las Vegas for the IAAAM conference and board meeting. I was only there for 3 days, but was able to get out and see a little bit of the strip. We stayed at the Mirage and believe it or not I did not lose a single dime in the casino. Of course, I didn't play either. I was surprised to see that none of the machines allowed for coins to be dropped in. You could buy a card or put bills in, but I was not prepared for that sort of big spending. I experienced enough of Vegas to want to go back on true vacation one day with the family (and a bigger wallet) to see more of the area and even a show or two. Here are some pictures I took.

These are Sigfried and Roy's Lions and Tigers

This was found in the Caesar's Palace Shopping Mall 



"There's 104 days of summer vacation and school comes along just to end it..."

It is official, summer vacation has begun as the kids have been out of school for a week. Of course, I have been in school now for a week (summer semester) as well, but things are getting off to a rocky start.

Ryan started the summer with his normal wheezing and coughing fits which prompted us to pick up the oral and inhaled steroid treatments again. We now know to expect this every summer and fall, but keep hoping he will grow out of it soon. Luckily, the treatments have been working as we have been able to push back to just the morning and night dose of Pulmicort and his coughing has diminished noticeably. He is still a happy child though, full of smiles and hugs, even when sick.

Ashley has been struck by strep throat though and is in the course of an antibiotic treatment with coughing and sore throat. Unfortunately, it coincides with the start of vacation bible school and a summer engineering camp she is attending. We believe she is passed the infectious stage so we are going to send her and see what happens.

Otherwise, it has been hot with temperatures in the mid to high 90's for the last couple of weeks. It is definitely being hailed as one of the worst weather years on record with the snow in January, the tornadoes in April and now the record high temps. Maybe the Mayans knew what they were talking about and we have a little over a year to get our affairs in order.



On a good note, Cathy and I will have been married 20 years this August and when thinking about it last night, I couldn't figure out which made me feel older: that I have been married for almost 20 years or that we are celebrating by seeing the musical Les Miserables for a 3rd time. Oh well, I guess when we get home I can perform my poorly executed John Bohnam impression. Oh dang, there goes that age thing again!

So until next time, try to stay cool.