AWESOME Christmas!!!

Man let me tell ya Christmas Day was simply AWESOME! It wasn't about gifts, it wasn't about having a HUGE feast, it wasn't about being selfish in anyway, it was just about enjoying each other. Several members from the family came over ate, hung out, opened gifts, watched the kids play, and all of that with like no stress at all. Yeah we had food but it was all finger food nothing big but it was perfect. My nephew and his girl came up from Florida as they made their rounds to several houses which was cool (good to see how great they are doing). My sister-in-law's dad that doesn't speak English hung out and seemed to really enjoy himself as he filmed everyone. Conversations were flowing everywhere by everyone. The kids (Kori, Roy2, DJ, and Greg 2.0) were having a wonderful time playing with whatever came in their path. Ashley was being her nosey self watching everything she could (wow what a blessing). Just a great time had by all. I didn't want it to end. The best part was everyone that was there wanted to be there.

Truly one of the best Christmas Days I have had in a long time.

Down to Four

Yep I have read two full books in less than a week. Truly a record for me. I didn't plan it that way, it just happened. On Friday I grabbed a book that I planned to read someday but not in the near future. I just thought I would read a little of it then put it back down. Well several hours later I finished the entire book. I know to some of you that ain't no big deal but for me I believe this would be the first time I have ever read an entire book in one day. (Yeah well I have but Dr. Suess doesn't count does it?) The book I read was Idol Eyes by Mandisa the former American Idol finalist. Very spiritual book with a few suprises. Her reaction to getting voted off was something we could all learn from. I really enjoyed the book. The other book was More From the Red Suit Diaries by Ed Butchart. Another good read but I must say I enjoyed the original diaries a little more than this one. I have placed links to both books in my Books Read area down on the right on the blog homepage. I am now down to only four more books to finish by the end of the year. I am about half way through one and have several others in my book bag. Can I achieve this goal? I say yes.

6 more to go

I just finished book number 14 this week on my quest for 20 in one year. The list of books I have read is on the right column of the blog home page complete with links to Amazon. I can make it to 20 but I have to get to reading with the quickness. I have no shortage of books to read. I am about half way through number 15 and will start #16 this week. The goal is within reach and I will reach it.

Big Buck Bunny

www.bigbuckbunny.org

Insights from a 4 year old

The other day Greg 2.0 came home from school talking about John McCain and Barack Obama. Now neither his mother or I have spoken to him at all about the elections so he had no clue as to who we liked or disliked. Anyway he was talking about how he liked McCain. Now mind you Greg 2.0 is only four years old. When I asked him why he like John McCain he said, and I quote, "cause he is on the red team". I found that kind of funny. See my child loves the color red. He loves the Red Power Ranger, red cars, red football teams, anything red. He has claimed the color for himslef. My favorite color used to be red until he told me that my favorite color is now black because his favorite color is red. Back to my story; I didn't think much about 2.0's politcial decision until a few days later when we were going through his school stuff that comes home each Friday. There was the Daily Reader magazine that had "who would you vote for?" on the cover. I opened it up and sure enough my child had John McCain's box checked. Then it hit me. Here is a four year old that knows absolutely nothing about politics. He knows nothing about what either candidate stood for. Nothing about their healthcare plans, nothing about thier economic policies, nothing at all. The only reason he voted for his candidate was based on the color of their team. I then asked myself, I wonder how many millions of Americans voted for either Obama or McCain based on the same criteria as my four year old boy?

Practice What You Preach

This past week in our youth group at Fusion Church, EDGE, I spoke about confronting your fears. By pushing through our fears we become more fearless and confident. We become greater examples to others by not allowing fear to rule our lives enabling us to become America's Next Top ROLE Model. One of my fears that I spoke about is Arachnophobia, the fear of spiders. I told a story of how I usually will scream like a little girl and call for Melissa to come take care of the spider. No lie! Yeah say what ya want but spiders and I just have never seen eye to eye. Well several months ago I took a huge step in facing this fear. I went into Greg 2.0's bathroom and there was a gigantic spider in the sink. Well he was gigantic to me, about 3 inches long and a thick little sucker too. Anway what did I do first? I yelled for Melissa and jumped out of the bathroom, what else? She wasn't responding. I was like dang, I have to do something. So I leaned into the bathroom almost hoovering above the floor and turn on the water in an effort to drown the poor sap. I was like "yeah boy you goin' down". He went down the sink. After a little more water I turned off the faucet. I look down and here he comes! I was like what?!? I think he looked at me and said "now what fool? Is that all you got?". You know I couldn't back down from the challenge so you know what I did right? Of course I yelled for Melissa. She did not come, I think she was watching Lifetime or something. Well I couldn't let him take over 2.0's bathroom. So I grabbed....Lysol. Yep Lysol, it kills germs so why not a spider. I sprayed spider boy with the fresh scent of the outdoors. As I sprayed the little eight legged freak he started to shrivel up. So I sprayed more to ensure the end of his existence. He was then flushed. That was a big step for me in facing my fears. Fast forward to last week and there was another freakin' spider (not as big) in the hallway. My first reaction was run, yell, and call for Melissa but I didn't. I took off my shoe and beat him down. I'm talkin' teeth, hair, eyes and legs everywhere. I faced the fear and laid the smackdown on it. Now I am not over my arachnophobia by far but I am making steps. I am becoming more fearless of spiders and with that comes more confidence. If I am going to ask the kids in EDGE to face their fears I must face mine and practice what I preach.

Almost time...

I read this book last year and I just had to post it up again. It is a wonderful collection of stories from Santa. I just bought the follow up from Santa himself at Stone Mountain and I can't wait to read that one. Anyway this book will put you right into the Christmas spirit with touching stories and heartwarming tales. Definitely a must read.

HUGE Step!

No matter what you feel politically, the United States of America took a HUGE step this week. Our country elected a minority to the highest office in the land. I can't think of how big this can be for the future of our nation. It changes the face of America to our kids, to our seniors, and to the world. I hope this victory shows our kids that we really do live in the land of opportunity. That in America you can achieve whatever you want no matter your religion, race, gender, etc. We live in a land where a women, Oprah and Martha, can become billionaires. Where a multi-cultural man, Tiger Woods, can become the greatest athlete in the world. Where a white man, Donald Trump, can go from a billionaire to broke back to a billionaire in a matter of a few years. Now we have a Black man who has become the President of The United States of America; that is the land of opportunity.


I love what Will Smith said on Oprah the other day:

"The way that I was raised was, 'Nobody's better than you, and anything that you want, you set your mind to it and you go get it. Period,'" he says. "I believed that it was possible, but I didn't know if I really believed. The history of African-Americans is such that you want to be a part of America, but we've been rejected so much it's hard to take the ownership and take responsibility for ourselves and this country. It was like, at that second, at that moment, all of our excuses were gone."

Yes we really have now become the land of opportunity that we have preached for decades!

Quick Hitz - 11/07/08

Here are just some random things from my brain:

• This has been a long week
• I love my church small group
• Ashley is getting bigger everyda, she inspires me
• Melissa inspires me too! She is doing well too!
• I really enjoy teaching in EDGE each week
• I have had fun creating our own message
• I hope UGA can redeem some dignity against the Cats tomorrow
• One day I will figure out the purpose of Twitter, yet I like it
• I need to get back on the treadmill
• I am pumped about an opportunity I have in January
• I have a lot of work to do this weekend, looks like a little less sleep is in the plans
• America sure did take a HUGE step this week
• The Bert Show has gotta be the best morning show in the ATL
• Nice to hear Chuck Oliver on a real sports station, now if they would only give him his own show
• ANTM is getting down the the last few...who will win?
• I have never watched any of the following: CSI, Heroes, 24, Law and Order, Survivor, House, Grey's Anatomy, or NCIS
• Bath and Body Works just came out with their holiday scents....sweet!

Until next time as Hammer said ............. "It's all good!"

Just finished

I just finished the book "How Starbucks Saved My Life" by Michael Gates Gill. This is an excellent tale of how one man went from a financially rich life to a much better and really rich life. I enjoyed the fact that Mike leanred his lessons at the tender young age of 60! Yes he was actually over 60 years old when he learned to live life with real riches. It goes to show that you do not have to make a ton of money to be happy or to be wealthy. Check it out, I believe you will enjoy it.

Our first EDGE series...

We started our first ever 'home grown' series yesterday in Edge at Fusion Church. The series is based on how to become a role model. Yesterday we spoke about less is more and unleashing our inner beauty. By letting our inner beauty shine we do not have to run around advertising that we are a role model instead we just become one. I believe we had some good discussion over what we can do to allow our inner beauty to come through. Things as simple as having tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. I can't wait for Sunday as we take step two in becoming America's Next Top ROLE Model.

a follow up...

I am enjoying my new Schick Quattro Titanium trimmer. I never knew that a switch of a razor could cause so much discussion. Not to worry I still use this CLICK HERE.



(BTW- these are true stories!)

Time to leave Fusion!

Yes you read that right I am leaving Fusion. Let me explain as to the reason. About a year ago I was sent some promo info from elsewhere and decided to check it out. I liked it but something was missing. Wasn't quite sure what it was but just something was missing. Either way I stuck with Fusion. Recently I was sent another promo from the same place and thought ok I will try you again. Now I must say it is awesome! I mean the diversity, the smoothness, just too slick for its own good. So I must now bid farewell to Fusion. I have enjoyed the ride but it is time we call it quits. I must now say hello to...CLICK HERE then CLICK HERE

Who Ya Wit?

Take this little quote quiz and see which candidate you align with...
http://abcnews.go.com/politics/MatchoMatic/fullpage?id=5542139

New Phone update...

Ok the Instinct is pretty freakin' cool!!!!!

Random Thoughts

• Did you know honey was the only food that doesn't go bad?
• I almost slapped my momma again today as I had some seriously good strawberry jam
• Took Ashley to the doc and I come home sick...how does that happen?
• I have many books to read including Herschel Walker's biography, Chris Jericho's biography, Leadership Lessons from the Bible, 21 Laws of Leadership, 360 degree Leader, a book on Obama, and How Starbucks Saved My Life.
• What should I be this year for Halloween?
• Do you ever wonder about the brain of the guy that created SpongeBob?
• We are going to start our own series in EDGE soon, I am excited about that one
• This week is beginning to get way too nutty for me already
• I hate changing passwords

New Phones...

Today my our new phones came via UPS. They are currently charging awaiting me to get my grubby hands on them to start setting them up. I haven't been this excited about a cellphone since well I got my first bag phone many many years ago. I may even start to get organized as I should with all the things I got going on. Update later once I get it going, now let me go cheer the charger on.

Suwanee Day 2008

This past Saturday was Suwanee Day and the Troxell fam decided to attend the event. It was a lot of fun. A great fall festival with music, food, several activities for the kids, shopping, just all kinds of stuff. It always amazes me how many local businesses show up at community events to promote themselves and sell their product. There was Connection Church with spin art, Primrose Schools with a play area, Grace Church Christian School with coloring and crafts, Road Atlanta with a racing simulator, Play-N-Trade with several video games set up, even Bowen Homes had their ARCA race car there. Just a fun cool day to spend with the family. I could easily see spending an entire day out there next year. I think this week we will either go to the Duluth Fall Festival or the Houschton Fall Fest; should be lots of fun.

Where are you?

I attended a seminar today and was asked this question that I now pose to you...
"If all jobs paid $10.00 an hour what would you be doing?"

Answer that and think about where you are today. Do the answers match?

Number 12...FINALLY

I just finished book number 12 on the year. I am not going to write a review or anything right now, I just wanted to post that I finished the book. It seemed like it took forever to complete. I will still reach my goal of 20 on the year, I just have to get back on the ball. The list of books is down the right side of the blog if you care to check it out.

Quick Hitz - 9/21/08

• It was cool having my new daughter at church today, 5 weeks old and already a Fusioneer, uhh EDGEhead
• I was worn out after service today and I am not sure why
• I didn't feel like I connected today during my message, not sure why on that one either.
• Small group was fun, it was nice talking with a new group of students
• I took a long nap today which did me some good...I think
• I think the EDGE area looked much better today, we will keep improving it each week.
• I do not understand screaming metal
• Went to Suwanee Day yesterday with the family and had a great time meeting people around the community. (more on that later)
• Yesterday morning some friends and me did a Heart Walk in Duluth. Doing things like that are fun, I should do more of them. I didn't raise as much as I wanted but some is better than none.
• I used a clip from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest today in EDGE, now I want to watch the entire movie.
• Falcons won today.
• I was supposed to go to St. Louis today but the trip was cancelled. I can't say I am too disappointed.
• I have a huge announcement coming in the next week or so so stay tuned as changes are upon us.

Home Sweet Home Part 2

Recently I posted about being home after spending a week in the hospital (click here). Well today I have a new Home Sweet Home story. Today we were able to bring our 4 week old daughter, Ashley, home. That's right Ashley got to come home today! Pretty cool stuff. She is still pretty small but she has passed all of her motor skills tests, her hearing test, and finally she weighed in at over 4 lbs last night. I love seeing her in her bed. You can read her take on being home by clicking here.

I'm Lovin' It - EDGE

It is great to be back in EDGE. I truly enjoy this new group. In the next few weeks I will increase my teaching schedule on Sunday mornings. I have always like talking in front of folk and now I will get to do it almost every week. I get to preach the Word to students while learning more myself. How cool is that? It won't be long before Tony asks me to stand in for him one weekend. I feel like EDGE is affecting many people in ways never thought possible. I am so encouraged by the response we are starting to get from people that want to assist us. I will find places for them to serve but how cool is it that people want to help. When Sunday is over I can't wait to talk about it. I can't stop thinking of the next week. I can't wait until it is my turn to teach again.
EDGE is like McDonald's...I'm Lovin' It

90210

Last night was the premier of 90210 the update / spinoff of the old Beverly Hills 90210. I was very much looking forward to the show as I used to watch the old one. I think it was pretty good but man there sure were a lot of story lines. It was cool to see Brenda, Kelly, Nat, and The Peach Pit (now a coffee shop), again. The shows premise is pretty much the same as the old one with the 'fish out of water' story but with some new twists. I have to admit they are smart by tying it inot the old show because the old heads like me watched plus the brand new audience. I am going to give it a chance over the next few weeks.

Tonight I am looking forward to the premiere of ANTM.

Living on the EDGE

Yesterday was the first time in two weeks I have been able to participate in the Fusion Student Ministry, EDGE. It felt good to be back. We didn't follow our normal program due to the holiday weekend. Instead I was tasked with delivering a message to the group. I think it went well, I could have done better but overall good. The message was about living in the light and coming out of the darkness. I used a clip from Ocean's 11 as an illustration. With the Labor Day weekend in full effect we expected to be way down from the previous weeks yet we still had a nice attendance number. That is encouraging as is seeing others step up and assist. Of our core team of five we had three of them out of town. Robby and Phil stepped up to help out. Both usually have other duties on Sunday yet they both found a way to live on the EDGE. Thanks guys we really appreciate it!

I can't wait for next week.

Home Sweet Home

Home Sweet Home baby! Last night was the first night in over a week that I was able to spend in my own home and not in a hospital. It was nice to be in my house with my wife, my son, and the dog. Our stay at Gwinnett Medical was good, I mean we were treated well and all but nothing is as comfortable as your own home. Of course over the next several weeks we will spend plenty of time at Gwinnett Medical checking in on Ashley but at least we get to come home afterward.

Going home

Today we get to go home from the hospital. We have been blessed over this past week to have had some wonderful nurses and techs like; Maria, Ms. Danielle, Kenza, Ms. Denise, Laura, Ms. Maria, Judith, among others. They have really taken care of Melissa. I am extremely proud of how she has handled this situation. She is one strong woman. Although she has gotten frustrated at times she has kept a good spirit about herself, laughing and joking with the nurses. I know she is ready to go but we will miss these lovely ladies. We are looking forward to this slight touch of normality to our lives by being in our home, our house, our bed, our channels on tv, our WII, you know what I mean?

Ashley update

This is a quick update as Ashley Nicole Troxell now has a web presence at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/ashleytroxell

She will be posting regular updates, pics, and more so click on the link and check it out.

Baby Update

Just a quick note to all who have asked, both baby Ashley and momma Melissa are doing well. Ashley is breathing 'room air' which means no additional oxygen is required. Melissa is still battling some blood pressure issues yet is hanging tough. Melissa was able to hold Ashley for the first time last night which really made her feel better. We also got to see Ashley's first bath. Pretty cool and amazing stuff. All I can say is that we really are feeling the love of God through friends and family. Very humbling. Thank you!

The Fat Boys, My Glasses, and a new Baby

When you read the title up there I'm sure you were like "huh?". Well read on playa. On Thursday my pregnant wife went to her regular check up at the doctor's office. They said her blood pressure was a little high so they admitted her to the hospital for some observations. Next thing we know we are spending the night. They said we should be checked out the next morning. My thought was "cool I can still make my 2:00pm tee time".

Fast forward to Friday. Tests are being run and I notice we aren't leaving nor looking like we will be leaving anytime soon. Tee time gets cancelled (no big deal as the fam must come first). Come about 4:30ish the doctor arrives with the statement "looks like we will be doing a c-section tonight" (he had more tact than that but I couldn't tell you what he said). So after a little while of getting over that shock we make arrangements for Greg 2.0 who was at school. He gets picked up by some really great friends so I know it is like he is with Allstate, in good hands.

The nurse comes in with my new outfit. Nice greenish colored scrubs. I put them on and my first reaction when I looked in the mirror was to 'beat box'. BBBRBRBBRBRBRB Stick'em, Ha HA Stick'em. Oh yeah I was thrown back to The Fat Boys and their movie The Disorderlies where they played orderlies from a hospital. Yes I thought of The Fat Boys, not E.R. or Grey's Anatomy, or even Scrubs, The Fat Boys. My brain just works different than yours.

Ok let's get to the O.R. I come in and they got Melissa all ready for surgery which I would NOT be assisting with, I mean I didn't even stay at a Holiday Inn Express the night before. I sit down hold her hand then make sure I CANNOT SEE ANYTHING, you hear me? ANYTHING. All I wanted to see was her hand in mine and Melissa's face. During the procedure you hear stuff but I am talking to Mel making sure she is doing okay. The doctor on the other hand is talking about The Dark Knight. Yes he was, BTW a great movie. So I hear the baby come out and she is just a screamin'. That is good since she was so early. They ask if I want to see her and I said I do but I don't want to see anything over there (pointing to my wife's lower extremities). They were like aiight bet. Before they took Ashley (she did not have a name at the time but that has since been rectified) they let us see her. I was like cool, Mel cried...touching moment.

Here is the fun part. During reconstruction Melissa dozes off. At this time I have no one to have a conversation with, Melissa is out and the doctor has since stopped talking about Batman. I now start to pay attention to sounds. I hear a distinctive suction noise similar to the one you hear at the dentist that sucks up the saliva. Yep you know what they are sucking up, not a good pic. I hear the doctor struggle with something then say oh I got it. Then I hear them naming parts and where they go. Now I remember a marketing campaign that referred to chicken nuggets at fast food places as just parts and they said "parts is parts". Well it ain't true with fried chicken and it ain't true with my wife (or any other human). During these conversations the doc said something like "lets put the uterus back in", for me this is bad.

I sit back to wave the nurse over, I let her know I feel a little light-headed. She asks if I am ok and I was like "yeah I think but I feel a little..." I don't remember really finishing the thought. Next thing I know I am in outer space. Out there somewhere with Marvin the Martian, Buck Rodgers, and Will Robinson. My eyes are open yet I see nothing, I am just floating awaiting a Jedi to fly by and catch me. As I start to land back on earth light starts to eneter my sight. Still not knowing where I am I realize I am being pulled everywhere like Stretch Armstrong. Once I gain the knowledge of my whereabouts all I can see are my glasses on the floor. I am still being pulled but all I can think is "I need my glasses, there they are". Out of the corner of my right eye I see a stick enter my nasal area, pop, ammonia. Yeah baby ammonia, that'll bring ya back. Well not exactly it took three of them sticks to do the trick. During the ammonia fest all I could still think about was my glasses. I was then pulled into a wheelchair and wheeled out. They put me in the recovery room and right there next to the bed was... my glasses. I placed them on and started to laugh. I thought about the fact that I have a perfect record. I have two kids and to reference a Fat Boys song I had a Wipeout both times.

EDGE has launched!

Today August 10, 2008 marked the offical launch of EDGE the brand new Fusion Student Ministry. First official day and we had 31 students. Amazing! From my perspective the day went well. We had some challenges yet I believe overall the day was awesome. Today's topic was "What is Your Worldview?". I can't wait to see how these students' views change and adjust over time. Next week can't come soon enough. If you are a middle school student come check us out. We meet every Sunday North Gwinnett High School in Suwanee, GA at 10:30am. Visit us on the web at www.myspace.com/fusionedge

Heaven just got funnier

Bernie Mac

Oct. 5, 1957 - Aug. 9, 2008

The Reksten Strawberry Jam

I have recently found a heavenly new product from Reksten Homemade Goodies. They have put together some of the best strawberry jam you have ever let touch your tongue. I'm talking dancing taste buds here. The only way I can describe it is to have you watch this commercial for Bros. BBQ, "tastes so good..."

21 the movie vs. the book

Ok let me set this stage first. I usually do not read books that hollywood makes into movies. Most books I read are non-fiction business or leadership books with some biographies. I have had many people talk to me about movies that say the book was better than the movie. My answer had always been "if I don't read the book than what do I care?". The first movie I saw that I had first read the book was the Harry Potter series. The last HP movie was good but not as good as the book. I understood due to the length of the book. I mean there was no way possible they could have incorporated everything into the movie. Fast forward to last night. If you read a previous post of mine I recently completed the book that the movie 21 was based, Bringing Down the House. The book was very good. One of my favorie reads. It is a true story yet is written like a novel. I watched the movie last night with the expectation of seeing the book come to life. Umm it didn't exactly come to life for me. Lets just say it was a far cry from the book. They changed so much it was crazy. I mean c'mon even the motivation for the main character was inaccurate. I guess it was ok if you haven't read the book. However having read the book I wanted so much more.

the EDGE is near

Ever since the powers that be at Fusion Church decided to place me in charge of implementing a student program I have been tested. I have been challenged in ways that I have not been challenged before. I have been asked to travel more, had family drama, financial issues, scheduling issues, and of course a pretty large learning curve. Yet with everything that has been happening God has seen fit to keep EDGE moving forward. I can't wait! The enemy wants to throw challenges...bring it on! Put obstacles in the way, do what you think you can. I can tell you this team can not be stopped. We have a wonderful team that is dedicated to changing lives of young people. The fire that I saw in the eyes of my fellow EDGEheads last night had my adrenaline pumping. The passion. The desire. Get ready Fusion Church, get ready Gwinnett County, get ready state of Georgia as we get ready to walk on the EDGE.

Quick Hitz - 7/21/08

Because my brain is just scattered right now all I can do is throw out some Quick Hitz. Hopefully I can gather some thoughts and articulate them into full blog later.

• I am disappointed in myself for not having seen Batman yet, I mean I really want to see it.
• I will find a way to see DK this week.
• EDGE is closer everyday and I can not tell you how excited I am about this opportunity. The faith that is being placed in me is extremely humbling.
• The set at church yesterday was amazing! What other church has their drummer playing on top of a Nintendo and their pastor using a Wii Remote as a podium?
• Everytime I hear the current series name "Beyond the Game" I think of Triple H.
• I am so happy that Greg 2.0's room is done (except for a little detail).
• This week is going to be extra busy plus we had to throw is a doctor's appointment in the middle.
• We had a great time yesterday hanging with some friends, makes you realize what this whole life thing is about.
• I have over 1400 points on My Coke Rewards, if you have bottle tops I will be more than happy to utilize them.
• Having a camera on your phone is the most stupid, useless tool I could have ever imagined...yet I love it and use it all of the time.
• Facebook and Twitter are getting a little addicting to me.
• Facebook is allowing me to connect with classmates I haven't seen or heard from in many years. Ain't technology great?
• Why do we bloggers blog?
• I think I want to theme the 'boys' room at my house with Captain Jack.
• Only about a month until the new Tiger Woods game for the Wii. That means I will be able to play golf again.
• Bath and Body Works has the best hand sanitizer in the world.
• WWE is just not as good as it used to be
• Told you this was random

I think that is enough rambling for now...until later I'm gone.

Extreme Makeover: Troxell Edition

With the fact we have a little girl on the way comes my version of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. I now have two rooms to get ready, baby girl and Greg 2.0. You know in this age of Extremism we don't have basic one color rooms anymore. We have themed rooms with cool stuff everywhere. I can't give away the theme yet to the masses but it should be pretty cool. I started painting Greg 2.0's room this weekend as his furniture will be delivered this Saturday. That of course means I gotta get going on this thing. I am taking on a pretty big challenge for myself by painting two colors on the wall. I know that is not much to some but for me that is big. My vision for the room is cool but we will see how it turns out. I am looking forward to the finished product. On Sunday I will post some pics up after the Extreme Makeover: Greg 2.0's Room Edition is complete.
Coming soon...Extreme Makeover: New Baby Girl's Room Edition and Extreme Makeover: Big Greg's Room Edition.

Happy Gummi Worm Day!

July 15th, is Gummi Worm Day, as listed at the National Confectioners Association website. Just when you thought all holidays weren't commercial, we make such an announcement! However, we don't celebrate Gummi Worm Day for its crass consumerism -- no, there is ingenuity to admire here. (And who doesn't want a reason to eat Gummi Worms?)
There likely wouldn't be a Gummi Worm Day if it weren't for Gummi Bears. The Gummi Bear, or Gummibärchen, is a German creation. Invented by Hans Riegel, a candy maker from Bonn, Germany, in 1922, the story goes that Riegel and his wife, Gertrud, noticed the popularity of a gelatin fruit candy that other candy companies were selling. Looking for a competitive edge to enter the market with their own fruity gelatin candy, they thought, "What would children like?" And dancing bears was the answer.
Therefore, HARIBO began to mold the fruit flavored gelatin into the form of a dancing bear. The original bears were taller and thinner than the little chubby bears of today (a 1950's update), and they became popular among the children of Bonn. So popular that only one year later the Riegels made a "risky" investment in a car so that Gertrud needed to no longer deliver the daily 200 pounds of dancing bear candy on her bicycle.
The Riegels need not have worried, for the launch of Gummi Bears eventually lead to a family fortune. Such a fortune only occurred because the Riegels been correct that bear candy makes us happy!
Gummi Worms themselves were born of similar creativity. In 1981, another German candy company, Mederer Corporation, was looking for a new way to market gummy candies. Their idea was to create a candy that parents would find mildly shocking, but that kids would love. They hit upon the idea of Gummi Worms, and sold them under the Trolli name.

Are they brothers?

I had to post this pic of my son Greg and my Godson John. Tell me they can't pass as brothers? Greg on the right is four years old, John on the left is five years old. It is funny that we get approached at the mall asking if they are twins.

Still on pace...number 11 is finished.

If you have been reading this thing for any length of time you may remember that I set a goal for myself to ready 20 books this year. I just finished 21: Bringing Down the House which is number 11 this year. Very good book, this is the book that they recently based a movie. I have not seen the movie yet but plan to once released to Netflix. I picked up the book at the airport recently becasue I wanted to read a story not a biography or leadership book. Eventhough this is a true story it reads like a novel. Very good read, very interesting. I am glad I did not read it before I went to Vegas.

True Friends

This past weekend we had some visitors from Michigan come down. We haven't seen them for about two years when they came down for someone's wedding. The party consisted of my two Godkids (Kyara 16 and John 5) their mom (Latonya) her mom (Grandma), and her aunt (Ti-Ti). Greg and John are 1 year and a day apart, they haven't seen each other in two years yet when they got to the house it was like they were brothers. They were all over the place together having fun. Pretty much inseparable. It was so much fun having them all at the house. It was like no time had ever passed. On Saturday Kyara and I went to the UGA campus since that is where she would like to go. I took her around to see the wonderful world that is Athens, GA even breaking my diet wide open by eating at The Varsity. We then met everyone at the Mall of Georgia with our final destination being Medevial Times at Discover Mills. We all had fun. Greg and John became knights complete with swords and shields. It was heartbreaking seeing Greg and John saying good-bye to each other. I miss them already. I wish they would move down here.

Dukefest 2008

30 years and counting since The Dukes first hit our TV screens. I remember watching it every Friday night before my parents watched Dallas on CBS. This was before VCRs were readily available to everyone so the only way I could tape my show was with a cassette player. Yes I did that, I would put the tape player next to the TV, record Dukes of Hazzard then listen to it over and over. I loved the show. I loved the General Lee. When the DVD box sets first hit I bought them on the first Tuesday they were out. I remember when Bo and Luke left to go pursue a racing career leaving us with Coy and Vance. I remember Enos going to California. I even had a bassett hound named Flash at one time. Fast forward to today and the picture to the left. Here you see my dad who is over 70, myself over 30, and my son who is 4 years old enjoying Dukefest 2008. John Schnieder organized it this year at the Atlanta Motor Speedway to bring it back where it all started. Yep Dukes started right here in Georgia, Conyers and Covington to be exact. I stood in amazement that people were standing in 2 to 3 hour lines to meet the cast. Now that wasn't one line that was like six separate lines. Young people, seasoned people, all ages standing in line to meet Bo, Luke, Enos, Daisy, Cletus, Coy, Cooter, etc. All from a TV show that started 30 years ago. Look at that picture again in the background, all of those cars are General Lee's. All looked good, had to be 100 or more of them. Two full days of Dukes of Hazzard! Tell me how many TV shows can pull off a two day festival like this (for ten years btw). I know Star Trek can, but what else? Not much, I'm sure there are some but not many. This was an awesome day for me as I spent it hanging with my dad and my son. Three generations of Good Ole Boys having a good ole time. That's what it is all about, I hope it comes back to Atlanta next year.

Quik Hitz - 7/1/08

Just some random Quick Hitz fromm my brain:

• Kudos to the WWE for shaking things up on RAW, Smackdown, and ECW. They even shocked us with C.M. Punk winning the world title.
• Las Vegas sure is fun!
• Greenville, IL - not quite as fun
• Nice to be home with the family
• I am looking forward to my trip with my dad to the Charlotte area in September as we take in the NHRA even and tour the Dale Trail
• EDGE is right around the corner
• Bath and Body Work makes wonderful products
• I learned about Zappos.com this past week, pretty cool cuture that got there.
• Toured The Venetian call center while in Vegas; hmm I wonder what it would be like to work...
• PCD Lounge is pretty cool
• I need a true vacation
• God kids coming in town this week, should be a lot of fun
• I plan to take in my first Silverbacks game this week; oh what we do for kids
• Dukefest was too cool; I want a General Lee
• The Dark Knight movie fast approaches and I can not wait
• Congrats to the Rekstens for the new version 4.0
• Strange is relative to who and what you are around at the time
• Illinois drivers are way too slow
• Jott.com is too cool!
• I need to plan another fellas night out soon
• I have a lot of stuff to do but can't seem to focus my brain on anything
• I need another trip to Vegas
• Football season ain't far away
• We got a Wii, Mario Kart is fun

Done for now....probably dump more later...

I'm Back!!!

Finally the Greg has come back to Georgia! After my two weeks of travel from Greenville, IL to Las Vegas, NV I hope to be home for awhile. I can't really complain about the LV trip though I mean c'mon its Vegas baby! I checked out everything that I planned to check out. I even exercised some by taking a couple nice walks on the strip in the early morning hours. I will write more about the trip later though. I must say it is nice to be home with Melissa and Greg 2.0. I missed them quite a bit. Greg 2.0, my dad and I all went to Dukefest Saturday, that was cool. Can you believe that the Dukes of Hazzard first aired 30 years ago? More on that one later too. Ok time to go grab me sum grub, I'll update more later.

How? Huh? What tha...

Here I am traveling back to my hotel thinking about what to eat for dinner. Now there ain't much to choose from I mean c'mon I'm in Vandalia, IL. There is fast food and a Ponderosa, which I had yesterday. I decided I would like to try the new KFC Smokey Chipotle Crispy Chicken. I start thinking about that mouth watering goodness, I want it bad. I am going to get it to go, then enjoy the crispy delight. I pull into the parking lot thinking of that fried tastiness. I step to the counter, place my order for a two piece snack, then she says the unthinkable. She actually told me they only have one leg left. I said ok Original will do and she said, and I quote "no sir we only have one crispy leg left, no Original Recipe at all". Now correct me if I am wrong but this is KFC which stands for Kentucky Fried Chicken which should mean you specialize in chicken. How does KFC run out of chicken? If they ran out of fries I could understand. Run out of corn I understand. Beans, potatoes, biscuits, even Pepsi I could understand. But chicken??? How does that happen? Chicken is what they do! That's like Krispy Kreme running out of doughnuts or Starbucks running out of coffee. KFC running out of chicken? They should shut that franchise down.

What a View!

This week I am in our St. Louis office for some training. I got to my hotel in Vandalia, IL (which should tell you I am not really in STL) at about 6:00pm or so on Monday. Good flight with good service as the pilot kept us up to date with the U.S. Open playoff during the trip. Well back to the hotel. The hotel is a Holiday Inn Express which I like quite a bit. What other place can you stay in one night then perform surgery the next day due to the excellent rest you got the night before. I get to my room pull the curtains back and there it was, the view of a lifetime. I almost had tears it was so beautiful. It capitvated my imagination. It just made me want to run outside and get a better look. The colors of dark blue with a hint of red outline was just superb. I could just tell by looking at it that there was more to this view than I could even imagine. The view was that of a Wal-Mart only a few hundred feet away. Treasure had been struck. I checked in Monday and have been there twice already. I will be back tonight for something, I am not sure what yet but I will return to the lovely tonight.

ROI, AHT, B2B, VBS, KPI

Do you know what those mean?

On my way home each day as I enter the metropolitan area of Jefferson, GA I pass what seems like 54 churches. As I pass each one they have thier little signs out that advertise a VBS that they are having for a few days. One sign says "VBS June 16 - June 18 6:30pm to 8:30pm", another "VBS at FBC Jefferson June 9 - June 13" and literally across the street there is a sign that says "VBS June 23 - June 26". These signs made me say to myself, "self what the heck is a VBS?". Now I know the answer (vacation bible school) but do you? Does everyone? What is the purpose of their VBS? Is it to draw in their members? If it is why place a banner on the road? Is it to draw in members from other churches? Or is it to reach out to kids that do not know Christ and introduce them to Him? I am thinking it should be for the latter. If it is for the unchurched then shouldn't you spell out what you are talking about? In my little world we use the acronyms of AHT (average handle time), ATT (average talk time), B2B (business to business), B2C (business to consumer), ROI (return on investment), and KPI (kep performance indicator). Some of those I'm sure you know but when I asked Melissa if she knew what ROI meant she gave a totally different answer. You know why? Because in her business it stands for a software system. Wouldn't it make sense that if you are speaking to someone outside of your little business world you would not use those acronyms, instead spelling it out so they know what you are speaking about. Then why would these churches advertise VBS to those outside of the church world and expect them to know what it is? Hmmm maybe that's why they don't have the unchurched kids coming to thier VBS being held at the FBC in Jefferson.

A New Record

I, along with my colleagues at work, have joined a bowling league. I haven't bowled for years but did at one time bowl in a few leagues. I also have my own shoes and ball. To many that means I must be good, this is a mispreception by many in our society. If you bowl in a league trust me it doesn't make you good. The reason I have my own balls is due to a league I was in gave them out at the end. Own shoes, well do you want to rent shoes every week? Now to the point of this here post. I have set a new record for myself. In the past my average was about 150 - 160 not great but not bad. This past week I busted that record with an average of, get this, an 85! Ain't that great? Literally this was the worst three game stretch I have ever bowled in my adult life. I couldn't figure out anything, the lanes, my footing, the ball, anything. I guess there is nowhere to go but up from here. I need practice which is why they give us three free games each week in addition to our league games. Guess where I am gonna go?

Carpooling

This week we took the carpooling route, well we really didn't have a choice due to issues with my car. However we had discussed carpooling due to it really doesn't take us out of our way. I do get to work pretty early but that is working well and gives me time to handle other stuff. Plus it helps us to continue our new "green initiative", yes that right I am going green....oh I mean the green in the pocket. Yeah I average about $15.00 per day in gas and every time we carpool we save $15.00, not bad. I think we will continue this method of transportation at least 3 times each week.

On the Treadmill

Yesterday I started a new little thing to do on the treadmill. I took my laptop into the room hooked up the speakers and pulled up a sermon from another church and listened to it. Worked out really well, so today I pulled up Joel Osteen and listened to one of his services. Good stuff. What better way to start the day than with the word of God being preached as you get your blood pumping? The other plus side is listening to various pastors preach. I have always subscribed to listening to various teachers on any subject so you can learn from various people. I can't wait for tomorrow morning!

Quick Hitz - 5/23/08

Just random thoughts from my little brain...

• I am really looking forward to this Memorial Day Weekend...cookin' out with family and friends, just don't get much betta!
• Carpooling is starting to look real good as part of my new green initiative (the green in my pocket that is)
• The new Batman movie needs to hurry up and get here.
• June is looking busier and busier....just how I like it
• I am looking forward to my new role at church, gonna be fun!
• Did I mention the 3 day weekend is looking sweet!
• I am going to implement Casual Mondays and Formal Fridays at work
• I want a new cell phone - a PDA phone
• I am ready to Power Up
• I have mcuh reading and TV to catch up on this weekend (The Big Idea, Big Break, American Chopper, Miami Ink)
• I am getting into watching drag racing, it is becoming more interesting than NASCAR to me (Go Ashley!)
• Greg 2.0 and I have been playing race cars a lot lately, kind of cool
• I want to see Iron Man, hopefully before it goes to DVD
• I want to see Indiana Jones too before DVD release
• What you doing this weekend?
• You ever wonder how many people read this thing? I do. (I don't keep stats)

That's all for now.....c-ya!

Taxi...

I am currently sitting in a taxi in New Jersey bloggin from the backseat. The reason...dude has a cassette player, no CD, no ipod, a cassette player.

An Amazing and Awesome Sunday!

I am a pretty big John Maxwell fan having read some of his books he has given my plenty of inspiration through his leadership insight. A few weeks ago I heard he was going to be speaking at a local church and of course I had to make plans to attend. While I have heard him speak about leadership I have never heard him preach before. I figure as a veteran of over 25 years as a senior pastor he ought to be pretty good. Well pretty good doesn't even come close. He was simply AWESOME!!! He spoke about how to "Live Like You Are Dying"; you could just feel the buzz as he spoke. You know that buzz where you can just feel the connection being made with so many people? Near the end he did an alter call for salvation and it was truly amazing how many people went up front.

Here are a couple things I want to leave you with today:

• Live life FULLY
• Live Life THANKFULLY
• Live life FAITHFULLY
• Live life THOUGHTFULLY

and one quote: "Life is like a roll of toliet paper, the closer you get to the end the faster it seems to go"

I want to blog but...

I want to blog about something but my brain is just not functioning and giving me anything to talk about. I am just sitting here drinking a cup o' joe waiting for Melissa and 2.0 to get ready for church. I am excited about where we are going but I have nothing of any substance to say. Maybe I can come up with something later...until then...

Should it be sold?

I was listening to the radio yesterday as they spoke about the fact that you will be able to buy beer at the Gwinnett Braves games next year on Sunday. Then they said that you will be able to buy beer in a limo also on Sundays. I started thinking to myself why can't you buy liquor or beer on Sundays anyway. I mean you can buy cigarettes and chew if you want but no beer (I wonder which is worse for you, one causes cancer the other causes several trip to the bathroom). I know the reason is because Sunday is the holy day but what about for Seventh Day Adventists? They honor Saturdays so maybe we should stop selling on Saturdays for them. What about those who do not believe in drinking at all, maybe we should stop it all. In my opinion if it is legal you should be able to buy it 7 days a week. If you do not believe in drinking at all then don't buy at all, if you do not believe you should not drink on Sundays then don't drink or buy on Sunday, you have a choice here. Look at Chik-Fil-A they do not open on Sunday due to their beliefs but they don't say everyone should be closed they just made a decision that they will close. I say sell Bud, Jack, Jose, Jim, and everyone else on Sunday and let me decide what I do in my household (btw-I don't have any of it).
One other thing I would be willing to bet you some of the people protesting the selling on Sundays are just buying it on Saturday night anyway.

Out of Office replies to try

Next time you are out of the office try one of these:

• I am currently out of the office at a job interview and reply to you if I fail to get the position. Please be prepared for my mood.
• Thank you for your email. Your credit card has been charged $5.99 for the first 10 words and $1.99 for each additional word in your message.
• I will be unable to delete all the emails you send me until I return from vacation. Please be patient, and your mail will be deleted in the order it was received.
• Sorry to have missed you but I'm at the doctor's having my brain and heart removed so I can be promoted to management.
• I've run away to join a different circus.
• I will be out of the office for the next two weeks for medical reasons. When I return please forward your emails to stephanie@mycompany.com instead of steven@mycompany.com.
• Hi, I'm thinking about the email you just sent. Please wait by your computer for my response.

And my favorite...

• The email server is unabel to verify your server connection. Your message has not been delivered. Please restart your computer and try sending again. (the beauty of this is that you can see who falls for it)

Tasty Dark Chocolate Delight

As you know (at least I think you do but you may not but whatever) I have been really watching I eat since 1/2 (lost over 56 lbs). I consume my fair share of protein bars with my fav being the Pure Protein bars especially when Kroger has them 10 for $10 (you ever notice how much better things taste when they are on sale?). Well I happened upon these Zone Perfect Dark Chocolate bars and since I enjoy dark chocolate I thought I would try them. To my dark chocolate fans out there you gotta try these little gems, especially the strawberry one, I mean the things are good and good for you. Perfect little snack between meals and remember they are only good for you if you can control not eating 6 of them a day.

Bring It On...not really but sort of

For those that read this thing regularly you know I enjoy the Bring It On movies. Well actually I also like watching the real competitions and watching gymnastics. Anyway E! had on a documentary on cheerleading last night which meant I watched it. Well most of it so far as I DVR'd it. During the documentary they talked about kids getting hurt; everything from sprained ankles to torn ACLs to broken limbs to broken necks and even death. They put this spin on it that almost seemed like it was cheerleading to blame. Lets put it in perspective millions of girls cheer around the country and an extremely small percent ever have a serious injury. Now there are additional precautions these girls could take but to blame it all on cheering is insane. People get hurt everyday doing everyday things. I know people who have fallen down stairs, I recently heard on the radio about this lady that broke her ankle getting out of bed, heck when I was 5 I tripped over a dog and broke my leg. Everytime I get in the car I may have a wreck, everytime I walk across the street I may get hit by a car, everytime I walk on the treadmill I may slip, fall, and bust my head open but guess what I still drive, cross the street, and get on the treadmill. I have a 16 year old Goddaughter that has had two torn ACLs from soccer. Crazy huh? I'm just saying if we are responsible we can limit these injuries but we can't live in bubbles. To me if the parent is responsible you put them in camps or whatever that take safety precautions and such. Pay attention to what is going on and then you can minimize your risk. Of course this is coming fom someone that has done a flip from 8 feet in the air through a table.

Coming Soon...

Coming in October 2008

a brand new Disney Princess

ANTM

As many know I watch America's Next Top Model and have been watching it since Cycle 2 (we are on10 now). Each season uhh cycle you kind of start picking your favorite. Cycle 2 I liked Mercedes, 3 I liked Ya Ya, and so on. Then of course you get to where you have your second fav and such. This time I have to say no one stands out. The final four were Dominique, Fatima, Anya, and Whitney, last night Dominique was sent home. None of these girls stand out to me, they take ok pics but nothing like previous winners Saleisha, Naima, Eva, or Jaslene took. They don't have great personalities, they are just blah. I think Anya will win though because she does have a different look, but who knows. I would be suprised to see Whitney win since she continues to come off fake. Fatima just gets on my nerves but she takes good pics, so we will see next Wednesday night at 8:00pm on The CW.

90 Minutes in Heaven (brief book review)

I recently finished the book "90 Minutes in Heaven" by Don Piper. This was a very good book, really shows you that things happen for a reason. The book really doesn't concentrate too much on the heavenly experience but more on the journey afterwarrd and how God has used Don since his car accident. I don't want to give too much away in this brief review yet this is a story that we can all relate too. We may not have been in a serious accident or died and gone to heaven only to return. However we have all questioned our own lives wondering why we were placed in certain places. For me this book made me reflect on things that have happened in my life and look deeper as to why things happen. Give this book a read as I think you will enjoy it.

A test in patience

On Sunday I went through several tests of patience and I think overall I passed, not with flying colors but a passing grade none the less. It started with our normal stop at McDs on the way to church as I was standing there I could see my order sitting there but no one was grabbing it. Why? Well someone deleted it off the screen, but one nice lady got it for me. No big deal yet right? Next as many know I pick up the doughnuts for church however this week the check was delayed which meant I would pay for the doughnuts. No big deal right? Well guess where my wallet was....yep at home. Good though as Shannon dropped off a check at Krispy Kreme. I arrive at Krispy Kreme (driving illegally) and they are packed. I grab the coffee but the glazed goodness is behind the counter. I then had to wait (as patiently as possible) for the crowd to lighten up. Finally I get the doughnuts and I am off to church. Of course by now I am running late. Then I literally get stopped by 12 red lights. I started counting after #5. I was getting pretty aggravated by now and Melissa said "this is just a test". That actually calmed me down a little. I never lost my cool but I was on the edge wanting to run the lights and race to church as if I was at Daytona. When I got to church I could see that there were several folk ready for their caffeine fix and sugar rush. The ushers assisted Robby in getting things set up and all was well. Sometimes we get tested and we have to decide how to react, how would you react?

Friday Night...

I was checking blogs and was reading Stephen's blog and he had this post about Thursday night. So I figured I would post mine about Friday night. BTW - Mr. Lowe I used to love Bon Jovi back in the day Slippery When Wet and New Jersey were rockin' and I did attend both tours back then and would actually enjoy going back.
But when Bocephus comes to town I must be in the house!!! Then throw in some good ole str8 up southern rock in the form of Lynyrd Skynryd and it just don't git much betta! I already am starting to feel as free as a bird now, my dad and brother are going with me and they are both from Sweet Home Alabama. When we get together we don't get Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound liked we used too. Down deep we are just a few Country Boys That Can Survive.

Oh I can't wait for some down home good singin', dancin', and just having a good time with ALL MY ROWDY FRYNDS!

What keeps you coming back?

I have been attending Fusion Church for almost two years now (doesn't seem that long) and thought about what keep me coming back? This past weekend I had the pleasure of speaking to some relatively new members that praised the music, preaching, atmosphere, people, and the overall creativity of the church. They spoke about how the messages are presented and such. I then asked myself "why do I continue to attend Fusion?". As great as our music is there are other churches that play the same stuff. Our pastor, Tony, is awesome however there are others around that preach a similar style with the same message. Our kids area is wonderful with the Kingdom Safari theme and great teachers but I know I pass a few churches that have cool stuff for the kids at their church too. As a friend of mine once said to me "God is everywhere, I do not have to drive 45 minutes to find him" which is so true. So why do I continue to go to Fusion and drive 45 minutes? I can honestly say because of the people. The people make the church. The connections we have made keep us coming back each week. We have new friends because of Fusion and we look forward to seeing them each week. My son has made new friends at Fusion. I am not saying I like everyone at the church because making that statement would be insane as no one can say that(btw - they may say it but I promise you that they are lying to you). I am not saying that the church is perfect as it is not but our people make the difference each and every week.

Yesterday...

Yesterday was my birthday and last night we went out for dinner to celebrate. Melissa asked me where I would like to go? Longhorns? Taco Mac? Hooters? I thought to myself "what do I really enjoy?". The answer was simple; spending time with my family and seeing Greg 2.0 smile while having a great time. This thought led to my decision of....Chuck E. Cheese! Yep this 30 something went to CEC for his birthday and had a great time playing games and eating pizza. Playing games with the family was a ton of fun then right before we left Greg 2.0 and I had our pic taken with Chuck E. himself. I had a great time, can't wait til next year cuz it just don't get no betta than this!

Quick Hitz (week in review) - 4/20/08

Quik Hitz from my mind today:

• Church was...well interesting today, maybe more to be written later
• I know 3 people that have birthdays today; Paul, Kim, and Shoshana...Happy Birthday Y'all!
• Mowed the yard today and had plenty of time to think, I am kind of digging that me time
• Had a great time at the Advance '08 conference Friday, more on that later too.
• 12Stone Church has the most amazing building I have ever seen, plus they have a Starbucks and you can take your drinks into the auditorium....simply AWESOME!!!
• I love Pirates of the Carribean (it is on USA right now as I write this)
• Had a fun lunch today with our DFFs
• Finished two books this week (First Impressions... by Mark Waltz and King of Rock by Darryl McDaniels)
• I will know all of the words to the Alvin and The Chipmunks soundtrack soon
• Didn't get to play golf this past week
• Never felt 100% last week, just wished it would have knocked me on my butt as opposed to just lingering all week
• Met Dick Vitale on Friday even though I am not a big fan of his I respect what he does for charity
• Signed up for Eagles for St. Jude , every little bit helps
• Went to the Georgia Force game with my family and some friends, we lost but Greg 2.0 seemed to really enjoy himself and that in turn means I had fun too.
• Greg 2.0 got his first bike this weekend and did really well, proud of the lil dude!
• I need to start doing some things with the quickness, bottom line stop talking and start doing
• Had several team members at work go to dinner with me Friday for my bday, that was pretty cool
• Can't believe how old I will be tomorrow but it will give me a great timeline for a few goals
• My car sure is dirty
• I think i may wear a tie to work tomorrow
• I am going to walk at least 45 minutes on the treadmill tomorrow
• Next couple of weeks should be pretty busy for me but nuthin' I can't handle...I'm ready for it
• I am ready for The Dark Knight to hit theaters
• This is getting longer than I thought it would
• I am going to need new tires in the near future
• Two weeks until Hank Jr concert
• I don't enjoy being around fake people
• Do you know anyone that plays one role on a certain day of the week then drops the S, F, and BS words reguarly throughout the week?
• I also don't like yes folk, you know the ones that NEVER challenge ANYTHING they just kiss your backside in hopes you will show them favor.
• I like reading biographies
• I wish I could read faster
• You know you have a right not to have a degree but no right not to have an education
• I love the Steve and Barry's store at Discover Mills
• Ok I should stop writing now, maybe more tomorrow who knows....c-ya!

Looking forward to tomorrow...

Tomorrow I will be attending the Maximum Impact event Advance which will be simulcasted around the country. The live event will be held at 12Stone Church in Lawrenceville, GA. This is a leadership / motivational conference with several speakers including; John Maxwell, Andy Stanley, Spencer Tillman, and Dick Vitale among many more. I love seminars / conferences like this, I get pumped after them and try to utilize the lessons learned in my day to day life not just in business. Here is a link to the Advance Website so you can see why I am so jacked! I will give feedback afterward.

What have I done?

I was reading the Hipps Blog and came across this post in which they referenced this post from my friend Robby's blog. Anyway I figured I would jump on the band wagon and list a few things I have done myself in no particular order of importance:

• I've been to the Super Bowl
• Experienced The Masters on a Sunday
• Been to WrestleMania
• Went to the MLB All Star Game
• Attended the NLCS
• Been to the Olympics
• Saw Dale Earnhardt's final win
• Was at the first Brickyard 400
• Been to the Daytona 500
• Seen the Turner Cup and Kelly Cup finals in person
• Have been to World League of American Football (WLAF), Canadian Football League (CFL), Arena League, AF2, and XFL games
• Could once squat well over 600lbs and bench press over 300lbs
• Lived out a life long dream
• Met several celebs including; Evander Holyfield, Deion Sanders, Hulk Hogan, Mark Richt, Vince Dooley, Abdullah the Butcher, Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt SR, Michael Waltrip, Neal Boortz, Mike Tirico, Terry Pendelton, Mick Foley, Stuart Woods, and Mr. T
• Seen the following concerts: KISS, Van Halen, Ozzy Osbourne, Sir Mix A Lot, Vanilla Ice, Spice Girls, Garth Brooks, Hank Williams JR, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Alabama, Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson, Digital Underground, Ice T, Ice Cube, Motley Crue, Def Lepard, Run DMC, Beastie Boys, Paula Abdul, Marky Mark, Montgomery Gentry, and The Wiggles
• Been on TV
• Performed in front of a crowd in excess of 2000
• Taught others to become more than they ever thought they could be
• Broke my leg, wrist (twice), and my hand
• Had stitches in my head
• Got saved
• Became a father
• Became a husband

That is all for now I guess, I know there is more but some things I just don't feel like I should put it all out there quite yet but I know I am blessed to have done each of these things listed. Of all the cool stuff I have done the three I listed last are by far the most rewarding things I have every done!

Quick Hitz - 4/14/08

* Currently in 2nd place at work in our "Biggest Loser" contest, by the way the contest is only two weeks old
* Tiger Woods is great however until he can come from behind to win a major on Sunday I will have to reserve the title of "Greatest Of All Time" for Jack, Arnold, Bobby, or Walter.
* Church was a blur yesterday as I didn't feel well and was just ready to go home
* Taxes are finally complete....woooo hooooo
* June is going to be a nutty month for me
* I am playing some golf this week!
* I need new irons (hey mine are 8 years old and for you tech geeks that's like have a 486)
* Alvin and the Chipmunks LIVE was pretty cool
* The Galdiators swept the first round of the playoffs, nice to have a playoff team around
* This weather is crazy!
* I am going to play golf this week! (I said that already I know but I am playin')
* Looking forward to the John Maxwell conference this Friday at 12Stone.
* Saw my sister's new house and I must say it is pretty sweet, now it just needs to rain to fill up that lake.
* Looking forward to the Georgia Force game this Saturday with family and friends
* I am ready for another Disney trip
* I want a Wii so I can play golf in the house without getting yelled at

That's all for now...c-ya!

You're Gonna Miss This

All week I have thought about that slowing down message Tony gave Sunday and here is another song/video for you to check out.
CLICK HERE

I will be leaving work early today to spend time with Melissa and Greg 2.0 to go see Alvin and the Chipmunks perform at North Point Mall. I plan to take many pics and enjoy time with my family because I am slowing down so I don't miss this.

Favorite Movies

I was sent one of those email where you list stuff like fav foods, tv shows you watch, and all that kind of stuff. I replied because most of the people on the list really don't know me all that well and I tried to give creative yet honest answers. The one question that stuck with me is the "what movies can you watch anytime?". I decided to list a few I can watch anytime right here:

• Star Wars (any of them, actually as I write the Episode 3 is on),Bring It On (all of those too), Smokey and the Bandit, New Jack City, Undercover Brother (one of the funniest movies ever), Batman (any of them), Pretty Woman, Willy Wonka, Pirates of the Caribbean (all 3), Emperor's New Groove, Monsters Inc., Cars, Ocean's Eleven (remake), The Legend of Bagger Vance, Aladdin, Friday, Friday After Next, Barbershop 1&2, Remember the Titans, and Pulp Fiction.

I have more plus some I love but have to be in the mood for, just thought I would share.

Slow Down...Don't Blink

Yesterday Pastor Tony spoke about slowing down in our lives. This really touched me because this is something I have been trying to do for a while now. I have been pretty successful at it but still I am not where I want to be with it. I do my best not to work late, I will arrive to work early but get out as close to 5 as possible. Why? I have a wife and child that require my time and I am more than willing to give it to them. I am sure I have sacrificed opportunities because I want to spoend time with those that matter and I have ZERO regrets. Lets face it when was the last time you heard of a person laying on their death bed saying they wished they had worked more? What about saying "if I only had one more conference call" or "just sold one more thingamabob"? Yeah me either.
Slow down, enjoy life, enjoy these times we have, this song puts it better than I could...
Don't Blink

WrestleMania 24 - must read

Last night was WrestleMania 24 from Orlando, FL. I can not believe that WM has been going for 24 years; man I am getting old. Good PPV! The best part was watching the Ric Flair vs Shawn Michaels match but it wasn't the match that was so good (it was great BTW), it was Greg 2.0. During the match lil' G was mimmicking Ric Flair then he grabbed his punch bag thing and started doing whatever Ric and Shawn were doing. It was hilarious! He gave it a chop, suplex, body slam, and even put it in the figure four. I know at least one of you is thinking "I can't believe he let Greg watch that" well all I have to sayto that is (in honor of The Rock) "IT DOESN"T MATTER WHAT YOU THINK!"

Warn the kids in the neighborhood, at school, in church, or where ever the "Lil Heartbreaker" decides to go that the next generation has arrived! Now that's just too SWEET!!!

42 and counting!!!

I have been losing weight since Jan 2 as I was really starting to look like a mobile home. I thought someone may try to rent me soon so I decided to 'downsize'. I had to wait until Jan 2 as opposed to the 1st due to the Sugar Bowl. Anyway I am not one to weigh myself very often, until today I had only weighed myself once. Starting today we are having a Biggest Loser contest at work so I had to weigh in. I am excited to announce that I have lost 42 pounds since Jan 1st. Not bad. I still am not where I wanna be but I am getting there.

6 down 14 to go

I have just finished book number 6 for the year. I have a goal to read 20 books by the end of the year. Look over to the right column on the blog homepage to see the books I have read so far. I have 3 sitting on my table ready to be broken open. I am enjoying expanding my mind and broadening my horizons.

Mill Creek RETURNS!!!

That's right Mill Creek Church has returned...well sort of. The place we had Greg 2.0's party was the Bogan Park Community Center. When we went to check it out there was this big banner out front advertising Mill Creek Church meets at the center each week. I thought that was kind of funny (for those that don't know I attend Fusion Church formerly Mill Creek). Their website is www.millcreekag.com check it out.

What we gonna do next year?

This past Saturday we had Greg 2.0's 4th birthday party. The theme was the Power Ranger Academy and I must say it was pretty cool. It is a lot of fun seeing the looks on kids' faces when they are having fun, it just don't get much better. Melissa really did a great job planning out the party and I did what I was told. I have to say Melissa made the right call on the cake, it looked so good I wanted to hang it on the wall instead of cutting it. I believe everyone had a great time and we have been asked what we are going to do next year, all I can say is you will just have to wait and see...

You can check out pics of the party at www.freewebs.com/rangeracademy

BIG things are coming...

I had a meeting last night about some really cool stuff. All I can say right now is:
Are you ready to live on the E.D.G.E.?

Leadership 101

Over the past couple of months I have gone from leading a team of 12 associates to leading a team of 28 direct reports. During this time reviews on each one were due, a brand new monthly scorecard had to be rolled out, we have been managing two major projects, not to mention the regular day to day operations. The mark of a great leader is one that will delegate duties and responsibilities to his team.
Here are just a few benefits to this philosophy:

1. They feel more engaged in the overall operation
2. This will develop them for future positions
3. You will be suprised at the talent around you
4. Their morale improves greatly due to the trust you are putting in them
5. Your turnover reduces thus your training costs reduce
6. The team becomes more motivated and you will see leaders rise from places you never thought possible
7. New ideas will arise
8. Better procedures will be created
9. Your team will be stronger as a result
10. YOUR stress will reduce.

I have made it a point to invest in my team throughout the years. By using this procedure I have seen several of my employees get promoted and go onto better careers. They prove themselves on one task, then they become hungry for more and more, eventually they are ready for the next level. Realize the talent around you, utilize it, take chances on people, you may be suprised at what you learn. Bring out the best in your team and you will be amazed what happens around you. By helping others get what they want you WILL get what you want and you will get it with a lot less stress than you could ever imagine.

Offspring

In October of this year we will be adding yet another Troxell OFFSPRING to this world. We felt that one was not enough and we needed to add another hit to our collection. We are very excited about the upcoming addition to the family and to the Bulldog Nation. The due date is October 10 (right before the UGA / Tenn game), so get ready world for one more.

Finally Weighed In...

On January 2, 2008 I totally changed my diet and exercise routine. I had not weighed myself since until yesterday. I am proud to say I have lost over 30 pounds!!! I still have a ways to go but 30 ain't a bad start.

5 and counting

On my quest to read 20 books this year I have now completed 5 of them. I just finished The Breakthrough Company by Keith Mcfarland. Think Good to Great but for a smaller company, very good read. Check out the right hand column on here and you can see the books I have read so far plus each has a link to info.

Quik Hitz

• Went to the Nationwide race with my dad on Saturday, we had fun but that wind was wicked! I think we will have to go to a few more Nationwide races as they aren't as long and the crowds are much smaller than the cup races.
• Can't wait for the Egg Drop Saturday at George Pierce Park, should be a fun!
• Nice to see the Hendrick Motorsports reject, Kyle Busch, out perform Dale Jr. I will write more about that one down the road.
• Do you ever wish you could visit like 7 different churches on Easter Sunday? I see so many fascinating themes for Easter that interest me.
• I almost fell out of my chair the other day when I saw Fusion's website was up. I had to back out and type in the url again just to make sure I wasn't seeing things, LOL. Click here to see it.
• Watched the Super Powers Team last night; it was like watching the Super Friends without the Wonder Twins. Add in Firestorm, Cyborg, and couple others. Pretty cool overall.
• Power Rangers Jungle Fury comes on tonight and I am looking forward to see how things continue to unfold in the quest to defeat Di-She.
• Have you ever had times where you have so many things going on in your mind you can't concentrate? I think I may go to GNC and get some focus herbs or something.
• Is it strange that my "girlie" calendar on my desk is made up of the Disney Princesses? Did I mentioned it is autographed?
• This weather is crazy! Cold, hot, windy, snowy, rainy, cold again....
• This should be a cool week, I have a lot to do but on Thursday I am going with the church to a conference in South Carolina. I am really looking forward to it.
• Do you realize how hard it is to name a business?
• Until Mill Creek changed its name to Fusion did I realize how many products out there have fusion in their name. Here are a few: Ford Fusion, Gillette Fusion, V8 Fusion, Trident Fusion Gum, Krylon Fusion Spray Paint, Callaway ERC Fusion golf clubs, Street Fusion Shoes, Fiber Fusion Drink Mix, and Fusion Design Furniture. Just interesting to me.
• I think Tony should have a 6am meeting every week, I really enjoyed it.

That's enough for now, more later...until then I'm OUT!!!

Thank you Bath and Body Works

I received an email from Bath and Body Works this morning promoting their Aromatherapy products to help you wake up and go to bed. They were calling this the Spring Forward promotion, I read on and it said that daylight savings time begins THIS Sunday! I thought to myself "no way!". I then said to me "I must Google daylight savings" and sure 'nuff it was correct, we need to change our clocks this weekend! Thank you Bath and Body Works, now I need to go buy me some shower gel and lotion.......

Great Morning!

This morning was a bit unusual as we had a men's bible study today at the church offices. Nice turn out especially since we met at 6:00am which is pretty early for some. It was amazing starting the day studying the bible with the fellas. I was proud of myself not only for going but I got up early enough to get 30 minutes in on the treadmill and still make the group meeting. I even resisted the biscuits they had at the offices due to the fact they were not on my approved list of things to eat. Most importantly was the message about the 'weeds' in our life (not weed, weeds...get it right). I know I have weeds pop up all the time but we just have to learn to deal with them and realize they are just distractions from the positive things we want to accomplish. Hopefully we can convince Tony to have this meeting more often because I think we all enjoyed it.

The Dark Knight

I am sitting here watching Comic Book Superheroes on The History Channel and I was inspired to place this pic up. Click on it to visit the official site of the upcoming movie.
I can't wait for it!

Hilarious!

Suwanee Egg Drop Post Part 2

I posted the other day that Fusion Church is having an Egg Drop

March 15 at George Pierce Park in Suwanee, GA.

Over 25,000 eggs!!!

Well there is now a website up where you can pre-register.
Please visit www.eggdropsuwanee.com for more info.

Not OK to walk?

I was driving this morning and got behind a school bus, no big deal. Here is my question are kids not allowed to walk two doors down to catch the bus? Literally this bus stopped at a house then stopped two doors down. I thought you have got to be kidding; a little walk ain't that bad is it? They would have had to walk; oh I don't know an extra 35 - 50 yards.

Then I had a thought what about the kids that live so close to a school they have to walk? Maybe we should do away with that and bus everyone from their house. We could give every school one of those trams they have in the parking lot at Six Flags and they could go around to all the houses and pick the kids up. Since we don't want them to strain themselves with any walking we better get them all Segways to get around the school.

Or maybe those "walkers and car riders" could put a class action lawsuit together and sue the school systems for discrimination, now that would be funny!

March 15, 2008 - George Pierce Park

The BIG news this past week at Fusion Church was the announcement of our first annual Easter Egg Drop! If you are not sure what that is here is the breakdown. You go to a field, kids wait with anticipation, a helicopter flies over the field and drops about 25,000 eggs filled with candy and prizes, kids collect eggs. Pretty cool huh? When Fusion does something we do it BIG and when we say prizes in the eggs we are talking about Nintendo Wiis, ipods, Playstation Portables, TVs, and things like that. We hope to see you there on March 15, 2008 11:00am at George Pierce Park in Suwanee, GA.

The Time Has Come...

Ever since Millcreek Church became Fusion Church I have been in charge of picking up the donuts (notice spelling). Ever since I took over we have been getting them from the Dunkin' Donuts on Lawrenceville-Suwanee Rd (oh yeah I'm calling them out). Overall the service hasn't been horrible but it has been far from great. Let's review I have shown up at the agreed upon time and they had about 1/4 of the order ready, I have shown up and they had none of the order ready, I have shown up and they did not have any glazed or frosted donuts, and most recently (until today) we had a situation where they had nothing ready and said they didn't know about the order. I have toyed with the idea of leaving them but today was the kicker. They decided to charge me for three weeks worth of donuts today, yep today. So let me welcome Fusion Church to Krispy Kreme! Starting this Sunday our doughnuts (notice spelling again) will be coming from the Krispy Kreme on Hwy 20 near the Mall of Georgia. They even gave me a better price and hopefully the HOT sign will be on!

Anyone wanna go?

On March 15 there is a huge Christian Concert coming to Philips Arena called JamTour, the tickets are only $10.00 at the door. Is anyone interested in attending? It looks good with Mandisa, Skillet, and Mercy Me there. Check out the website, I know some of us have other commitments in the morning but this doesn't start until later on.

Should they count?

I have a goal to read 20 books this year, however I have also been listening to books on CD. My dilemma is should those books count toward the 20 or not? Oh the struggles I find myself in.

Willpower

Last night I went to an italian restaurant in Suwanee where they have some really good eatin'. I have been eating very well (healthy that is) since Jan. 2 and I have lost a few pounds. Last night they came with these garlic, buttery rolls that looked fantastic. Everyone at the table was just gobbling them up yet I resisted. I said no. Then they all got pasta with all this cheese and it looked real good but again I said no. I got a salad with warm chicken that was purely delightful. I say that to say I am proud of myself for not giving into temptation and eating stuff I have no business consuming.

Too Cool and Eye Opening!

Last night I was unable to go straight home as I have some people in town that I needed to entertain. After dinner I was driving home and the phone rang, it was Melissa. She said that Greg 2.0 had been asking about me and wanted to talk to me. He got on the phone and pretty much just said "hi" and got off, he just wanted to hear my voice. Then when I got home he came running to me, he waited up for me. He was so excited, he'll never know how much that meant to me and how excited that made me. This morning I was thinking about that and it hit me. I know the joy it brought me and I could only imagine that it is the same type of joy God feels when one of his children comes to him in prayer.

We should all approach prayer or shall we say a conversation with our father in heaven the same way Greg 2.0 approached me, with excitement and joy.

TONIGHT!

Tonight marks the long awaited debut of Power Rangers - Jungle Fury at 7:00pm on Disney's Jetix. Unfortunately I will be at another engagement during the premiere but that is why they made DVRs. I will watch it when I get home whether with Greg 2.0 or by myself. I really am looking forward to finally being able to be watch an entire season of PR from start to end.