30 Is Just A Number

Very good article and resource for Touring

2011-12-29T21:18:00.000-08:00

Mitt Stands Out

2011-12-11T20:30:00.000-08:00

Israel Has a right to Defend Itself

2011-12-11T20:10:00.000-08:00

Restoring Honor Event in D.C.

2010-09-01T19:15:00.000-07:00

Christina and I were fortunate enough to make it out to D.C. this past weekend to attend the Restoring Honor Event at the Lincoln Memorial. Not really knowing what to expect, we headed out Friday morning and made it to my cousins house near the D.C. area. Even though we almost lost our a/c a couple times on the way out and it was a lot of driving, we were glad and excited to be a part of something historic.

The event for me was something that i've never experienced before. As I stood there shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of thousands of other patriotic descent people listening and watching the video and images of those who are true heroes I felt like something very special was happening. The unity and spirit that I felt in the midst of those people, who had solid values and whom you could tell lived principled God-fearing lives, was like nothing I've ever been a part of and it told me that a movement to restore Honor to the country, to our families, to our communities, to government, to everything we do is taking shape and I hope i can find my part in it.

It was awesome to be there with my wife and our little baby. We left the older boys with their Grandma and Grandpa in Knoxville so they wouldn't have to endure the craziness and the drive. We're very glad we decided to make the trip and so honored to have been in the presence of so many good honest people from all around the country.

Isaac at the Temple

2010-07-25T18:25:00.000-07:00

Here's a shot of me and Isaac at the Nashville Temple the day he went through. He is now in the MTC on his mission in Salt Lake. He's a great kid and I know he'll be awesome in the Spokane, WA Spanish speaking mission.

Aligning Will's

2010-02-28T12:40:00.000-08:00

I've wondered for a long time how in the world you really do this. How do you in reality get to the point that "if you ask in faith, ye shall receive"? Does that mean that you actually can get to the point in your life that anything and everything you want to happen and wish for is righteous enough to be granted? I'm sure that it is possible but it's very unlikely... at least for most people.

I shared with a good friend of mine something I've done in recent months when I'm praying and hoping for something to happen. I recalled that for as far back as I can remember I've taken the approach of "please bless that this certain thing will happen this way" and "help me do thy will but just let it be what I'm asking for". It seems that, although this isn't a terribly bad or wrong way to go about asking for blessings, it usually didn't end up happening the way I envisioned. So each time that, for instance, I didn't get that second date with so and so girl... or the meeting with such and such a music publisher didn't pan out into instant success... I was left with the feeling of wondering why these things weren't happening when I'd fervently prayed and asked for them to. I'd even made sure and acknowledge that I was trying to do "His will" while assuming that the thing I was seeking was the best thing for me. Time and time again the result of the situation that I was addressing turned out better for me than what I'd prayed to happen would have and it's only recently that I've started to recognize a correlation between what was happening and why.

I think that when most people pray to "let thy will be done" they are unknowingly doing so under the assumption that they are already on the same plane of understanding as the Father and that because they are asking for His will to be done in this thing while at the same time being specific in what they want to happen that those two points of view are aligning. I'm starting to feel like we have to work up to that point... that there is a more elementary step that has been skipped by many. What if we said "Father, I have many things that I wish to happen but I know that you know what is best for me. Please bless me with the strength and resolve to accept the things that come my way and to make the very best of them." Maybe as we simply ask for the strength to deal with the challenges and triumphs that we are dealt we can more fully learn what kinds of decisions the Lord makes on our behalf and we will be trained on how to actually make the choices for ourselves that He would make.

There may be some who would argue that we are supposed to ask for specifics in our prayers and I don't disagree in some things. I'm not talking about those things you pray for that concern those around you, your family, those that you care about or the more blanket blessings like blessing those in need or those in service to the church or to the country. I think this thought has more to do with the pleadings you have for yourself, quite honestly the things that you hope for personally. Maybe, to the Father, it goes without saying that when you are praying for someone else to recover from an illness or get through a tough relationship or bounce back from a life changing event that your genuine concern for them is His will and he and the Spirit are working through you to show compassion on someone else. After all, we are commanded to serve others and in turn we are serving God. But are we serving God when we are getting the things we want? Maybe that is why you can't bless yourself to be healed... why you must have someone else act for you to unleash those powers.

This is just my own thought but my plan is now to work my way up to the status of those prophets we learn about in the scriptures that speak something and it happens. Many of the great prophets have been promised at some point in their life that whatever they say shall happen... will happen and is the will and mind of the Lord. Once I can more fully understand what kinds of choices lead me down the right path for my life I will begin again to ask that "my contract be approved for the purchase of this lot" or "please bless that I can get this song cut by Kenny Chesney today". And when that time comes, if ever, that I can desire something and it always be the Lords will for me I doubt it will have anything to do with Tim McGraw or 2x4's.

The $1300 Question

2010-02-28T11:39:00.000-08:00

The other day as I walked into the permit office to finally get my building permit for our new place i pulled out my check book to at last make it official. The City of Mount Juliet requires payment of lots of fees for the "privilege" of building in the city and one of those is a "City Impact Fee". It's calculated by multiplying the square footage of the new house by a certain amount ($.50). For my house the fee had already been paid a couple years ago when the original builder pulled the permit. That fee was less $ then because the original house plan had quite a bit less square footage than the house I'm building... but still $1300 is a lot of money. As the lady handed me the bill and I was about to write out the check I noticed that it was much more than I had planned. The clerk had known that I would be getting credit for the $1300 but it had slipped her mind so the total she was asking me to pay for this "Impact Fee" was about $1800. I definitely did not want to press the issue as the permit process in the city here apparently is a pain to deal with and they'd already given me credit for a few other charges that I'd other wise have to pay if this hadn't been a pre-existing project. But, there was no way I wasn't going to say something about this one... mainly because it meant a lot of money that I would need for the construction. But also because I'm sort of prideful I guess and I did not want to get "taken" by someone. So I asked the question fully accepting the consequences of irritating the beast at the permit office.

After about 10 minutes she finally returned to the service window and admitted that she'd overlooked the credit and adjusted the amount. By asking one simple question I saved myself $1300. I wish I could make that kind of money all the time by asking one question.

The point in writing about this experience isn't so much to remember this experience with my building fees but to point out that in general people don't really care about you like you do. Even during the process in getting my financing secured this was on display several times and each time I had to constantly be looking out for myself. This may not seem like a groundbreaking revelation but for me it really was. I guess I'm the type that generally thinks that people are good and honest and when they are in the business of getting your business they will go the extra 2 miles to make things work. Every lender I sat down with had the same attitude... when one option hit a wall they never... I mean not once did they offer any other solution or option, some that seemed to me so obvious. It was literally like they didn't want the business, didn't care to use their training and expertise, and were simply there at their desk going through the motions and surviving until the next day.

I guess this last few months dealing with all this just has opened my eyes a little more to the fact that you have to be so self-motivated to really succeed. If someone tells you "no" or something doesn't go the way you hope it will you have two options: 1) You can take it and assume that what they say is accurate and that that's just the way it is or 2) You can challenge the norm and not accept the status quo and fight until there literally is nothing left to fight. If you do the former you'll probably notice that not much changes... both for you and for what's happening around you and you won't ever jump ahead and stand out of a crowd much. If you insist on the latter and make it your very personality and nature then you'll start to see that what is normal just isn't good enough for you and that you are heading for bigger and better things... the things that you've always dreamed of. And when these things start to happen for you because you challenged what is normal you'll think back to those nights you lay in bed thinking about how one day this very thing could be possible. You couldn't go to sleep until you finally told yourself that you've got to stop thinking about this and just blank out your mind. The things you think about at the end of the day to yourself are the things that you care most about and usually the very things that you want most to happen in your life.

When these lifelong goals begin to be fulfilled you have to realize, as they are happening, that this is it. In other words, what good does it do to dream and work and hope for something and then when it comes you are too busy thinking and dreaming and hoping for other things that you don't realize that you made it! You're here!! This is the payoff and you did it. No doubt the Lord will be pleased to see that you've achieved what He has set before you to achieve with His help and guidance. Then when you've had the chance to take in the moment and recognize it for what it is be sure and resume dreaming and working and fighting for those next things that you hope for. And don't ever be afraid or hesitant to ask the $1300 question.

Finally Getting Somewhere

2010-02-14T12:26:00.000-08:00

Just an update on our Construction loan... We've finally... after months of work and stress and broken promises from lenders and going back to the drawing board several times... closed our construction loan for our first brand new house!!! I just can't say enough how happy I am to know that it's finally happened and we're really doing this. It almost doesn't seem real yet. There we're many times throughout this process that I wondered if it would ever really work.

I was told by a very trusted friend who knows the real estate market inside and out that "Derek, it's not you... don't take this extreme scrutiny personally... it's like this everywhere!" He even told me that "if Garth (Brooks) were to walk in and want a loan to build a house he might not get one!" I guess that made me feel better.

Many of the things I do are done on about 90% faith and the rest actual data. But one thing is for sure... the folks that I've worked with trying to get this approved and get them on board never for a minute questioned my level of commitment to this. I'm sure I've freaked some people out by the tenacity that I've approached them with and the confidence that I've had that we could make this happen. Really I had no place to have so much assurance that this was even possible with the numbers that I was bringing to the table. Being self-employed, every year I take many deductions on my taxes to reduce my liability to the Gov and because of that I get hammered when I try to prove income with my returns. This time I did my homework months before the end of the year and found out exactly what I needed to show (what # to hit)to qualify for the loan I was asking for. I got my takes done the first week of the year and came to the banker with it the second I retuned from my accountant. I shouldn't have been surprised when he told me that even though I'd done everything I was asked and provided every document imaginable to them for approval of the project, I was still not going to get what I needed... not even close.

That's when I thought this might not really happen at all. This was the third time that someone had led me through the entire process only to find some reason to not lend me the dough at the end. The reasons I have pushed for this so heavily are valid. We purchased a building lot in the fall of '09 and got the most killer deal on it... something I just could not pass up. Since the economy is in the tank right now it is a great time to build, if you can do it, because there is literally 0 building going on and prices are rock bottom on materials and subs. Interest rates are killer right now as well with prime at 3.25... not likely to stay that low for ever. If I could get this project going during this down time in the economy I knew I'd be sitting pretty when real estate values go back up to where they left off. Needless to say, I had some real motivation to get this done for us this year. Not to mention, our first house in Mt Juliet was already too small. We were blessed enough to find a buyer for our place in November '09, in the worst real estate market I've ever lived through, without an agent taking a cut and knew that was one of the signs that we were supposed to do this.

I've always wanted to build my own house for my family. I'd done several in Knoxville for others and it just felt like we deserved to have our own custom place this time. I've got the Pirate Ship business running nicely and plan on keeping it going through the process. It allows me to be very flexible on my schedule and that is key in being able to take advantage of this time to build.

After talking with my friend in the mortgage business and telling him of my latest road block he suggested that I call a credit union. I really didn't think too much of it but decided to try anyways. The second call I made was to a C.U. in Franklin and immediately it seemed like I was in a different world. I spoke to the rep for a few minutes, telling her what I was looking to do, and right then and there I knew I'd found the place that could help me do this project. It was pretty cool. I still didn't want to go around telling everyone (especially Mom) that I knew it was a done deal because I had said that before with the other lenders. But I knew this one was different... still I only let myself say "I have a closing date".

It's been about the easiest thing I've ever done financially and now it is up to me to get this done, hopefully in the next 4-5 months. We've got a locked rate on our permanent mortgage with the same C.U. (which is awesome I might add : ) so that is not an issue as far as finishing before they go back up. I'm going to do tons of stuff myself, hire the other crucial things that I hate or don't do, and end up paying about the same or less per month that we paid on our 1100 sq ft 1960's house over in Belinda City. That will be the sweetest part.

I guess the reason I'm rambling all this down in words is so I can remember how much the Lord cares about us because of the process that He put us through (or allowed us to pass through) to get to this point. It is a lesson well learned that persistence in something that you want so badly really does materialize in the right way and in the right amount of time. I know that if things had gone the way I planned them it would not have worked out as well as it now will with this experience under my belt. It's a real testimony to me that the Lord is in charge after all and that anything you will to happen, if it be righteous and good, can and will happen if you don't take no for an answer, which I didn't. Here we go!

"Bedtime Stories" by Carter Hinckley

2009-10-19T19:04:00.000-07:00

About a week ago I started making up little stories for the boys as I put them in bed to sort of take the edge off having to go to sleep. It's turned into a really funny thing now that they are each taking their turn creating stories on the fly. Here's Carter telling his story from tonight.

Glenn Beck Is Dead On

2009-10-05T19:47:00.000-07:00

Join the Reagan Action Revolution

2008-11-14T09:42:00.000-08:00

This may be a good rallying point in the future. Give it a look!

All You've Got

2008-11-12T11:45:00.000-08:00

Don't tell me this doesn't move something inside you. If not, you're dead...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vB59PkB0eQ

Pickens Plan

2008-07-15T20:50:00.000-07:00

Backyard Pirate Ship!

2008-05-24T12:34:00.001-07:00

This has been quite a project over the last month! Yes, it's big...and no, I didn't plan on it being that big!
But the boys love it and that was the plan.

One Crazy Weekend...

2008-03-22T19:40:00.000-07:00

This past couple days have been very interesting for Nate, Spe, and I. We've been preparing for the Nashville Star Auditions for a couple weeks and after having sent in a video as part of the audition process we received a call from the producers. They informed us that our video submission had put us in a regional finalist category without even having to play live. Yesterday and today they held the National audition in Nashville and we flew Spencer out from Idaho for it.

So here's the rundown. We arrived at the Opryland Hotel at 8:30 Friday morning thinking that we were getting there early but there were already about 2000 people in line. We had gotten a call the night before from the producers telling us that we'd made it onto the regional finalist list and that we'd be able to by-pass the open "cattle call" line that most of the folks would have to stand in. As we began to ask around for this other line one of the producers, Chris, came up to us and started talking to us like he knew us. He acted like he'd already seen us in another city and we had to keep reminding him each time we talked that we sent in a video and that's how he knew us. I guess the 20 hours making the video payed off.

We were told to stand in the open call line for now and that someone would come by in a bit to put us into the short line for regional finalists. After standing in the back of the line for two hours waiting for someone to announce that we could join another line, I sent Spe to see what was going on at the front and he came back saying that the line had already formed and that we needed to go jump in it.

We waited in that line for another couple hours and finally got into the inside holding room. We got our number and started warming up...not realizing that we still had a few more hours to wait. When we finally got the call to go upstairs it was about 4:30 and we were pretty exhausted. Throughout the day we'd see someone every now and then come back from the judges room with a Nashville Star belt buckle shaped ticket that basically says you made it to the call back the next day. So, that was the goal on Friday..to get the buckle that let you come back and actually be considered for the show.

We got into the audition room and did our thing. We played 30 seconds of "When You Say Nothing At All" with me on guitar and Spe on Mando and they really seemed to like it. They gave us our own buckle and we got signed up for the call back day. They gave us more info on what today would be like and they also said that we needed to wear the exact same clothing, same hair style, same everything because they were combining the two days into one on film.

Today we showed up at a much more manageable 3:15 for our appointment at 4:00. There were maybe 25-30 call back acts in the room this time and it was tons more organized. After waiting for a while we noticed some groups and soloists being interviewed and singing on camera off to the side and wondered what was giving them that airtime. I kept saying that we just need to go over there and tell him we want to sing on camera and be interviewed too and a couple minutes later Spe and I did. We asked him if he'd film us singing the National Anthem a capella and he said sure. We motioned for Nate to join us and we hopped in front of the camera. We belted out the song and then he interviewed us for a few minutes. It was cool to know that just making a pro-active move on something would get you where you want to be. I guess we'd have never gotten that camera time if we hadn't gotten off our cans and asked. That's a good lesson to remember. There aren't any rules when it comes to making your own success.

Mom and Dad soon showed up to hang out with us after that. We sat for a while wondering when we'd get to go up for this final audition. This is where the story gets good. the same Chris guy that we'd talked to at the beginning yesterday came walking through the crowd in the holding room and came up to us sitting there waiting to be called. Out of nowhere he said "Hey, you three a trio? Sing for me! Come on...lets hear something good! Let's go! Let's hear you rock it!" It for sure caught us a little of guard but we didn't hesitate. We got out our instruments and immediately started the song we planned to do for the judges. You could feel the adrenaline as we started with all the eyes on us and this guy wanting to be impressed. As we finished the first chorus we cut in and said something like "Damn, you guys are good!" And then he said "Get up! Come on...Let's go ...Are you guys ready to see the judges?" Freaking out, we said yeah and gathered our stuff to head straight up to the judges room. The look on Mom and Dad's faces sitting there witnessing all this so fast was priceless. I looked at Mom as we started out of the room and said "Here we go!"

As we walked with Chris out of the holding room, up the stairway, and through the halls back to the judges rooms he let us in on a couple secrets of the industry. They are secrets and that's how they have to stay...sorry. He told us we just needed to be relaxed and be ourselves with the judges. He let us know that the room was full of producers, label, and industry people and that they had just eaten and were totally bored and uninterested. He was assigning us to wake 'em up and get them excited again. When we reached the holding area outside the room he took us over to the side and had us play for another crowd who was gathered for some sort of conference. I guess it was to loosen us up and get things flowing for the audition. As we stood there out side the room we just said to each other "This is it! This is the shot we wanted when we came here. We can do this". One of the assistants said "Here we go" and we went in.

We were relaxed and confident when we got to our spot in front of the judges panel and the camera. We chatted for a minute with them and they got to know us a little better and seemed excited to know that we were brothers there together ready to rock it for them. We started "When You Say Nothing" and did our thing with it. After some more conversation we were asked to sing another song and we choose "My Hero". A few minutes later we exited the room and just turned to each other and laughed. Suffice it to say now that we felt like the audition went as well as we could expect and that it was a very awesome climax to the two day ride we had been on.

Before leaving they told us that within a couple weeks they would be letting us know something. So keep in touch here on the blog and i'll keep you posted on the word!

Click Here and Push Play for Sunbeam Audio!

2008-03-01T20:32:00.001-08:00

Carter and Daddy Singing Sunbeam the other day! And Yes! Most of the timing is real!

Princess Power Steals Show at "08 Rally!

2008-03-01T17:38:00.000-08:00

Here is the Grand Champion of the 2008 Pinewood Derby! Nate emailed me last night with this years kick butt car for his pinewood derby up in Speedwell. He calls it the princess Power '08, inspired by the lovely Kayli. It's very aerodynamic, as is apparent. It has weird dangling pieces of brass with random princess remnants attached to the end. It sports a great color combination of yellow and blue...all though he probably thought it was purple and green when he picked it out.

This years model actually has wheels that turn around in a circular motion, much like the automobiles of the modern day. It's a real improvement over last years model that only had the appearance of wheels as they were just black circles glued onto the side of the car. If I recall correctly that car did not move when the starting gate opened. That's not typically the best strategy in a race...I hear. Last years racer also had a useful feature that had the other competitors shaking in their skibbys...it was wired for extra booster power and plugged into the power outlet on the wall. Although it looked unbeatable plugged into the wall and the rest of the competition must have been terrified, it had one fatal flaw...well... okay it had several fatal flaws. But the foremost among them was the fact that the wheels didn't turn. I think I mentioned that already. I only mention it again because it really hurt his chances of winning the race...or even finishing the race.

This years car did cross the finish line! Even if it was 42 seconds after the second to last car...it did finish. So, congrats to Nate for a job well done in this years derby! The only critique I had was that the '08 model could have had some bottle caps tied to the bumper to complement the "just married" sign. Just a thought, Nate. We'll be on edge to see what next year brings!

Like Father, Not Exactly Like Son

2008-01-19T12:11:00.000-08:00

My brother-in-law and sister gave me a book for my birthday called the "Cashflow Quadrant" written by the Rich Dad, Poor Dad guy. I won't go into it in detail but from the first little bit I've read it has started to change my outlook on how to make money.My Dad has been the hardest worker I've ever known. He's always worked for himself from playing music full time in the early days to remodeling and construction and a vending business in the past several years. He's never been cut out for doing things someone else's way and I've found in the past ten years that I'm built the same way. He thrives on the freedom and individual responsibility inherent to that kind of life and I can tell that, despite the uncertainties that come up from time to time, he wouldn't have it any other way.

My senoir year in high school I began working with my Dad on some of his projects and began to notice, although i didn't realize it at the time, what principles were most important to him. He didn't waste time... he never sat around BS'ing...he was always doing...even if sometimes that doing had to be undone and redone later. It mattered more to him that something was getting accomplished. And I also saw that nobody could do something better than him. In other words, hiring someone to come and do a task that could be done "in house" was not an option. If he needed a plumber, he put on the plumbing hat. If a drywall finisher was needed, he had a hat for that too and so on. You could never save money or time by hiring someone to do what you knew how to do...period. So he naturally has gotten pretty good at most things in that field.

After a few years of doing this kind of work and learning by going out on my own with some projects, i've learned that there is a value to my time just as money has a value to me. When you are broke, money is worth more than time. When you have money, at least enough...and you start to gain more...it's value starts to go down and your time starts to be worth more to you. To me there are some aspects, of construction in this case, that are not worth my time and worry...usually because i don't like doing them or I'm not that good at them. I guess i don't want to be a professional at everything. I want to do a few things that i like and be masters of them and then hire other people who are masters of the things i don't like or can't do well. I think that's the first step to moving towards being able to build a business that runs itself. My brother and i have done a few projects with our dad and it's been a challenge to keep with our way of thinking throughout the process.

Take this example, for instance. Just a few years ago my wife and I moved back to Knoxville, where I grew up, from Salt Lake City. My dad and mom were just getting ready to break ground on building their dream house on the lot they had bought and I joined in on the journey. Literally about the first thing that happens after excavating and pouring footings for the house is to build the foundation. We'd never layed a block foundation before and this one was goign to be huge! He decided he'd hire a guy to come and lay block to teach us and that we'd help. The biggest problem with this task was not laying the block, but getting the block down to the building site. It was on a downhill slope and the delivery trucks could not get it where it was needed so they dumped it 30 yards uphill. The days after saw us trying to figure out how to get the hundreds on blocks down to the site where the mason could lay them. Instead of hiring an excavator to cut in a small road down to the site so that the block could be loaded and hauled, we decided that we'd hoist up a rope with a pulley attached that went from the upper landing to the lower site. We'd zip the pulley with a rope attached up the line, attach one block at a time, and zip them down the line to another guy waiting. What an awesome idea! I think that's how they do it in the remote mountains of Brazil!...I forget how many days it took us to move hundreds of blocks, one at a time, down this zip line but I surely will never forget the experience... neither will the fourteen pairs of gloves I went through.

I guess sometimes it seems like the best way to learn something is to try it and make it work as you go. That's what the Hinckley thought process is: "I don't know really how to do this, but i'm going to do it anyway". That's what I've done for years now...figured it out as I've gone along because I've never had any other educator to tell me a better way. I've found through the example of Todd via the book he gave me some knowledge about what makes people free to have their money work FOR them.

My Dad has worked hard for every dime he's ever made and I think that's honorable and awesome. I've worked hard (by working hard I mean swinging a hammer in Southern 95 degree heat) for every dime I've made and I admit that I enjoy coming home after that kind of day knowing that I was productive and worked an honest day. But am I any less of a hard worker if I put my mind to work just like I put my physical body to work out in that sun? I don't think so. I think that there are infinitely different souls out there who measure success with very different sticks. Some will be content with getting their hands dirty all day every day knowing they are doing it their way. Their independance is more important and more valuable than the potential for more money. This is the category i've talked myself into for the past several years. And i love doing it my way. Some will crave the stability that comes with working for a big company and all the benefits that are attached to it. We need those people badly too. That's my wife. But some will choose that the thought of having more time to do what you want is worth more than what those two categories can offer. For those who are self employed and do their own thing, freedom is one of the driving forces behind what they do. But maybe they could think of it this way...If you hired guys to go do what you do during the day at the jobsite, you could be out revving up more business. If you're good, you could line up jobs for six months that your employees will keep busy with while you keep the books, pay the bills, keep the business running. But it won't take you eight hours a day, five days a week to keep the business part of the business running. You can be on vacation while your guys are on site, as long as you've trained them well enough and you trust them...and you can make the same money in the Bahamas as you would sitting at your desk. That sounds like freedom to me. Am I so concerned about the actual physicality of the job that i have to be there having my own hands do the work? Does that sense of accomplishment sound more productive and worth while than the chance to be out with my kids playing, seeing new things, making the relationship with my wife better? I can't justify that. Todd and lindsay came out to Knoxville for Christmas and made money the whole time they were here playing. Now that's how to work it! They had shoots going on and bridal shows where they were represented and all they had to do was pick up a cell phone and check in with the gal they hired to do it. That easy. I know Todd still has things he wants to learn but he is an example of thinking a different way. I want to develop that too. I've had the urges over the years to do it but i've not had the right mindset to make it reality. I'll steal a Covey word and say i needed a "paradigm shift". Yeah, now I sound like a Harvard Grad! I think I'm starting to get there...not to Harvard...to another way of thinking.

So, back to the title. I could go on for a while about how my dad and I are very similar but i'm tired of typing. Let it be enough to say that we are. We are musicians and songwriters, we're a little stubborn, we're good with our hands, we think about better ways to do things, and we both like to listen to Rush. But call it my generation or just call it me, I want to work hard in the newer way...the way that gives me more flexibility to go out and do lots of things and see lots of places...and to do those things during the work week and any other time. I want to be okay with letting an employee of mine do what i'd do...I don't want to be so concerned about the detail of how it's done, just that it's done and everyone's happy. I want to have that same feeling of pride and satisfaction after making a phone call as I do after I finish building a deck or tiling a bathroom for someone.

My dad hasn't necessarily taught me how to be succesful in a profession, he's taught me how to work hard and be proud of creating something and now it's up to me to take that ethic and turn it in to success.

30 Is Just A Number

2008-01-09T21:05:00.000-08:00

It's time that i post an explanation of my blog title. I've always thought it was funny that people make such a big deal out of birthdays and as they hit certian milestones in years they somehow feel older and sometimes less excited about the next year ahead. Numerous people around me who have hit 30 or 40 or any number that sounds old to them will without fail make a joke about the occasion such as "Next week is the big three-ohh...man i'm getting old...i can't believe i'm already 30". Sure they are just passing jokes to try and draw some attention...i know...but in every joke you know there is some truth. Often people joke about things that they wish they could seriously say as to cover up the real intent or soften the blow to those around them. So, if you joke that "It's all downhill from here", somehow it makes it okay or expected if bad things start happening to you after the cake is gone.

I believe that the way you measure your age has nothing to do with the number of years you've been on this earth, but more to do with the experiences you have under your belt. If you suddenly look in the mirror one morning and you notice several grey hairs replacing the rich brown ones from the day before, one may have the tendency to run to the nearest drug store for Rogaine or hide in your home for the next week while you deal with the cruel reality of your "old" age.

Instead, what if you thought about all the times you've spent with your family at crazy Christmas parties with kids running in every direction and how it was so loud that you got a migraine that lasted for three days? What if you saw in your mind that year back in '91 that you and your new bride lived in a dump of an apartment while you finished up school and ate ramen noodles that last month before you got a job? Could those grey hairs be a product of that vacation with the guys out to the Grand Canyon when you broke your ankle four days in and had to ride horseback all the way out of the canyon...and had the time of your life doing it? Maybe if we look at our age relative to those moments that we really lived in and made the most of we will not look so harshly on the next year or two or ten.

I just turned 30 on the 3rd of this month. I've held this philosiphy about age for a while now and every birthday for the past several years i think i've held true to it. The only thing that is different about this one is that our culture, or just human nature, has made the ages 30 and 40 something to avoid like the plague and those year milestones seem to be the most undesireable of any to achieve.

So, although i'm not down in the dumps that i've turned the big three-ohh, this one does make you look introspectively at your life and what you've achieved in this amount of time on earth. There are some small things i'd do differently...but largely i would not take anything back. I have a beautiful family. They bring me the most joy that is possible to experience. My two boys, Dawson and Carter, could never understand how much i love them and would give my life for them if needed. They brighten any stressful situation and drown out all fear. My wife is my best friend...we struggle, triumph, talk, listen, and i love her more than anything. She is so talented...she's a perfectionist who's not perfect...she tires to be and seeing that draws me to her. She's an instinctive mother and caregiver...she always wants to give gifts and she's very good at it. I love my parents and siblings severely...they've made me the person i am and i'm grateful to know them the way i do. I love the talents God has blessed me with...i find new things all the time that i enjoy and have a knack for and i hope to use them in some way in my life. I've had many experiences that have brought me to this point we call "30" and i am more excited than ever to see what tomorrow, next year, and yes even "40" have to offer because i know by that time i'll have 10 more years of richness to draw from and that's what ages me. After all, 40 is just a number too.

She asked me to Build Something

2008-01-01T13:11:00.001-08:00

It's Jan 1 '08 and i thought what a good day to start a journal, sort of. So here it is. So, the subject of my first post...the big one to kick off a new year! My wife asked me to build something!... Now, that shouldn't come as a surprise to most of you who know me because i'm a contractor...and...i build stuff all the time, right? Well, usually the things i build aren't what she has in mind for me to build and so we end up butting heads until i finally finish it. I built a play table for the boys a while back and it was either too big, too small, too green, too heavy, or to weird. But, it turned out awesome and there it sits in the boys room getting used every day.

So I was surprised when she asked me to build something... some custom shelves for the boys room to organize the toys and books. Maybe she's being charitible and showing confidence in my ability to create what she has in mind. Let's just think positive! I'm sure i'll be back to follow this up when they are complete. Really this one should be a breeze because it was her idea. That's how it works, fellas.