The saying goes "Life is a game we all play" and what an amazing game it can be. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but the fun part about the game is you never know till you play.

Live, Laugh and Love. Another saying that I have always thought describes the perfect way life should be.

To Live....It is different for each person but for me it means waking up each day and trying to have a better day than the previous one. That sometimes is easier said than done. Some of my favorite days are very hard to top. On a beach in Mexico, fishing with my dad when I was young, the day my nephew was born, sitting next to a stream in Colorado, just God and me, floating down the river with some of my best friends. These are a few of the many great days I have lived but there have been tough times too unfortunately. One of the ways I like to "live" is random road trips. You know those spur of the moment, pack in 10 minutes and just go kind of trips. Alone or with friends, they are hard to beat. Another cool thing is to do something that surprises everybody, including yourself. Busting out a solo dance at a wedding, playing air guitar on stage with your favorite band, skinny dipping{not that I have ever done that}, riding a roller coaster with your hands in the air. It can be anything you chose as long as it makes you feel alive .

To Laugh....My favorite thing in the world to do. Rib hurting, eyes watering, can't catch your breathe laughter is the best feeling in the world to me. Those moments are sometimes few and far between but always worth the wait. Laughter can make your troubles seem smaller and sometimes even make them go away. Making someone else laugh is a two for one deal that is hard to beat as well. Those days that several years later you think about and laugh all over again are the best of times. You know when you see something that reminds you of that day, be it a can of black eyed peas or a hot air balloon basket, if it triggers a smile...then it must have been a pretty cool day! The neat thing about laughter is its free and everyone can do it. Sometimes we get so caught up in life and worrying about things we have no control over that we forget to step back and enjoy the moment at hand. Just like everyone else, I have had bad days too. However, if I can make myself laugh or just crack a smile, I usually see that things will get better. I always get a good laugh or two in when I call someone up I have not seen in a while and talk of old times. When I was little I had a Snoopy light switch cover that said "Smile...it makes people wonder what you have been up too"...it was the last thing I saw when I walked out of my room...and I'm still smiling.

To Love....Love is a powerful and meaningful word. It takes on many shapes and forms. I love God! I love my country! I love hanging out with friends. These are few ways love can be expressed. The best form of love is when it is giving to someone who means so much to you and they give it tenfold in return. It may seem like a rare commodity, but that's what makes it so valuable. I see it in so many of my friends eyes and I know that is what I dream of having. For example, there is a guy in my home town whose wife is in a wheelchair and in very bad health and yet he finds the strength to smile and enjoy life because he loves her so deeply and she loves him more. Even though it may appear to you and me that he lost, he knows he is a winner of his game. He is Living, Laughing, Loving and enjoying every minute of it. Although love has been my Achilles' heel, I keep playing my game hoping I too can win someday.

Cultural Shock

It is funny how certain things that we do on a day to day basis that are so average or part of the job to us can seem so fascinating to someone who has never seen or done anything like it and it reminds yourself of why it is you are doing something you love to do.

On my trip to Boston to visit my sister, I traveled through the airport system to get there and just like everyone else on the plane, I was anxiously waiting at each stop to see who I would be sharing my small space with for the next leap frog from airport to airport. Sometimes you get the person who just wants to sleep, the person who will talk your ear off or the person who needed a bath about three days ago! Luckily I got none of the above. I had the privilege of meeting a young lady who was the owner of a fresh furniture company called Russell & Mackenna and you can find them online at russellmackenna.com. After a few minutes of chit chat, she asked me what I did for a living. I said I am a Cotton Farmer out in West Texas and this opened a flood gate of questions she had about my occupation. Sometimes we forget how the simple things we take for granted and give little meaning to can be intriguing to someone who has never been around such things. Well, one thing led to another and as we were landing she mentioned how she would like to come to Texas and tell my story in her upcoming catalog because they use only 100% American made products to build their furniture. Even though I figured I would probably never hear from this lady again, I told her she could come out anytime, we exchanged phone numbers and went on with our busy lives.

After a few text messages and a few emails later, Lauren, the nice lady from the plane, was standing in my cotton field getting pictures taken by her friend Lee of Lee Kriel Photography. {like how I plugged both of you guys in my blog?}
I have to be honest I was not sure what to expect when they got here. Lauren had mentioned maybe taken some photos of me playing football and campfires and making a country music video out on the farm. All of you guys who know me know that most of the time I am OK with you videoing me playing football by the campfire but this is harvest, the busiest time of year for me, so I hated to tell Lauren I'm too busy for that right now but I think after a short time on the farm she came to the conclusion on her on.

Lauren's first of many comments was how fresh the air was. We were having a typical windy west Texas day so I really thought the air was a little dirty but the only thing I had to compare that to was a rare calm West Texas day. I gave her a ride on the cotton stripper and answered a few of her questions but not as many as she wanted. What is it about when a person puts a recorder in your face, you clam up? Or is that just me? Anyway, I hope I answered enough. She told me that she wanted to show how cotton went from the field to the gin to the mill and eventually ending up in her furniture. I really appreciated her taken up an interest in not just my cotton but in agricultural as a whole. I think that there are so many people in this world who do not understand or just simple have never been around agriculture and are unaware of how important it is and how much it effects everything and everybody in some way. So I was glad to help out. I will admit I felt a little weird posing out on the farm for photos but I have done worse....probably will not blog that though....haha.

I am certain that if I ever make it out to Maryland again and I happen to get to tour Russell & Mackenna that I am going to be the one with all the questions and with the wow look on my face. I do not have any pictures yet to post with this blog but I will plug them in as soon as possible. So with that said....Blog To Be Continued.

Raider Power!!

They say every dog has its day. Well today that dog is the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Nationally ranked at the number 2 spot, the Red Raiders are enjoying arguably their best year ever. Now football is HUGE in Texas, be it high school, college or professional, every weekend it is the ticket to entertainment, but in my opinion nothing compares to college football! The excitement that it brings every Saturday is second to none and Texas Tech is no exception. Unlike certain colleges like Texas, USC, Ohio State, Oklahoma to name a few, who are constant contenders for a National Championship, Texas Tech is new to this stage. Holding their own fate in their hands, if Tech continues to win with games against number 5 Oklahoma and Baylor, then meeting up with Missouri more than likely in the Big 12 Championship game, then they will play in the biggest game in school history, the National Championship. The atmosphere surrounding the Texas Tech campus, Lubbock and the south plains reminds me of that of the early 90's when the Lady Raiders brought home the National Championship trophy in NCAA women's basketball. The success of those ladies carried on for a decade afterwards with several repeat performances in the NCAA basketball tournament. So I am hoping that Gerald Myers {the Texas Tech Athletic Director} and the athletic department are smart enough to pay whatever amount of money is needed to keep our pirate captain Mike Leach aboard! With talk of teams such as Tennessee willing to pay whatever Leach wants to bring his style of football to them, he is certainly a hot topic among struggling programs. Surely the Texas Tech Athletic Department has noticed the positive change he has brought to our beloved University. Sell out games, national t.v. coverage and the birth of Raiderville prove that he is worth the dollar amount that comes with his master mind! So come next Saturday, in Norman, Oklahoma the Raiders and Coach Leach will try one more time to beat a top ten team and get one step closer to a trip to Florida! Go Raiders!!

Call it a bucket list, a dream list, whatever, but I was able to mark one of those things "I got to do before I die" off my list. A good buddy of mine is working on a ranch in southern Colorado and he invited me to come up and hangout with him and several of his friends so I jumped at the chance. Now I will be the first to admit I am not a cowboy. However, I am not totally green to the whole concept. I have been around cattle my whole life. Both of my grandad's had cattle. I have helped my uncle and several friends with their cattle operations. I have done everything from dehorn to castrate to help pull a calf from a momma cow who was having difficulty {and no I didn't name him Norman....I named him Thunder}. Some of my childhood memories revolve around cattle. I used to spend the night with my grandparents on Friday just so I could go to the sale with my grandad on Saturday's. Sometimes I even got to bid on the cows he was buying and a few he wasn't planning on buying.....oops! I remember one time we were hauling a huge wild bull with a bad attitude to Muleshoe and he jumped out the top of the cattle trailer and my grandad said "that's good enough" and we just turned around and went back home. Where that bull is now nobody knows.


Like I said earlier, I am not a cowboy. It isn't because I don't own a single cow, a horse or even a pair of spurs. Who is to say that tomorrow I wont go out and buy a hundred head to eat my milo stalks or graze on my wheat to help make ends meet. It is simply the fact that cowboys do not deserve to be lowered to my ranking on the cowboy chart. Just like someone who owns a tractor is not necessarily a farmer. I have the utmost respect for ranchers. The things that these men and women do is amazing. I think I could compare ranching with farming to some degree with a few exceptions. A rancher/cowboy has to deal with the elements of nature, an open market of trade, be able to balance profit and loss due to increased costs of fuel, feed, labor etc., be everything from an accountant to a veterinarian to a business man. He must be willing to accept the fact that there will be good years and bad, but most of all love what he does.

Back to the list. So I headed up to Durango Colorado to hang out with my friend Matt. This ranch was heaven on earth. Josh, one of the ranch owners, took me up to a place they call Deep Creek. Josh's grandad bought this place back in the day and now it is surrounded by national forest. After doing a little bit of work, Tom, another ranch owner, ask me if I wanted to ride his horse. I answered yes before he could finish the question.
I have been going to the mountains since I can remember and I always said that it would be awesome to get to ride a horse through Gods country and to be able to do it with some good friends just made the event that much sweeter. While we were riding through aspens and pines, time stood still. No worries entered my mind. Just great thoughts, smiles and a recording of that day's events and the people who shared it with me. Hopefully I am welcomed back there someday and that day can be relived over and over just as it is in my mind. Who knows what tomorrow brings. Perhaps I will be able to cross out parachuting and bungie jumping or a hot air balloon ride. So I hope you have a list. I hope it is long and I hope you are able to mark off everyone of your adventures as I plan on doing!!

The Miracle of Life

Lots can happen in 274 days....or 9 months. For example a piece of farm land can go from a blank canvass of soil to a emerging crop of hope to a snow bank field of white cotton. It is truly an amazing transformation, but that's for a later blog. Today I am celebrating another miracle, the miracle of life. I am giddy, for the lack of a better word. I held in my hands this week a true miracle from God.

About a year and a half ago my sister and brother-in-law found out they could not have children naturally and they were devastated. Their only hope was a low percentage but very expensive routine called in vitro. I could explain how all that works, but Web M.D. could be more specific and I don't want to be! So they decided to give it a whirl and went through with the procedure. After all was said and done, they had 7 very good specimens, 3 or 4 good and several not so good. After placing 3 eggs back to their origin, the waiting game began. I can only imagine the flood of emotions they must have felt when that pregnancy test came back positive. I know I was grinning from ear to ear so I am sure theirs was ten fold.

Several months later we got a little glimpse of what was to come.

Today's modern technology is like that of another world. Thank goodness there are smarter people than me out there.

Finally on October 13, 2008, Cal entered into this world and the life of my family was forever changed. My sister said it best by saying "how did we ever live without him"? All I know is Christmas is gonna be a blast! I went ahead and bought him a Red Raider cap today even though his dad is pushing this Alabama thing. {haha}



I have always been a person who loves kids! Maybe because I'm still a kid at heart or maybe it just keeps me feeling younger, whatever, I love kids! Even back when I volunteered at UMC, I told them that all I wanted to do was hangout with the kids and they let me and even though these kids were in pain, unimaginable pain, we still found laughter and good thoughts. I miss hanging out with those kids. Now with the gift of Cal he has filled that void.

Cal already has a personality which is growing minute by minute. He is such a happy kid and is just as lucky to have such great parents as they are to have him. They make a great team!!

It is amazing how a small bundle of joy can effect your life so much. I was pretty down on some things, my crop, where I am in my life and a few other things and since Cal came into my life, this 7 lb boy has lifted me up so high and reminded me that I too have a miraculous life to live.

This is the first of many, many stories to come involving my favorite nephew...I promise. So I think God everyday for Cal and I can't wait for the adventures we are certain to share together......I Love You Buddy!!!

The Farmers Prayer

Lord, give me pride, pride in myself, my family
and pride in my farm.

Give me a full growing season to work the land
and watch your miracle of life unfold.

Make me a good steward of the land, give me
strength for long hours and hard work.

Give me wisdom to enjoy the bounty of harvest
and humility to accept your will in poor times.

Help me be a good neighbor, to give help eagerly
and accept help from others when needed.

Give me the ability to see a new idea and give me
willingness to share my knowledge unselfishly.

Help me listen to others opinions, but give me
the power to decide for myself.

Help me eliminate the things that do not work
and concentrate on those that will.

And Lord, give me the opportunity to pass on to my
children America's Greatest Natural Resource.

"Planes, Trains and Automobiles"

This is my sad attempt at blogging, so I apologize for any and all spelling, grammer and just plain "what was he thinking" errors. With that said, here goes nothing.......

I have known for sometime now that I am from Texas, but I was reminded of this on numerous occasions over the past weekend. I spent some "overdue" time with my middle sister who lives in Boston, and whom I have not seen in about a year or so. Although it took me over 9 hrs to get there including going to 5 airports, my first ride on an Amtrak train, 2 taxi rides and a maze of transits, it was nice to see where my sister resides and what makes her world go round. I have always been intrigued by meeting people and where better than the birthplace of our great nation. As soon as my vocals began to ring out "how are yall doing" or "howdy" or "yes mam/yes sir" every ear that caught those words would raise an eyebrow and most the time a smile and they would all say.... where are you from? {I know I have a southern draw but had I not known this before I got there I definitely know it now!} My mouth and the words that came out of it turned out to be a great ice breaker and I learned that I am not the only one who sounds funny to a virgin ear. During the short time I spent there I learned that the natives pronounce Boston as Bahstun and Charleston as Chahlston, so I was getting good at carrying my A's by the time I left.

One of the first things that caught my eyes were the buildings and houses that seem to each have a great story that went with them. This church was the first building that I saw once I walked out of the train station, which by the way was way more comfortable than my southwest airline seat! No one owns a car here either, which, the first thing I thought of is how these people sure miss out on a spur of the moment road trip. I have 5 vehicles, I admit is probably too many but each serves a purpose except for "snowball" the pickup I had in high school, its just for memories and a project later down the road. The jeep, on the other hand is so fun to just get in and hit the dirt roads....love doing that! Thats for a later blog, back to Boston. I arrived there at 6:30 and by 7 I was sitting in Fenway Park with some awesome seats. We were right next to the "green monster" and the crowd around us made the whole experience amazing.

When I was in high school I was like most kids, I didn't pay much attention to what was being taught, since then however I have become very interested in history, be it American, Texas or what have you, I'm very interested in it. New England is so rich with this history that I felt like I was part of a History Channel documentary. Although it was a monsoon the whole time I was there I was still able to get out and see a small piece of this history. I visited Bunker Hill, the U.S.S. Constitution, walked by Paul Revere's house, the Freedom Trail, the harbor where the Boston Tea Party took place. etc. you get the picture. I know that sounds so old folk like but it was cool to see these places I have only read or heard about. At bunker hill, we ran into a guy who was running up the stairs of the lookout tower, which was 246 steps straight up, who had lived there his whole life, and he gave us a very detailed explaination of everything we could see from where Boston burned to the lookout windows on top of houses where the women would look out to sea hoping to see their men coming in. It was so neat visualizing those stories.

I tried my first clam chowder ever here. I am very picky when it comes to eating and trying new foods, but this stuff was pretty good if I must say so. On the last night I had to stay in Providence, RI in order to catch my 7 hr flight back to Dallas via Pliladelphia and San Antonio. I tried to see find some history while I was there but since it was sunday most everything was closed so I ended up at a sports bar{shocking I know} called Mcfadden's and watched the Cowboys get beat. Asked around for the best steak in town, tried it, not bad but it was no Las Brisas! I did stay at a really nice hotel with a great view of the capitol as my trip came to a end.

We so often forget the sacrifices made to live in a free world. The bloodshed that our forefathers gave is immeasureable and is the backbone to who we are and will always be.