Ah, Married Life

Stick 'em Up

Happy Monday!

Yep, it's been a week and a half and I'm still a happily married man!

Very, very happy.

Of course, this time, there was really no guessing. It really does make all the difference in the world when you love, love, love the person you're married to.

I tried it the other way and hoped for the best before and that one was not so good............

But that's the cool thing about life, you can start over whenever you want to.

So why do so many people feel trapped? All you have to do is look around and you can find legions of miserable people who feel they are STUCK.

And it is hard, the starting over thing. But if you really want to do it and have the capcity in your heart to love - then let the big dog run. When you love, things are so much easier and the guess work is not so mind-numbing.

Anyway, that's not what I'm posting about. I just can't seem to stop talking about it.

My friend with the baby that was sick I talked about in my previous post is well and at home with mommy and daddy and there is much rejoicing in our community. Love it when a storybook ending happens in real life.

I still haven't been to see them - we've been requested to let them rest and catch up on sleep and life in general - but I've got some wonderful bbq pork, beans, potato salad to take over there to soothe their souls. Nothing like a little Southern Bbq to make you feel better about EVERYTHING IN LIFE!

Back to the title of this post.................

Stick 'em up!

I went to a cowboy shoot this Saturday. For those that don't know these things, it is the largest competitive shooting format going on these days. And it's exactly what it sound like. Cowboy shooting. You can go to www.sassnet.com and check it out.

I was a little tentative about this because one of the "historically correct" things that you have to do is to dress in "period dress".

And I am all boy, so I love Star Wars and Star Trek and all that kind of stuff - but I'm not the kind of boy that dresses up like Mr. Spock and goes to a convention.

I took my secretary's husband with me. He is all things GUNS. He's a gun dealer, a veteren from the first Gulf War, a sniper, a state champion high-powered rifle boy. But most importantly, he knows all there is to know about guns - so I thought it would be good to take him and see if he was interested in it as well.

He, like I, was worried about the "geek factor" (which is kind of like the O'Reilly Factor - only with guns). But much to our surprise, when we got there, the "historically correct dress" was not a big deal. Most folks just had jeans, boots, long sleeved henley pullovers and cowboy hats for the most part.

But the cool thing was that everything stopped when we walked up and everyone came over and made us feel very welcome. Which is unusual when you are starting a new endeavor.

They treated us boys in shorts and flip flops like we were royalty and made us a couple of believers right then and there.

This shooting thing is very cool. They have an entire "town" build in the midde of a huge field way out in the country. There are something like 12 buildings and other assorted stuff. They shoot 5 stages at each competition. The guns you use are two single action six shooters, a 1873 Winchester rifle and a sawed-off shotgun. There are metal targets, spinning targets, skeet that flies up and all kinds of stuff. Each stage is done in one of the buildings. You shoot out of windows, around bar stools, etc.

And the thunder of the 45 caliber colts is magical. Hooked this boy in 5 minutes.

So I think my search for an activity I can do once a month after my back surgery has been found. I can't play golf anymore - My motorcycle is totaled (damn it) and I can't be as physical as I used to be. So maybe blowing lead at targets in a competitive environment will be the answer.

If you are looking for me on the third Saturday of the month, I'll be at the Mississippi Peacemaker's range fulfilling every little boy's dream. And if you decide to show up, make sure you're up range instead of down!

Peace.

Faith

Today is the first day of the rest of my life.

At least, that’s what I tell myself each morning whether I hop out of bed or drag myself out of bed (depending on the circumstances).

You see, life really is all in the attitude.

At least, I truly believe that our QUALITY of life is all in the attitude.

I am surrounded by examples of positive stuff all the time.

Case in point. We have some very good friends that have a long awaited baby. The baby came yesterday and there was something wrong. The mother’s antibodies were eating the baby’s platelets and his blood wouldn’t clot and there was much fear that his organs and brain could bleed out. They had to airlift the baby to the neonatal super-duper-fix-it-up center in the State Capitol.

Everyone was freaking out.

Everyone that is, except the mom.

That incredibly beautiful and immensely talented lady was calm as a cucumber and knew that everything would be all right.

In other words, she had FAITH.

And yes, you can stop holding your breath – everything is going to be all right. All of us got some extra prayer time in but the baby is going to be fine. And little Thomas has more hair on his head at 2 days old than I ever had.

Life is beautiful. Or at least, it can be.

So even as my heart sunk as I heard of the problems with the baby – the reaction of the mother allowed me to be of good cheer instead of having my stomach all balled up in a knot.

And it doesn’t have to be “big” things. Even the simple act of getting up and going to work can bring us joy. If you find yourself in a rut, just look up someone you know that doesn’t have a job and then check to see if you are fortunate or not.

I’m guilty as the rest of the world of sometimes wallowing in my own woes. But in reality I live a very, very charmed life.

I am now MARRIED to the woman of my dreams (pinch me, I may still be dreaming). I have two wonderful kids, even if one of them is preggers when she shouldn’t be and is living under some serious delusions right now.

I know deep down that all I have to do is to love my people and be there for them and no matter what happens, it will be all right in the end.

So hug someone today.

You’ll have to excuse me now, I’m going to dance like no one is watching (and thank God that I’m doing that in my big corner office where no one CAN see me – because I dance just like a white boy!)

Peace

Viva Las Vegas

Wow, just got in from a very cool trip to Las Vegas.

Yep, finally talked the girl of my dreams into being my wife.

Tied the knot on the top of the Stratosphere, the tallest building west of the Mississippi.

I am one happy, happy boy.

Following the Yellow Brick Road

My life has been so damn busy lately, I haven’t been doing a very good job posting.

Sorry Charlie!

Not sure where I left off or where I’m going – but did I mention last time that I was in love? Oh yea, I’m in love big time. And after several years, it just keeps getting stronger – like an REM song.

Speaking of old things. Went last weekend to see the Police in New Orleans. Wow, what a great show. I divorced myself from any feelings of nostalgia and watched it through eyes that had no expectations and was amazed at the wonderful and technical nature of the music. But the energy – the thing you can’t fake – was amazing. I was very impressed with the old boys. Sting looked 35 and was in fabulous shape. And besides singing “down” an octive or two in a few occasions, his voice was as strong as ever.

All in all, it was an amazing experience. Especially since we were in a luxury suite. Not a bad way to go.

Went to see the new “Transformers” movie last night. Never knew a thing about those toys but my son told me that the movie was one of the coolest things he has seen in quite a while, so on that advice alone, I went. And boy, was he right. That was a very cool movie. Most assuredly a boy movie – not many girls in the audience. But I will say that the 8:05pm Sunday night showing in Hattiesburg, MS was sold out. I mean SOLD OUT. Which is very bizarre.

This movie has an incredible word-of-mouth thing going on. Next weekend is my Die Hard or Live Free moment.

My girl hates my choice of movies. I tell her all the time that I can’t help it – it’s a boy-thing and she wouldn’t understand……….

That actually works.

Let’s see – what else goes on in the world……..Oh, I went out Saturday and shot my WWI and WWII guns at the range at Camp Shelby (where they train all the babies to go to Iraq to protect our freedom??)

The M1 Garand was fabulous. First chance I’d had to shoot it since I bought it. Put 15 of 16 inside the target at 150 yards. Not bad for an old fellow. I could NOT imagine being a German soldier and having to face a company of those things firing in repetition. Those 30.06 sound like cannons and make the .223 M16 stuff look like baby rounds. Then I shot my Lee-Enfield .303 that I’ve had my entire life. It was a little rusty – but for a weopon used literally in 1905, it was pretty cool to shoot. It kicked like a mule and shot very accurately with the adjustable windage on the sights.

All in all a very good day.

At the end of this month, it was going to be very cool because I had tickets to see the White Stripes at an outdoor concert just south of Memphis – but alas, I have to be in Chicago that day. But the exciting thing about the Chicago trip is that I’m taking the girl and the train up there. Never taken Amtrak. Hope the 19 hours from New Orleans to Chicago will be fulfilling. I’m sure since I have a room, it will be fulfilling to SOMEONE!!!!

Anyway, enough snippets of my life. Not much of substance to write – more of feeling a tad guilty about not posting so I threw everything at the wall and saw what stuck.

Hope your week is wonderful.

Hope your life is wonderful.

I love mine.

Peace.