Viva la Mexico! Ciudad Acuna!

This are some pictures from our run to Del Rio / Acuna back in March 09. Just thought I would share because I found them on the computer today. The Stag Run is always a good time and I enjoy the time spent with my fellow brothers.

In front of Jessie Billiards with an Ice Cold Tecate and a shot of tequilla that I have obviously hid in my pants for some reason. What the hell?

Hookers! I'm that naive that I didn't even know. My Castillian Spanish is excellent, Tex-Mex not so much. So the fact that they where negotiating a price and I was ordering a beer didn't work out so well. $25.00 for a Tecate was a little steep considering I had just payed 50 cents for one around the corner at Jessie's.

Pictures of Colter Fall 2009

It's been a whirlwind couple of months for all of us. I haven't had a lot of time to post anything on here due to the fact that our life has been pretty crazy lately. With work, Cheryl and Colter, the club, and College Football I tend to forget just about everything. Anyway, here are some pictures of Colter from the past few months. He will be 6 months old around Thanksgiving. Time has really flown by!!

Here is a picture of Colter during the Red River Rivalry. We don't normally allow Burnt Orange in my house but we made an exception this one time. The deal is, Colter's Uncle Cory is attending UT and will soon be graduating. Cory and Allison got Colter this shirt for the game so we thought that we would let him wear it this one time. You will see what happened later on.....

Obviously, Colter wasn't a big fan of UT or OU at this time. Which Cheryl and I had nothing to do with. He made this decision on his own. From what I can gather, he wasn't to excited about the "stellar" play by either team. His Dad can totally agree with that.

Here, Colter and I are discussing the finer points of the spread offense and the whole Mike Leach system. The fact that my 5 month old has a pretty good grasp on the concept speaks highly of Cheryl and myself's parenting skills. Not only is he the best looking kid ever, he is intelligent to boot!! I give props to his mom on this one.

In this photo, Colter is explaing why having a 2 back set is somewhat beneficial and somewhat hindering at the same time. While there are 2 running backs behind the line of scrimmage, that won't always keep the defensive backs honest with their intentions. You can use them to pick up a blitz or surge out for a swing pass, but the DB doesn't have to give up his position / look before the play is in motion. I'm so impressed with my son's extensive knowledge of football at his age that I........

eat his foot. That's all I can think to do at this point. Although I'm very proud of my son and his ability to understand the game of football, I'm a little worried that he will get a grasp on it and start telling me what's going on rather than the other way around. Fun to think about yet a little scary at the same time.

Here we are discussing the inner-workings of the internal combustion engine. In particular the Harley Davidson V-Twin. To make it even more complicated we have narrowed it down to the 74" Panhead. He has yet again baffled me with his brilliance. Proud father to say the least.....

Colter is only about 4 months old in this picture but he knows what he likes. At the rate he's growing we should have one big and healthy boy on our hands. The thought of the grocery bill is making me think I might need a second job to support his eating habits.

Quality father-son time. He likes to be tossed in the air for long periods of time. To the point my arms are like rubberbands. He also likes to scare other family members when we do this......

We call this one the "upside down baby". You can tell by the look on his face that this is probably in his top 5 Favorite Things. He will giggle and laugh for hours on end. I know, you are jealous of me and the fact that my son is super awesome.

Music, I'm going there with this post.

My musical tastes vary. Blues, Metal, Country, Texas Country, and Rock. That's in no particular order. Well, it kind of is but itsn't at the same time.

What I'm hoping to do here is maybe open some eyes to different talent that you may not have ever heard of. There is a possiblity that you haven't heard everything that is available to your specific genre. These are in no specific order.

Blues - Smokin Joe Kubek, Tab Benoit, Freddie King, Wes Jeans, Dave Hole, Walter Trout, Muddy Waters, Derek Trucks Band, Gov't Mule, Louisiana Red, Buddy Guy, Canned Heat, Back Door Slam, Eric Sardinas, North Mississippi Allstars, Poppa Chubby, Coco Montoya, Rob Orlemans, Albert Cummings, Anthony Gomes Band, Charlie Musselwhite, Chigger Red, Chris Duarte, Eric Jerardi Band, Joe Bonamassa, Mississippi Heat, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Hill Country Review, Stony Curtis Band, Tinsley Ellis, Watermelon Slim, Stevie Ray Vaughn, BB King, Eric Clapton yada yada yada.

and I just decided that I'm going to have to get my ipod to complete this post. There is entirely to much music and my brain can't bring up all the artist.

To Be Continued......

David Allan Coe in all his wisdom......

This song was written by David Allan Coe many years ago. Some people like him and some people don't. I personally don't have a problem with the guy and I love some of his older tunes. I almost want to dedicate this song to my wife because she gets "it".

Panheads Forever - David Allan Coe

She's hard to get started
She's always so cold
In the mornings I find her -
She's looking so old
There's so many miles
I've been down that road once or twice
She's not much to look at
When we ride thru town
But I know when the chips fall
She won't let me down
She knows how to run
And she don't run around on her man

She's a high flyin' lady
She takes me where I want to be
There's no other woman
Standing between her and me
I'll always be faithful
And keep her 'til the end of time
God knows I'll always love
That old Panhead of mine

I've seen fancy dressers
And they've caught my eye
I rode'em to ride'em
Then I told them goodbye
I flirted with Low Riders
Sportsters and Shovelheads too
I cussed her and beat her
And kicked her to just get her started
A couple of times
God knows I'll always love
That old Panhead of mine.

If you are a true Harley Enthusiast you should have tears in your eyes right now.......

Texas Tech Football

I know there aren't a lot of people following my blog, but that's ok. I actually spend more time on www.doubletnation.com as a contributor for all things Texas Tech. If anybody is interested in the team and what they do, head on over and check it out.

There are a lot of good people on the blog and it's always a good time. It's the home of "smart football" as far as I'm concerned. I've learned a lot in the past few months about Leach and his coaching. It truly is a beautiful thing.

The following websites are a couple of good writeups on football.

http://www.bucksweep.com/spreademandshredem/playbooks/1999%2520Oklahoma%2520Offense%5B1%5D.pdf

www.smartfootball.com

http://www.econ.berkeley.edu/~dromer/papers/JPE_April06.pdf

Procrastination

I plan on solving this little issue tomorrow... ah ha, ah ha.......

More pictures of Colter....

This was Colter's reaction when we told him there was no water on the lake right now and he couldn't go swimming or wakeboard. I feel for him. In fact, I was having the exact same reaction on the other side of the camera.

Colter's 4th of July outfit. I wasn't in Austin to see this, but it didn't turn out to bad. Good job Mom, you can still pick out clothes as of right now. He sure is a good looking kid. His hair is getting really long....

This is Colter and I inside a big tree. I didn't really think that I would fit at first. I didn't dare look behind me and see the troll of elf that was awaiting me.

Colter tends to get a little gassy after feeding. This little trick here relieves the gas and makes him smile. I've had countless friends that are parents look at this kinda weird. The moms don't approve and the dads admit to liking it.

Colter is developing a great taste for good music. Here, we're enjoying the finer notes of Led Zeppelin's "Ramble On". I am going to take full credit for that. Thank you!! He's really fond of just about anything on the radio or ipod, but it seemed to calm him down and make him smile when I would sing to him. We've also discovered he likes George Strait, Freddie King, ZZ Top, Johnny Winter, Pat Travers, Blues Traveler, Lynard Skynard, John Lee Hooker, Wes Jeans, Joe Bonamasa, Dave Hole, Walter Trout Power Trio, Derek Trucks Band, and countless other blues bands. He hasn't quite taking a liking to my metal preferences but he does tolerate it at lower volumes. He has absolutely no taste for classical music at this point. Kind of strange but I can deal with it. I didn't like it until I was older either.

Colter's weekend in Austin

This was taking at Krause Springs in Spicewood, TX. This is right down the road from the lakehouse and it's a great place to cool off. You might ask why we can't cool off at the lake. That's because there is NO FREAKIN WATER!! The LCRA is sending the water south to who knows where...... Yes, he is flexing....

I guess this is the view from the other side. On a side note, I'm not to fond of the way my pictures load on the blog. I feel like I'm having to tell my story backwards.....

This is Colter and I asleep at the lake house in Austin. Cheryl asked me to hold him for a minute while she got ready for the day and I did. We just went back to sleep. I can count on this move almost all the time. I just don't sleep real well like this due to the fact that he punches me in the jugular when I start to snore. Colter and I both snore a little bit, he wins the battle on sleeping everytime.

Sweet baby boy! He was attentive from his first breath. I know a lot of you have kids and they are all beautiful. Not as beautiful as mine. I don't care what you say, that is a handsome young man. Don't be jealous, that's just the way it is. This is 90% sarcasm and 10% serious. Cheryl make beautiful boys named Colter. Probably girls too....

This is during Colter's first bath. Cheryl's mom offered to do the honors. From the looks of it, this kid loves to get his hair washed. There are 6 people crammed in the hall bathroom of our home to witness this and it was all laughs. He no longer fits in this sink, so we moved to the laundry room where there is adequate space and quicker access to towels.

This picture was taken about an hour after Colter was born. From here on out nobody has been allowed to hold my son, if I'm able to hold him myself. That is due to the fact that I'm pretty selfish when it comes to my son. I enjoy every second I get with him and quite frankly, I don't want to share that with anybody, that would be an oppourtunity missed on my part. Now, I will admit, there are times that I can't hold him and Cheryl or somebody else is better off with him. Let's say when he's hungry or he has had enough of Dad all together. That happens more often than I care to admit.

A few pictures of Colter and I

This has got to be one of my favorite pictures of Colter. I absolutely love it. He wasn't actually screaming or upset when this was taken. He seems to have so much personality at this point and that stands true to this day. He loves to make faces and loves to get reactions out of Cheryl and I. When he is really upset, he will poke his bottom lip out and almost make you cry. Beautiful baby boy, I really do adore him. He's my hero!!

Let's discuss the title of my blog.....

I know it sounds like a strange name, but it's so fitting. My wife speaks this phrase more times a week than most people shower. I keep her on her toes and keep her laughing constantly. She loves it. It makes our relationship what it is. You may or may not know that Cheryl has Fibromyalgia, which is like a chronic fatigue illness. She has her good days and bad. But she always keeps her head up. I do whatever I can to make her smile and laugh. This sometimes involves slapstick comedy and pain on my part, but it's soooo worth it.

I tend to go above and beyond the norm to make her laugh. I'll give you a short list of the funnier incidents.

During the early part of our relationship I got in a bloodletting fight with her suitcase. Don't ask how, but I did it. I don't remember the specifics, you'll have to ask her.

While I was in college in Dallas, Cheryl drove in from Lubbock to visit me for the weekend. We had gone to eat somewhere and she was having a bad day with the FMS. So spur of the moment, I decide I desperately need to go thru her purse while she's driving. I managed to get the purse stuck around my head and neck, causing me to freak out just a tad bit. I had not intended this little bit to go that far. While trying to get the purse off of my head I managed to slam my face into the passanger window a few times causing me to squeal and her to laugh. I'm actually a little scared with my predicament now and I don't know how I'm going to explain this at the hospital. I finally managed to get the purse removed from my now blue head and face and regain conciousness. Yeah, it was that bad. The purse sadly did not make it.

While Cheryl was in Lubbock I went to visit and see some of our mutual friends. We where sitting on the balcony of her apartment when Triston showed up. I had not seen Triston in years and was rather excited to see her. I had planned to meet her at the door. I had not planned to take the screen door from the balcony with me thru the house to greet her at the door. Well, I did. I did it as cool as possible. I gave her the screen door, said hello, turned red, grabbed another beer, and went back outside to try and get away from all the laughter I had caused.

While in college, I lived in Dallas with my Dad and Stepmom. I did this because an apartment in Dallas may as well have been a mansion. There wasn't a chance in hell I could afford one and still go to school while paying my other bills. I did work in college but I could not afford $800.00 a month rent on top of everything else. So I lived with my dad. Dad decided I needed chores around the house when I was 19. No problem, I was getting free room and board, I couldn't complain. One of my weekly chores was to rid the backyard of dog poop. I did this every week before I mowed the yard. At some point the neighbors behind us had started to throw their trash in our backyard and in the back of my truck. I was getting really tired of this and decided to do something about it. I started to throw it all in their yard. This didn't solve anything. Then I decided it would be more fun to slingshot my dogs' "business" into their backyard and on their house. I'm not really that mean, but you have to understand, they where a royal pain in the ass for me. Setting my alarm off in the middle of the night, broken mirrors on my truck, shoe polish on the windshield, the list goes on and on. Cheryl happened to witness this act one afternoon. I didn't really want her to see it, she just happened to be in the back yard with me at the time. I sent the "business" flying.......... right into the wall of our shed and all over our fence. I cringed and said some choice words. I turned around to get the water hose and noticed Cheryl. I really turned red. She was doubled over laughing.....

One thing that happens constantly around our home is Cheryl being right and me being wrong and very stubborn about it. I do this on the hour every hour. But it is usually to get a laugh out of her. This will start out as a simple conversation and then I take it downhill after that. I'll make ridiculous requests and suggestions. I'll talk about things that aren't even close to relevant. That's when I get the infamous "seriously honey?" You really have to see this bit live to fully appreciate it. It's like Robin Williams having a conversation with John Clesse, it's not going to make any sense. This usually ends with me attempting to storm out of the room with her laughing. I usually manage to hurt myself in the process. I'll hit a wall, topple over some furniture, stub my toe, roll an ankle, trip over dog toys. The best one was getting caught up in the blanket I had. She wanted it and I did NOT want to share. I gave in and gave her the blanket, but not without self destruction. While she ways laughing at my sorry attempt to wad the blanket up and throw it in her general direction, I managed to get the darn thing wrapped around my head a little bit. I threw it with enough might that the force actually yanked my head downward into the coffee table. This sent books and remotes flying and my dogs running for cover. Cheryl lost her ability to breathe in the process. Yes, due to laughter.....

There are a hundred million more of these stories, and I'll post them if I can remember them....

Colter's Arrival according to Me....

This post is meant to be funny, so don't take it too seriously. As Cheryl said in here last post, she was starting to show signs of Colter's arrival. He had dropped a great deal and she was starting to efface. I still don't know what that word means and I honestly don't want to. The day Cheryl went into labor was like any other day. Well, sort of.... I was starting my long change from work. This happens once a month where I receive 7 days off. It's like a weeks vacation once a month! I was having some problems with my back. This was a first for me. I had to go to a chiropractor for the first time. This isn't something I was fond of. My number 7 and 8 rib on the right side of my body had managed to pop out of my spine. This is some serious PAIN!! This had happened about two weeks before Colter was born, so I was in the process of healing.

Anyway, I was at the chiropractor getting tied into a pretzel and my phone starts to ring. Dr. Lewis asked if I needed to answer, and I said "nope", bad idea. Apparently, Cheryl's water had broken in Walmart, not her favorite place. It wasn't as bad as it sounds. About five minutes after she had called and left a strangely calm message. I checked my phone and noticed she had called and left a message. At this point in my session I have to move to a different room and lay down on a scary looking table. So, I decide to check my voicemail to see what is going on. Cheryl's message sounds like this, " hey babe, my water just broke at Walmart. I know you're at the Dr., so take your time coming home and don't kill anybody. I love you." This sends a wave of panic thru my body that I can't even begin to describe. I had a list of stuff that I needed to do before he was born. I run out of my room almost taking out my Dr. and the receptionist. "is everything ok?" "NO!! My wife is going into LABOR!! It is NOT OK!!" Where the *&%# are my shoes man? I need to go 10 minutes ago." Laughing, Dr. Lewis hands me my shoes and tells me congrats and to call him and let him know how everything goes. Which I actually did a few days later.

My so called "b-line / parade / drag race to the house left half of Midland hating me and my driving skills I'm sure. I'm not usually a person to freak out and panic, but this is my wife having a baby, I'm a little freaked out and on edge. I ran every light, drove on the wrong side of the road, routinely scared the hell out of people and myself, and 2 wheeled my truck all the way to the house. Cheryl and her mother heard me squeal the tires into the driveway. From this point on I was a mess until we got to the hospital. I walked around the house in circles trying to pack while they laughed at me. In retrospect, this was quite hilarious. I have pictures I'll post later. One of the things on my list was to put the carseat in. I've spent the better part of my working career working with my hands on something. Vehicles, Motorcycles, Elevators, Oil Field Equipment, Welding Machines, you name it I've probably fixed it or had my hands on it. But for the life of me the Graco Carseat whooped my ass!! This was rocket science as far as I was concerned. This was a job best left to the professionals. After a few minutes, I managed to calm down and click the little red button that every Graco product has and........ ta - freakin - da!! The car seat is in and level. At this point, I thought that was going to be the hardest part of my day. Man was I wrong.....

A few short minutes later we're on our way to the hospital. I'm still a mess at this point but I can still function relatively well. Cheryl being the prepared person she is has already preregistered and taken care of everything. We where put in a nice room and taken care of really well. My heart goes out to the folks at the Birthing Center, you guys are amazing!! The nurse on shift came in shortly thereafter and "checked" Cheryl. Shouldn't have watched that bit. Never again during our stay did I ask "what are you doing?" to anybody that worked there. I just wanted my wife to be ok and my son to be healthy. The part in between I wanted nothing to do with or so I thought. We sat around and watched the George Straight concert after Cheryl had her epidural. This was easy for me. Get Cheryl ice and popscicles. I ate dinner later on. Yes, I left the room to do that, she was happy but hungry and I don't dare tread those waters. A few of our friends came by to check on us. Josh really helped me out. I was there for him during his first child. He showed me the same kindness and was there for me. Cheryl's brother Cory showed up later on after he left work. Sorry for the after thought.

The main concern aside from Colter was getting Stephanie to Midland in one piece. She was flying in from LA that night to be with Cheryl. Steph wasn't happy with anybody involved with her flight from LA to Midland. NOBODY!! Delayed flights, annoying passengers, luggage, Cory not driving fast enough. The poor girl made it though, right about the time Cheryl started to push. My wife is a champ at having babies. No screaming, crying, yelling, hitting, or anything that I imagined would happen. She popped him right out after an hour and a half.

During the actual delivery I was in awe of the process. There where so many nurses and doctors with us in that room that I was almost overwhelmed. Steph, Cheryl's mom, and I where the only family members allowed in the room. I held one leg and Juan held the other. I actually had Cheryl's leg in her ear during the process. I was trying to watch Colter's head pop out rather than be concerned with her comfort. Come on, she had an epidural, she couldn't feel anything. I held her hair when she was sick, put a wet rag on her head to cool her off, counted with the nurse, and I also squeezed the hell out of her hand. She didn't notice until later on that night. Colter started to crown and I put her knee almost behind her head and had my face right there with the doctor, I wanted to see this. I can say I watched the whole delivery and enjoyed it. Child birth is an amazing thing. I can't put it into words. Just, wow!!

Colter was born on May 28, 2009. He weighed 6 lbs. 11 oz. and he was 20" long. He had his eyes open as soon as he was out. I was the first thing he saw and he saw me crying. I didn't leave his side after that. Nobody was taking him anywhere without his Dad. They put him in some sort of heating lamp buffet table looking thing to check his vitals. I wanted to hold him so bad I couldn't stand it!! Then, the nurse did the worse thing ever. She cut the cord and didn't offer me the honor. I was fuming!! I couldn't believe it!! I got over it. My boy was here and he was beautiful. Nothing else mattered. They cleaned him up and checked his vitals and I talked to him the entire time. He would get fussy, then hear my voice and look in my general direction and calm down. That's what I think was happening anyway. I was butter at this point. I had however completely forgot about Cheryl. I turned around and she was just fine. I felt horrible about that but she assured me it was ok.

After Cheryl was ok the rest of our family came in. This included Cory, my mother, father, and step mother. Everybody held him and laughed and told me how much he looked like Cheryl. That isn't the case know. He looks just like his Dad!! I couldn't be more proud. They moved us into a recovery room so Cheryl could sleep and the nursery could monitor Colter. They would come in occasionally and check on us and Cheryl would start to feed Colter. It's been a learning experience, but we're getting the hang of it. I say "we" like I have something to do with it. I can't take credit from her, she deserves it all. We went home a few days later and it has been a blast!!

At least that's the way I saw it!!!

My first bloggy woggy....

So, here is what happened. I became very jealous of Chery's Blog a few months ago. I wanted to do something along the same lines, but in a funnier fashion. We do live the same life but I tend to live in a cartoon world where things are a little more colorful. So, what you would receive here is a different view of what is happening in our little world. Hopefully, this will turn out to be a good idea and everyone will get a good laugh. If any of you know me, I'm always good for a chuckle.

The other reason I wanted to start a blog is that I have entirely to much time on my hands at work, which is where this is happening right now. I'm not neglecting my work, but I do need something else productive to do.....