Treasure Hunters!

Everyday is an adventure and on this particular day we took a "road trip" to MS to visit maw maw and do some exploring on the creek beside her house. Last week, Noah was so excited to get a real shovel and was ready to get it in the dirt.

To see the magical expressions on his face is priceless, but to have a relationship that's packed full of conversations with my little-big guy is a treasure!

Sometimes he's "indiana jones" and sometimes he's the big strong bad guy that pulls off his shirt at the airplane scene and boxes with "Indi". This past weekend, he watched one of the star wars movies and now he incorporates light sabers into all of our adventures and conversation.

But on this digging adventure, we were just a couple of construction workers building some steps into the creek bank. And yes, this was an awesome day which was worth more than a treasure chest full of gold!

Fun on the Creekbank!

Everyday with Noah is an amazing journey and here's the little-big guy doing his "thang"  catching his very first fish! Noah and I took a little road trip to MS to see my moma and while we were there he had a wonderful time exploring and investigating everything that raises a little boy's eye brows ;-)

we built a fire and piled on sticks for about two hours while hearing his little voice ask a million questions and at the same time giving me his perspective on everything. and yes.. i'm a rich rich man to have another opportunity to be on the other end of all these inquisitive questions and conversations.

there's nothing better than watching how much joy he has playing in the dirt and before we left we decided to bait a hook and try our luck at catching a fish in the creek. just after we got there on Friday afternoon, we cranked up the weed eater and cleaned up around the creekbank. noah loves pretending to weedeat. the other night i walked up to the side of his bed to see the most remarkable thing. As I adjusted his covers, he woke up just enough to instantly hold out both arms to one side and started humming like a weedeater for about 5 seconds and then he fell back asleep. now i'm still laughing everytime I think about that.

me and noah took my mom to crackerbarrel to eat lunch and afterwards we went to walmart. after a father-n-son talk about how he can't always get a truck we found our way to the lawn and garden center to get a rake for my mom. while there we found a real shovel just his size and decided to get it. he was in heaven! just before we left we decided to go back and find my mom a broom and while walking past the toy aisles he softly said to me, "DAD look at all those toys" then he said, "oh but i don't need any toys, I've got a new shovel!" then all of sudden he raised both hands and said "praise the lord!" yeah, it was priceless!

just before we left on Saturday, we got the rod-n-reel and took a piece of raw bacon with us to the creek. he was so serious while helping me get the hook baited. and as soon as i dropped the line in the water and handed him the reel, a fish made the cork dissappear and it was like a movie in slow motion as I watched him pull in his first fish!

it was an amazing weekend and i'm so glad my mom is doing better and she got to witness all of this amazement firsthand. noah loves going to maw maw's house!

My Heart's Desire

The pages of my life seem to be never-ending and that in itself is a beautiful thing! God's Grace has been constantly poured out on me and He has been not only my Lord and Savior but my dearest friend that has always loved me.

I have the most wonderful family and friends anyone could ever dream of having and for that I am the richest man in this world. Our journey is a winding road with hills and valleys which sometimes prevents us from seeing very far into our future. It's a bitter-sweet masterpiece in which I count myself blessed. There's no doubt in my mind that God uses angels to help his children find their way down this wonderful path called life.

God's Grace will always be sufficient to meet our every need but will be given on a daily basis. It's
truly a blessing for me to make the most of every day and to love and live our life each day like it's our last. One of the best ways for some of us to learn is by watching the example that others provide as they live for God.

Sometimes even the most experienced can fall out of the saddle and when that happens, only the most determined will climb back on and try it again. God has placed people in my life that has encouraged me when i needed a little nudge and i am truly grateful for those people in my life.

There's no way I could name all the people that has prayed for me and given me an outstretched hand to pick me up but God has certainly been at work in my life thru my two oldest boys, Enoch and Chris. Shortly after my world crumbled, when I lived in GA, Enoch was a rock that seemed to be strategically placed in one of God's beautiful streams of life (WinShape Retreat). He inspired me everyday as he spoke words of life and managed his team of guys who work hard to make the grounds of WinShape look so spectacular.

One day he encouraged me to confide in a friend named Terry Shank who is known by many to be one of God's chosen and a man among men. Between Enoch, Terry Shank, and the team of wonderful folks at WinShape, God placed my broken life back on the potter's wheel and began a new work in my life.

A glimpse of God's glory makes the difference between darkness and light and though I daily hear the words "Roll Tide", my definition of that phrase has a much deeper meaning than the University of Alabama.

I love talking to my oldest son Chris on Skype and seeing his face while we laugh together is a daily routine which has provided another wonderful source of encouragement and counsel. It's a beautiful thing to experience Gods miracle of restoration and to once again be able to dream and have goals.

My journey has once again been highlighted on a map in God's Word and I am no longer a broken vessel but a vessel full of the joy of God and I have once again been given the desires of my heart [Psalm 37:4].

This is my second year at the University of Alabama and just starting my third position with a new title of Manager of Area Computing Services for the Capstone College of Nursing. Though I graduated with a Master's degree Dec 2012, I continue in a class called Terrie-ology 101, recommended by two of my best friends and counselors, Terry and Theta Shank.

Terrie-ology 101 is a term for me to study my wife's likes and dislikes and to learn everything I can about how I can to not only be a good husband but to compliment her life as her best friend. She is my beautiful wife and the loving mother of our little big guy, Noah.

I am truly blessed and give God all the glory!

Leisure Time

Leisure means "free time" and for me and my house it is a wonderful thing spending free time with my family. 

The sunshine and the early signs of Spring makes everything feel so new!

Free time for me is when there's no agenda and nothing in concrete that I have to do. Sunday afternoons are classic when we're hanging out after church. Noah is so entertaining and me and Terrie love this free time..

Its just another one of our routines and it's priceless!

Office Hours

he loves going to my office.. he'll say, "hey dad how 'bout we go to your work?" or he'll say, "I think we need to go to the office after you pick me up from school".

when we get off the elevator, he takes off like a race horse to beat me to the door of my office and sometimes he'll duck into the break room and hide from me till i walk by and then he'll jump out to scare me.

it's Tuesday night and "the guys" are on their way to hang out at dad's office. Noah knows his way around and especially has a handle on taking care of pushing all the buttons to get the to third floor. there are two elevators side by side and we always play a game of each of us picking one to stand in front of to see if our elevator wins. then it's always a race to see who will push the button once inside. it's a win win for me because when he wins, i win too ;-)

33 Years Old

Chris turned 33 this year and he's literally been around the world or at least it seems that way. For 3 years, he was stationed in Germany and then lived 3 years in Montana. After that, he was in Korea for a year before settling down in Texas.

He lives in Spring, TX and is a student at Sam Houston State University working on a degree in counseling. He has 5 boys, Benaiah, Donny, Michael, Zane, and Raul.

Though there has been quite a bit of distance between us, we've always been close and our relationship seems to be even closer now than its ever been. We both have similar life stories and its funny to laugh at things we've both encountered and overcome. He's truly a great son and i'm so proud of him for being an awesome dad and so loved by all of his boys. there's nothing like being loved by your boys!

Free Parking

one of our favorite places to play is at the park. the atmosphere is so nice and the space is wide open to run, climb, chase, slide, ride scooters, dig in the dirt, play with dump trucks, pretend to build a fire, hide-n-seek, and of course we have to take some time to pretend to be superheroes. one of the first things that happens to me when i step onto the woodchips of the climbing area, i act like i turn into a gorilla and noah loves loves loves that to happen ;-)

on this particular park day, he had a blast riding on his scooter. he is 4 and noah is so entertaining and so much fun. there is never a dull moment and he has so much to say about everything.

from the time we open the door, these little legs never slow down until he steps back into the car or truck to get in his car seat.

the air feels so clean when its a little cool and the sunshine feels so nice and warm. its funny that we can spend hours of clean fun at the park and it's absolutely free. I am so blessed and so happy to be able to love my family and take care of them. God Grace is sufficient to meet every need and has blessed us abundantly.

noah is so resourceful and has an incredible imagination. he love playing with sticks and will pretend to build a fire by stacking them in a pile. as you can see in this pic, we're roasting marshmallows.

we definitely get our exercise running and chasing this big around and believe me.. its the most enjoyable exercise ever!

Terrie usually picks noah up around 4pm from preschool and sometimes head to the park and I'll catch up with them when i get off.

Family time is priceless and its what i think about all day long. I am determined to put my family second only to God and to love them as God loves the church.

I've climbed a mountain (Chimney Tops) more than 10 times and its an amazing hike! I've white water rafted down the Ocoee river several times and its one of the greatest thrills i've ever experienced. But out of all the things i've ever done, being a dad is my favorite.

I have been fortunate enough to be a dad to three fantastic and incredible boys. Every time I hear their voices, i'm reminded of how blessed i am to know how much i am loved.

Each day is a brand new day and i have never been more certain about my identity as i am now. i am amazed at how much God loves me.