9 Year Anniversary

Today is our 9 year anniversary and what a ride so far! God has truly blessed me with an amazing wife. I consider myself lucky that I met my wife in high school. Heidi was 15 and I was 16 when we started dating and we haven't looked back. We did break up once for about a week but we called each other almost everyday so we don't count that one, we both knew we weren't really broken up. I am 31 now so Heidi as literally been around for half of my life, even still, there are things about her that remain a mystery and I look forward to figuring those things out. On more than one occasion I have had friends ask "How did you end up with her, she is so sweet and your a jerk?" I still don't have an answer for that one and I quit asking that question. Anyway, I'm looking forward to the next 9 years and beyond, I know it will be great, especially knowing Heidi is by my side.

Another second hand Christmas List (stole from Larry and Mike, Thanks Guys)

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Have to go with the paper, whats more fun than ripping through paper on your way to a great gift?

2. Real tree or artificial? Artificial, I can't stand pine needles getting all over the house, not to mention our dog would probably take advantage of a real tree in the house.

3. When do you put up the tree? A day or two after Thanksgiving.

4. When do you usually take down the tree? A day or two after Christmas. I find it irritating to drive by someones house and their tree and lights are still up on Jan 2oth. Let go!

5. Do you like eggnog? YES!!!!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Hard choice, anything I ever got GI Joe was cool.

7. Have a nativity scene? Indeed we do. (There is a point to this Christmas thing right?)

8. Hardest person to buy for? Has to by my wife, but that's only because she never asks for anything.

9. Easiest person to buy for? Ben, as long as it has an Ohio State logo he will dig it.

10. Worst Christmas gift I ever received? Place mats, I don't know, I appreciate everything given to me really.

11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail em. It's nice to get a card in the mail.

12. Favorite Christmas movie? Christmas Vacation.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I start sprinkling in purchases around October. Seeing all the Christmas decorations up in August reminds me to start.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas gift? No, not cool.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Mema's noodles. YUMMY!!!!

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Clear, little more cozy.

17. Favorite Christmas song? Christmas at Ground Zero. (Weird Al Yankovic)

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Sigh.......travel.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Yes, like Mike, in song.

20. Angel or star on the tree top? Angel

21. Open gifts on Christmas Eve or day? Usually Christmas Eve, only because we get up really early to travel.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? The annual fight over Happy Holidays vs. Merry Christmas. When are we going to quit worrying about how the Atheists feel?

23. What I love most about Christmas? Christmas dinner at my Uncle Bill's house.

24. Best Christmas dessert? My Aunt Claire's Black Forest cake.

Enjoy.

Go Bucks!

Just wanted to drop a quick line and root on my beloved Ohio State Buckeyes. Yes, we are back in the national championship game playing yet another SEC school, but I'm ok with that. While I am glad that my Buckeyes are in the big game, I still say this year more than any other cries out for a playoff system. There are 6 legitimate contenders for the championship. I have never heard anyone say they agree with the current BCS system and I certainly don't, however since we are in the game this year despite the flawed BCS, GO BUCKS!!!!

Thanksgiving Trip

First, Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I know I haven't blogged in quite awhile, mostly due to being to busy to care about my seldom read blog but I will attempt to get back in the blog cycle and post some meaningful thoughts here and there.

Anyway, Heidi and I are off to Bakersville for Thanksgiving. Where is Bakersville you might ask? It's located in the northern part of western NC. It could be the smallest town in America, but it is home to Heidi's family. I would have to say the best part of Bakersville is one special resident. A man who calls himself "Oop" I don't know why, I don't want to know, but.....yeah. He turns socks for a living (I don't really know what that is but I respect any working man). Anyway, despite the rather small stature of Bakersville, (population 357) I am looking forward to our trip. I love to travel with my wife, some of the best conversations we have had have been on the way to Bakersville. It's only an hour and a half trip, but that's plenty of time to listen to what your wife has to say. It's a great time connect during what is one of the busier times of the year. So remember to turn down the radio and enjoy your family in the car. It can be great.

God Bless and Happy Thanksgiving

Haven't blogged in awhile

To be honest, there hasn't been much going on for awhile, mostly just work. I will post something interesting as soon as it happens. Have a nice day.

Christmas in August

So Heidi took her weekly visit to Walmart to get our weekly groceries. Upon her return she informed me that Walmart has already put up their Christmas decorations. I just want to be clear, today is August 31st. IT'S AUGUST PEOPLE! Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas. It is a fantastic time of year but it was 81 degrees today. This is not the time to be thinking about Christmas. Go to a baseball game or swimming. I know several people buy Christmas gifts pretty early to save money and thats fine, but nobody is buying a tree or putting up a stockings yet. Is it just me or has America lost it's collective mind? Happy Holidays!

The World of Fantasy Football

I love playing fantasy football. However I can't help but feel a little silly when it comes to the amount of time and money that I put into it. Overall I spend very little compared to most fantasy football guru's. I spent 7 bucks on a fantasy magazine. (7 bucks will get me around town for a week) The league I play in has a $30 entry fee. $8 dollars goes to our website to help maintain our scores. Some of the money goes for a trophy for the winner of the league. I refuse however to spend money on a trophy for fantasy football, I would be embarrassed to display it anywhere. Hey everyone, this is my trophy for guessing who would play well this year. (There is a bit more to it than guessing but come on, this isn't sport) So if the winner doesn't want a trophy then the money ends up in a pot for the winner.

The one catch about my league is that the winner can't keep the money. He must donate it to a charity. Of course, those of you who know me know that my money will go to camp. Yes, I'm fine with giving the money to a church camp even though it comes from gambling. If I don't happen to win then the money goes to another worthy cause like the American Cancer Society or the local battered women's shelter. The real mind blowing thing about fantasy football is the amount of money lost by corporations every year due to employee's not working and spending time thinking about and spending time on their leagues websites. Here are some stats.

According to one study, the annual losses in the United States can be anywhere from 275 million to 435 million. (That's some serious bankroll)

60 percent of all fantasy team owners spend at least an hour a day working on their fantasy team. (I don't fall into that category either, maybe that's why I have never won my league)

1 billion dollars is spent annually on fantasy sports magazines. (I did contribute 7 dollars to that)

There are 15 million fantasy football players in America.

So, as football season quickly approaches please draft responsibly and remember your boss is watching and probably doing better in his league. One final tip, if you do play, don't draft your players based on your favorite team in real life.

Danny

Fantastic News

Some of you may or may not know but Heidi has had some pretty severe foot pain since January. We have been to several doctors several times and while we don't know what the problem is yet, we know what it's not. Heidi had an MRI on Wednesday and she was cleared of Multiple Sclerosis. This has been a concern and as you can imagine quite an unnerving one. Please keep her in your prayers and God be praised for the good news!

Some Trivia

There are four colleges whose name is a color. (not team name) Can you name them?

Another Softball Update

Ok, we finished our season with a 2-12 record. This is bad. However, the tournament started this past week and somehow we have went 3-0. We have knocked off the top team in our division and are one game away from the championship. Maybe my team only likes to play well when it really matters. Anyway, this feels good. Go Beefs!!! More to come, I don't want to jinx it. (there is superstition in softball, even though I don't believe in superstition)

The Squirrels in Harbucks back yard?

Softball Team Update

Some of you read a blog several months ago where I commented on the state of my softball team. I wanted to give a quick update. We have slightly improved this year. Last year we had a 0-14 record and this year we went 2-12. I know it still stinks but it is improvement. We were only blown out in two of those games. We lost most games by less then 5 runs which isn't bad in mens industrial league softball. As I predicted I did have one player end up in jail (I don't even know why, I quit asking those questions). This is also an improvement as I had two go last year. This continues to be a ministry for me. After our last game I got to spend some time talking with some of the guys about PBC and what I do that week that I miss. If you have at all, please continue to pray for these men and me as I try and lead them in the right direction. We have such a long way to go but have come far in the past few years. The tournament will start in a week or so, last year we got third and a trophy for our sponsor (not bad for an 0-14 team), we hope to improve on that this year. Most of all I am proud of my teams attitude though, these guys have improved so much, a lot less cursing, nobody has been ejected from a game, willingness to move around the field without crying about it and just supporting one another. If I can get one of these guys turned to Christ then the past few years have been worth it. It's hard to explain to the guys on the church team why I don't play for the church, and I have my reasons, but now I have to stick with my current group of guys, couldn't leave them for any team (even if we hardly ever win). I would be negligent in my blogging if I failed to mention the cheering section for our team. We are sponsored by Beef O'Brady's Family Sports Pub, and we have the best fans in the world. The O'Brady's Ladies! These girls are made up of mostly wives and girlfriends of the players as well as my mom. My mom doesn't miss one of our softball games for anything. You would think Ben and I are 9 yrs old again, but it's great. We may have the worst record but we bring out the most fans. Thank you ladies!

New Favorite News Story

Guys, check this out. It will teach folks not to mess with old guys. This guy rocks! So funny


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,286847,00.html

Weight Loss

So about a week before camp I told Heidi that I wanted to start exercising more and watching what I eat. No more extra helpings or super sizing anything. It an attempt to remain accountable to people I know I thought I might update my progress. At the start of camp I weighed 245lbs which is not all that out of line when you consider my genetic background. If you take my dad, all his brothers, my brother and I, we could be the starting line for an arena football team. That being said, the genetics excuse only goes so far. Since camp I have acquired a bike, continued to play softball and I haven't had any fast food for almost three weeks. This has resulted in significant weight loss. I am down to 232 lbs. I know camp had a lot to do with this since you walk everywhere for a week, but hey, its a start. The real challenge is keeping it off and continuing the exercise. Anyway, that's where I stand, time to go mow the grass before it gets to be 90 degrees.

Well, it's all over now.

All the planning, all the emails and all the phone calls paid off. It was a fantastic week of camp. The weather was great, the campers were great and the staff were all hard working servants of God. They are all truly God's camp people.

I have never been so honored as I was Friday night when Curt gave me the lanyard made by Ernest Thigpen with the gold plated whistle. I was told to be prepared to be blown away. Curt once again went above the call of duty and emotionally knocked me over. Wow.

I wanted to take a moment and personally thank a few specific people as well.

David Kelly, without you I would be in trouble. You are the man. Word!

Tommy Brown, If you weren't at camp I would cancel it. Word!

Becky Brown, the unofficial Office Manager at camp. For those of you who have never got to work with Becky, you have no idea how much works she actually does for camp.

Stephen Mynier, one word describes you. Dedication.

Larry Salley, you did a fantastic job with the education program. Your an all-star!

Mike Darling, Thanks for stepping up, I am looking forward to several years of working with you man

Mike Polutta (or is it Michale?) Thanks for the years of service. You truly have the spirit for worship.

Curt Harbuck, the internet couldn't hold all the info I could type about you. Thanks for all you have done over the years.

Thanks to all the staff who participated in Superweek! Because you were there God was able to do all he wanted to do. You are all very special to me. There are already some ideas floating around for next year. If you have one, send it to me. With this staff we can accomplish anything.

In Him,

Danny

P.S. I forgot to thank Lauren Schimizze who has a veritable shopping list full of interesting sayings. Congratulations on becoming a Senior Camper. :)

Paris Hilton goes to jail!

As many of you probably know since it has been a dominating although ridiculous story, Paris Hilton is going to jail. My question is, why is this a big story? Who are the people that care and can someone please give them a book to read or find them a friend? Once again the media focuses on the most insignificant of happenings.

Been to busy to update

Wow, it's been really busy the past few weeks, with family in town, camp planning and record breaking sales at work I haven't had time to update my blog. (Priorities) So in order not to get yelled at for not updating here is a lame list.

My top 10 favorite TV Shows.

1. The West Wing
2. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
3. M.A.S.H
4. The Office
5. Scrubs
6. Seinfeld
7. Lost
8. Coach
9. Ren & Stimpy
10.GI Joe

Sorry for the filler blog, more to come as time permits.

The Dry Hurricane

This has been a weird weather week here in Hendvegas. We experienced what I would call and dry hurricane although it was not quite a category one. We had sustained winds of 60 miles an hour with gusts over 80. It was scary to say the least. It was responsible for two deaths in Henderson County as well as 28,000 without power. Heidi and I were blessed enough to keep power which is unusual for us. During Hurricane Ivan we lost power for 6 days and all our food and during an ice storm last winter we lost it for 4 days. With the amount of trees that came down in Henderson county I could have started my own log cabin factory. The worst for me was the large tree limb that fell on Heidi's car and my mailbox was ripped from its post but other then that we came through ok. Thank you God! This all happened on Monday and all the power in the county was finally back on late Thursday afternoon. Of course, after the power was all back on that'swhen the severe thunderstorms with hail came through. I guess the point is pray for the people of Henderson County, there have been deaths, alot of damaged property and broken spirits.

Church with a Time Limit?

I was surprised to read on foxnews.com about a new church in Florida that was for men only.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,264784,00.html

This article is well worth the read. It seems that men are bored in church these days. (I guess the Bible ain't what it used to be?) This new church for men only features a rock band, and shot clock for the preacher to get out of the pulpit and a one hour guarantee to be in and out of the church. My question is when did church become a drive through? It's not suppose to be a dry cleaners (drop off your husband by 11 and we will have him baptized by 12) Is this what worship as come to? Sure, I have sat through some less then stellar sermons in my day (all of which were better them what I could do) but I the idea of a "shot clock" just ticks me off. I imagine that if Jesus were preaching some morning in that church that the shot clock would be turned off, the rock band would unplug and everyone would listen to what Jesus had to say. Maybe these "men" should consider the source of their preachers material instead of running a two minute drill to see who can get to Golden Corral first. I am not saying that we must all conform to one form of worship and I won't get into the music debate, but unless every member of this church is 6 years old, perhaps they should use some patience, maybe God wants them at church just a little longer.

Heidi and I have been adopted!

So recently at church we have started a program called Adopt a Buster. Basically its an older couple who "adopts" a younger couple to mentor. Heidi and I signed up but we really didn't know what to expect and to be honest I wasn't looking forward to it, it seemed like a program that would get going and then lose it's momentum as so many can. So a few weeks after we signed up we were given our assignments and we were given Lloyd and Mary Cain. We knew Lloyd and Mary, atleast who they were, I had been in a few of Lloyds Sunday School classes but we had never really spent any time with them other then at church and that wasn't much. So the day we got our new mentors we all went out to eat at Golden Coral which I wasn't looking forward to because I try to stay away from the buffet type restaurants. We spent about an hour talking and just getting to know each other and it was nice. So we planned our next meeting, which was dinner at their house on a Friday night. So a couple week later we arrive at their house around 6 p.m. We figured it would last an hour or two and we would go home, little did we know how much fun and how interesting the night would be. After a fantastic dinner we all sat in the living room just chatting, and chatting, and chatting. We learned so much about Lloyd and Mary, all the places he has preached (he is a retired minister) his mission work, all the places they have lived and their thoughts on God, church and the world we live in today. We ended up chatting until 10:30 and we had to make ourselves leave, I think the Cains would have let us sleep there. After spending so much time with them I can honestly say they are our friends now and I look forward to spending more time with them. I think all churches should have some kind of program like this. The knowledge and friendships you might gain are well worth the time. God has blessed Heidi and I with this relationship, it can only help us grow in the church and with God. After this month we actually are suppose to switch mentors and I am looking forward to it because of the opportunity to get to know more people and we get to maintain our friendship with Lloyd and Mary. Just because we will be switching doesn't mean we will stop having dinner with Lloyd and Mary.

My Softball Team

Yes folks, its that time of year again, mens softball is gearing up. Honestly, its a bitter sweet time of year for me. I love the game, I could never get bored playing it. However, coaching a industrial league team can be quite the ordeal. I used to play for my church team but due to some philosophical differences with the coach, along with my brother we have moved on to a different team. Due to circumstances out of my control and my knowledge of the game I sort of fell into coaching this team after I joined it. The problem with this team is that it is made of of several men who have no interest in God, church or fellowship (other then drinking beer) Ben and I along with one other man are the only Christians on the team. This used to get be a little down to be honest, but as time has gone on I have realized that this team is a gift as well as a challenge from God. Right now I don't know that getting any of these guys to church is a real possibility, right now I am just working on them to reduce their foul language (as well as ejections from games). Don't get me wrong, we have alot of fun, we lose alot but we have alot of fun and it's more about the game then winning. However, last year I had told myself that I was done with these guys, that I would take the easy road and jump ship on them. I was going to finish out our losing season and that would be it. We went 0-14 for the season and I was already to quit but something didn't feel right. I started praying to God to show me a sign, to tell me that I was making the right choice. A couple weeks later we were playing in the end of season tournament (everyone qualifies) and suddenly something strange happened. My completely dysfunctional team came together, they stopped fighting each other, they started cheering for each other, they quit cussing at the umpires. In the end of the tournament we ended up 3rd and won a trophy for our sponsor. I don't know if that was the sign God wanted me to see or not, but that's how I took it. I now feel like God has me where he wants me with these guys. I don't think I could give up on this team for anything now. I still haven't gotten anyone to come to church with me but I'm not giving up. The season is just a month away and I can't wait. Pray for my team. It should be a great year. I am sure God will make it what he wants it to be.

PBC Activity

WOW! For those of you who don't know I am a director for Palmetto Bible Camp. For those of you who are reading that come to camp with me, wow! We are getting staff positions filled up early this year. I already have 57 confirmed staff members. It is so amazing to see such a commitment to God and camp, especially this early in the year. Also, online registration is now up and running on the PBC website. Register your kids now! www.palmettobiblecamp.org It's a paperless system this year. For the few who read this, pass the word.

Priorities

I have to say I am really disappointed with the media in America. (not that I was holding them with a high standard to begin with) It seems that every Tuesday night and Wednesday morning it's the same headline. "Blah Blah is the latest to get booted off of American Idol". Is this what America has come to? Is is so important to know who got kicked out of what really is a giant Karaoke contest? Does that deserve coverage over the war in Iraq, or election news or even the weather? Does it really even deserve coverage? I assume the people that want to find out what happened probably watched the show. I hope that's not why their tuning into the news. When did "Reality TV" become important? There is a war in Iraq, there is an election coming, there are bake sales for the local Little League that deserve more coverage then this! Please folks, get your priorities straight.

Proud of our Youth Group

This morning at the Hendersonville Church of Christ we had a special all youth led service. Our regular minister was out of town so the youth took over and provided us with a very well down service. I was very impressed with the willingness of some of our younger members to stand in front of the church and lead prayer and communion. I didn't start doing that until I was in my twenties. It's comforting to know that there are young church members who are going to grow up and be leaders in the church. Kudos to the parents of these children for teaching them so well as well as Will Tucker, our youth minister who has brought this group so far in such a short period of time. (We have had Will for about a year) I pray that God continues to bless are youth group and our church.

What I do part two

I forgot to include some of the famous people that use our piano systems. We are proud of our list. Denzel Washington, Demi Moore, Yoko Ono, Falisha Rashaad, Sissy Spacek and Al Pacino. There are a few others as well but I can't remember them off hand.

What I do

So after reading my good friend Mike Polutta's blog I thought I might share some of what I do for a living since I have had several people ask me in the past and they seem to leave with a puzzled look on their face. Heidi and I both are employed at the Dampp-Chaser Corp. (The two p's are their on purpose) We manufacture dehumidifier/humidifier systems that go inside pianos to keep them in tune. (I know, it sounds like so much fun) It's a unique product to be sure, to keep it simple the system reads the humidity in the air in and around the piano and switches between adding humidity or taking away humidity. Humidity in the air can warp the wood and pull the strings of a piano and take it out of tune rather quickly. Our system combats that. It's geared more towards serious piano players. If you have a 20,000 dollar piano in your home then a 800 dollars piano system seems like a wise investment. There are only 3 companies in the world that make what we make and the other two manufacture rather cheaply made knock offs. We fix their screw ups all the time. Heidi and I both enjoy our work their and its actually very enjoyable to work with your wife all day. She is a the Cell Leader for the final packaging area and I am the Shipping/Warehouse Manager. Heidi and I have a rule, we can only talk about work for one hour after getting off work, sometimes we have to knock ourselves back into husband and wife mode. Heidi has been there for almost six years and I am going on three. (yes, she makes more money then me and I am quite ok with it) Anyway, thats what I do to earn a living. Maybe later I will talk a little more about who I am.

Ok, here we go

I have decided to get in on this whole blog thing since it doesn't seem to be going anywhere. I have really been enjoying several blogs for several months now so why not give it a try. All I can say right now is I won't promise to be a daily blogger (especially in the summer) but I figured this is a good place for me to talk about God, PBC, Family, work, sports etc.... and I will blog as often as time allows. So anyway, thanks for reading.