tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84483592645297230732024-03-13T01:06:16.114-07:00Nathan HarbottleA Path toward Personal Growth and LeadershipAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472973420063236733noreply@blogger.comBlogger136125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8448359264529723073.post-64504994293608042992012-01-05T05:03:00.000-08:002012-01-05T05:05:05.040-08:00Made Me ThinkWhile reading this morning our of the book titled "Rascal" by Chris Brady, I came across a paragraph that really challenged me. Within the paragraph he asked, "Why do most people waste their days without ever seeking that purpose for which they were built?" He later stated, "We are all limited by pride, ego, fear, lack of confidence, laziness, passivity, indifference, and the desire for comfort." After reading those to sentences, I began to think about my life and what I have accomplished.<br />
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Why am I where I am at currently?<br />
Am I allowing some of the limiting factors Mr. Brady wrote about stop me from living a life of purpose?<br />
Am I settling for what is good instead of striving for what is great?<br />
Am I setting the example that I want my four children to see and model their lives after?<br />
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As I thought about those questions, I didn't like the answers I was giving myself. I think most parents have the thinking that they want their children to have a better life than they have lived. But are we teaching them how to do so? Are we teaching them the principles needed to live a purpose-focused life or are we teaching our children it is more important to work towards entertaining ourselves?<br />
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I want to teach my children the correct principles needed to live a better life. I cannot do that by watching TV and playing around online. I have to show them be example. I need to make choices that move me towards bettering my life so that my children see it is worth it.<br />
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This is the start of a new year, my goal is to do just what I have written about here. I want to be the role model that my children need to live a great life for a purpose. I ask you the same thing. What can you do to live a more purpose-focused life? Who is watching you as their model? Are you giving them a great example, not just a good example to copy?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472973420063236733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8448359264529723073.post-57670016080044398742011-11-08T04:30:00.000-08:002011-11-08T04:30:14.759-08:00A Touching Example of Serving OthersAt the end of last week, I was shared a story from one of the aides at my school about a first grade student in our building. I was touched by the servant example this student displayed. Here is what the aide shared with me:<br />
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Michaela comes to the gym everyday for her recess. She enjoys listening to music as she moves around. One day while Michaela was in the gym she noticed that the gym floor was very dusty and dirty. She showed the aide and said that every gym class the kids do things on the floor. The aide asked what needed to be done. Michaela suggested that it needed swept. The aide agreed and suggested maybe Michaela could do that during her recess time that she spent in the gym. Michaela agreed to do so and has continued everyday for the past several weeks sweeping the gym on her own time.</blockquote>
Michaela does not sweep the gym floor because it benefits her. In fact, she never gets onto the floor herself. Michaela is wheelchair-bound. She cleans the floor on a daily basis so that it is clean for the other students in the school. Wow, talk about a servant heart! I was very impressed by this display of selfless action. She chose to do something that did not benefit her in anyway and did it at a time when no one else knew she was doing it. She didn't do it for the recognition, she did it because it needed to be done. Thank you Michaela for such a strong reminder of serving others.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472973420063236733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8448359264529723073.post-74093499776303541662011-10-20T19:34:00.000-07:002011-10-20T19:35:06.019-07:00Hilarious!<br />
Enjoy another fun little clip! I feel a party idea coming. LOL!<br />
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We're only as young as we feel. I hope to live this long, be married this long and have fun this long!</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Fran & Marlo Cowan (married 62 years) playing impromptu recital together in the atrium of the Mayo Clinic. He turned 90 in February. The song is Old Grey Bonnet.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472973420063236733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8448359264529723073.post-33696978716007256912011-10-11T04:54:00.000-07:002011-10-11T04:54:05.188-07:00Am I Sure Of That?Yesterday I had a student tell me that he lost his jacket under the bleachers. We went to the end of the bleachers and looked underneath. I could not see anything, let alone his jacket. He continued to point saying, "There it is, right there!" I scanned beneath the entire bleachers and still could not see his jacket. At that point, I started to question my eyesight (it is well-known that I have poor vision). I did not want to take any more time away from my class to continue looking for his jacket, so I asked a custodian if he could get under the bleachers and look. I saw the custodian about 40 minutes later in the hallway. He quickly said to me, "There was nothing there." Man did I enjoy hearing those words. I instantly felt better about my vision.<br />
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Have you ever had a time in your life where you feel like you are losing it? Where you feel like you think you believe something to be true, but someone is challenging you in a way that makes you think otherwise? If we have a solid foundation of values and principles, we are less shaky in our beliefs. In the scenario above, my knowledge of me having poor vision (even with my contacts in) allowed me to question myself. I did not have a solid belief foundation in that area of my life. I allowed past experience or knowledge to strongly affect my thinking.<br />
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When we are unsure why we believe something or we believe it because we are told to believe it or because of past experiences, we do not necessarily have a solid foundation. Take politics for example. If I believe what mainstream media tells me repeatedly and then someone challenges me with other facts that make sense, I can start to waiver in my beliefs because I have not truly educated myself on politics. The same can be said for religion, healthy living, marriage, relationships, my intelligence, etc.<br />
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This post is a reminder to me that we can not rely on surface learning to have strong, principle-based beliefs. We must continue to seek information that helps us learn and grown in the areas that are important in our lives. I have heard many times it said that there is no staying put. If we are not growing, we are sliding backwards. I have allowed myself to slide backwards long enough. I belief most Americans have been doing so also. It is time for us to start educating ourselves and not relying on the mass media to do so. I encourage you to start reading and learning more everyday on your core values and principles. God blessAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472973420063236733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8448359264529723073.post-73276227838448417102011-10-07T05:02:00.000-07:002011-10-07T05:02:26.526-07:00ADHDI thought this was pretty funny! Especially being that I have 4 children, 3 of which cannot sit still (the 4th is only 6 months old). Maybe I just need to teach them to FOCUS. LOL!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472973420063236733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8448359264529723073.post-45641545820653549662011-10-05T05:01:00.000-07:002011-10-05T05:01:18.503-07:00A Great InvestmentI have learned over the last several years that one of the riskiest investments is in other people. In fact, many people I talk to seem hesitant to invest in others. I do not mean give them money and see what they can do with it. I mean put time and resources into a person and then see what comes of it.<div>
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I believe in the age we are in, we have lost the ability to see the importance of investing in people. We do not create and cultivate personal relationships the way people used to do. I can remember my parents and grandparents talking about getting together with their neighbors to grill out, have a party or just to relax. Now many people sit in front of a TV or computer all evening and barely interact with our immediate families. Then we wonder why marriages fall apart and families struggle to get along.</div>
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We have also lost the ability to trust that people are investing in us for the right reason. We have become a skeptical country. When someone tries to invest in us for the right reasons, we second guess them. Why would they want to help me for no return? What are they trying to get out of me? Life becomes less enjoyable when we doubt everyone around us. When we are unable to trust people, we make our lives very challenging.</div>
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I want to encourage you to take the time to invest in people first and foremost, invest in your family. Then move outside your family to your neighbors and friends. Sometimes people may let you down, but the rewards of investing in people far outweigh the losses. God bless!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472973420063236733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8448359264529723073.post-55508921930603981912011-09-14T04:58:00.000-07:002011-09-14T05:01:14.375-07:00Great Leaders?In a time when great leaders seem scarce, I want to pose a couple questions. Give me an example of a great leader and what makes them a great leader. Please feel free to share a current great leader if you can think of one and/or a great leader from the past. Before I post a someone I think is a great leader and why, I want to see others thoughts. I will give you an example of what I am looking for in this post.<br />
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<i>Superman = He always stands for what is right. He is always serving other people. He is not in it for the glory. </i>(Remember this is my example, not my choice. LOL!)<br />
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I look forward to reading who people see as great leaders. God bless!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472973420063236733noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8448359264529723073.post-61477185182448310242011-09-12T04:55:00.000-07:002011-09-14T05:02:03.216-07:00TrustI was at a men's leadership meeting this weekend and one of the speakers was speaking on trust. He used a great example of building trust. He said, "We fill a bucket with trust one teaspoon at a time. Losing trust happens as quickly as chopping the bottom off of the bucket." Another way to think of trust is it takes years to build and seconds to lose.<br />
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It is someone scary to me that trust takes so long to build, but can be lost so quickly. It make me realize how important it is to make decisions that won't break trust with others. I am not saying we must be scared to interact with people, I am saying we need to focus on what builds trust. One of the fastest ways to build trust with others is to have a servant focus. When we look to serve others, they learn that we want what is best for them.<br />
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Now before we can serve others, we have to have self-worth. When a person has confidence and trusts himself/herself, then his/her self-worth grows. How we build our confidence and trust in our self is through seeking wisdom. As we learn the truths that have been discovered throughout history, we gain wisdom. We are able to stand on the shoulders of giants when we learn from the great minds of the past.<br />
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I encourage you to seek wisdom (the best resource for wisdom is the Holy Bible). Through seeking wisdom we will gain self-worth. Through self-worth we gain the willingness to serve. Through serving others we gain trust from others. Through gaining others we can impact those around us. How better to impact our community than through gaining trust with those around us. God bless!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472973420063236733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8448359264529723073.post-75969497339004770582011-09-09T04:51:00.000-07:002011-09-09T04:51:50.029-07:00Friday Fun! (shout out to my brother)I thought I would have a little fun today since Fridays are my slow day in terms of views of my blog. If I didn't know any better I would think that this is my brother at a wedding! LOL! I hope you enjoy it. God bless!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472973420063236733noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8448359264529723073.post-7929411259914748322011-09-08T04:35:00.000-07:002011-09-08T04:35:14.057-07:00Back At It!My summer break has ended. It is time for me to get back into a routine. During the summer I wake up when my children do and don't have my quiet time in the morning. Now that I am back to teaching, I wake up early and have the early morning time to myself to read my Bible, check my email and post a blog. I look forward to sharing thoughts again. I have a lot going on in my head. Enjoy your day. God bless!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472973420063236733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8448359264529723073.post-31453152446327307202011-06-29T06:03:00.000-07:002011-06-29T06:03:14.212-07:00Eighth of 8 F's - FunHere are a few videos that, to me, demonstrate fun.<br />
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Enough said! God bless!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472973420063236733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8448359264529723073.post-79563792443770083732011-06-28T08:12:00.000-07:002011-06-28T08:12:05.320-07:00Seventh of 8 F's - FitnessThe "F" that is one of the toughest for me to commit to is fitness. I know that it is an importance to have good health. Again, I am a physical education teacher. Looking at the students I see on a regular basis reminds me of how poorly we as a country do at promoting healthy living. The failing health of our country can be seen in almost every household now. Diabetes, heart disease and cancer are three major diseases that affect most of the population. If we do not focus on fitness, we will for sure face one of these potentially devastating diseases. I am not saying that we all need to work towards becoming the next Mr. or Mrs. Universe. I am saying we need to carve a little time out of our day to raise our heart rate a little (20-30 minute brisk walk, a pick-up game of basketball, swimming, etc.).<br />
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Another key component to fitness is healthy eating. How many of us have ate at a fast food restaurant at least once this week? I would venture to say myself and all seven of you that read my blog have. Why? It's convenient. It fits our busy schedule. It is not easy to eat healthy all the time, but it is worth it. If we would start eating healthy dinners it would spill over into our lunches. Packing a lunch from leftovers of a healthy dinner becomes easy. It not only is better for us, it will save us money.<br />
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I want to encourage us to start making little steps toward better health. Life is so much better to enjoy when we have our health. Kids and grand-kids are more fun when we have the energy and health to enjoy them. Start today! Make a difference in your health and those around you. God bless!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472973420063236733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8448359264529723073.post-50005821939671072082011-06-27T09:03:00.000-07:002011-06-27T09:03:24.467-07:00Sixth of 8 F's - FollowingThe sixth "F" I want to discuss is that of following. When I initially heard this word as one of the eight F's, I thought why do we want to help people be better followers? Then as I read what was meant by following, I realized it meant more than that. Yes, following means to learn how to follow others. It is important that we learn to do so. In a society that is failing to teach respect for authority, this is becoming more important to teach in our society. Look at our school systems. As a public school teacher, I see how the lack of respect for authority is destroying our schools and also our society. Another place to look at is our churches. I see a loss of respect for our pastors and elders (I know some pastors have done this themselves, but that is another topic all together). A third area that I see this problem is with our country (specifically speaking about the United States where I live). Even if I do not agree with the views of the elected President, it does not me that I should not have a respect for him. I believe that he was put in authority by God. The key is to respect an individual even if I do not agree with everything they believe to be true.<br />
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When we do not accept the God-appointed authority that is over us, it is hard for others to accept us in a leadership role. That is the second part to the word following. In order to influence those that follow us, we have to be able to show that we are able to follow someone else. Once we learn how to follow, we will be able to lead others. How is someone supposed to respect me as a leader and want to follow me if I am disrespectful and unwilling to follow someone else? I ruin the trust others have in me when I talk badly about someone else, especially when that other person is in authority over me.<br />
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I want to encourage you today, as well as myself, to focus on being a better follower. That doesn't mean to not think for ourselves. It means to learn how to show respect for others. It means to learn how to build trust in others. By doing so, we will create a larger and more influential following for ourselves. Then once we do that, we can help have a bigger impact on our community. Then we can start influencing beyond our community to our country and our world. God bless!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472973420063236733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8448359264529723073.post-76414199355924959992011-06-13T10:17:00.000-07:002011-06-13T10:18:15.169-07:00A Bottle of Mona Vie That Survived the Joplin, Missouri Tornado!The bottle of Mona Vie that my dad is holding survived the tornado (as well as both my parents) that ripped through Joplin on May 22, 2011. The bottle was in my parents' refrigerator before the storm, but was in their backyard after the storm. The refrigerator was found in their bedroom at the other end of the house from the kitchen. You can see the remains of the house behind them. Mona Vie is so good, even a tornado can't stop it!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZO09AaIeZVPMim_IZwuRoEQY0KBD1K71ZJA42v7R4LMinzoGMCHJ7WUR1_6J13sZBQms8sM98yB4FnUd1G3CVgQ5DE0_lult2CR4Vh8MojezyhnoVg8jpWtIcghORH4tPAXStME99Yck/s1600/MVTornado.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZO09AaIeZVPMim_IZwuRoEQY0KBD1K71ZJA42v7R4LMinzoGMCHJ7WUR1_6J13sZBQms8sM98yB4FnUd1G3CVgQ5DE0_lult2CR4Vh8MojezyhnoVg8jpWtIcghORH4tPAXStME99Yck/s320/MVTornado.JPG" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">My dad & his Mona Vie!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472973420063236733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8448359264529723073.post-67047731695585417172011-06-09T05:09:00.000-07:002011-06-09T05:09:32.379-07:00Fifth of 8 F's - Friends<blockquote style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit. ~Albert Schweitzer</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Friends rekindle the inner spirit. Friends are there for you when the times are good and bad. Friends encourage you to be the best you can be. Elbert Hubbard (in his book "The Notebook of Elbert Hubbard," 1927)</span> said, "<span style="font-family: georgia,bookman old style,palatino linotype,book antiqua,palatino,trebuchet ms,helvetica,garamond,sans-serif,arial,verdana,avante garde,century gothic,comic sans ms,times,times new roman,serif;">The friend is the man who knows all about you, and still likes you." How true that statement is!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia,bookman old style,palatino linotype,book antiqua,palatino,trebuchet ms,helvetica,garamond,sans-serif,arial,verdana,avante garde,century gothic,comic sans ms,times,times new roman,serif;">But more than that, let's turn that statement around. The friend is the person that knows all about them, and still likes them. Too often we want friends to like us for who we are, but want to judge others for who we think they should be. If we are striving for excellence in friendship, we have to be a friend first before we can expect a friend back. We have to be the best friend we can be before we can expect someone to be that to us. I watch my students at school do the exact opposite. They want to make fun of and be rude to others, but expect others to show them respect. I see many adults act the same way. Guess what, it doesn't work that way!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia,bookman old style,palatino linotype,book antiqua,palatino,trebuchet ms,helvetica,garamond,sans-serif,arial,verdana,avante garde,century gothic,comic sans ms,times,times new roman,serif;">Besides that, it is not always about what you receive back. Sometimes you may give respect and friendship that will not be reciprocated. So be it. Still be that friend. Still show others respect, even if you don't feel they deserve it. It will only enrich your life to do so. When you start caring about others, your life will start to become more fulfilling. And the best place to start is at home. Treat your spouse with the respect and love they deserve. If you do not like where your relationships at home are, start changing them. Be the one to make the changes first. Show the people closest to you that you love them. Be their friend. Many of us would never treat our best friends the way we treat our spouse. Shame on us! Those are the people that we should be best friends with. I challenge you and encourage you to develop strong friendships. Life is the fullest when friendships are strongest. Make a difference in others' lives. Rekindle their inner spirit! God bless!</span><span style="font-family: georgia,bookman old style,palatino linotype,book antiqua,palatino,trebuchet ms,helvetica,garamond,sans-serif,arial,verdana,avante garde,century gothic,comic sans ms,times,times new roman,serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472973420063236733noreply@blogger.com0Michigan, USA44.3148443 -85.60236429999997741.0098718 -89.749946799999975 47.619816799999995 -81.454781799999978tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8448359264529723073.post-33471338572980379122011-06-07T05:01:00.000-07:002011-06-07T05:01:19.365-07:00Fourth of 8 F's - FreedomFreedom. Merriam-Webster defines freedom as:<br />
<blockquote>1)<span class="ssens"><strong> </strong>the quality or state of being free;</span><span class="ssens"><strong></strong> the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action;</span><span class="ssens"><strong></strong> liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another <strong>:</strong> independence</span></blockquote><span class="ssens">How many of us truly feel free? I know that being an American we are born into a free country. We have advantages that no one else in the world experiences. But the path that we are moving down might not give us freedom much longer. When we take for granted what we have, we start to lose our freedoms. We we become complacent, we start to lose our freedoms. When we spread ourselves thin policing the world, we start to lose our freedoms.</span><br />
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<span class="ssens">Are you able to help family members in need like you want? Are you able to spend time with family they way you want? Are you able to vacation as much as you want? Are you able to give to church or charity they way that you want? Most Americans cannot! Even though we live in one of the freest countries in the world, we are trapped by our own doings. We have allowed ourselves to work for someone else because we need the money to avoid bankruptcy. We want to "keep up with the Jones'" so we put ourselves in debt to look like we are "doing pretty good." To me, that is not freedom. To me, that is closer to slavery. Self-induced slavery, but all the same slavery. When we have to work for someone else the amount of hours they want us to work, at the times they want us to work, with the breaks and vacations they dictate, that is not freedom.</span><br />
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<span class="ssens">What are we doing to preserve our freedom? More importantly, what are we doing to preserve our children and grand-children's future freedom? I ask you today to look at the principles this country was founded upon. It was not to create a country of people that go to work all day then come home to watch television. It was to create a free country so that people could prosper in whatever they choose to do. Choose to live today! Choose to make a difference! Choose to maintain the freedom that this country was founded upon! God bless!</span><br />
<span class="ssens"> </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472973420063236733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8448359264529723073.post-55976779826492645722011-06-06T04:59:00.000-07:002011-06-06T05:00:05.026-07:00Third of the 8 F's - FinanceWhat a topic of discussion these days! It seems as though finances are talked about more these days than almost anything else. The conversations I have been around most of the time are negative and somewhat helpless in nature. My observations lead me to believe that many people feel there is nothing they can do about their finances. They are stuck! Their hands are tied behind their backs! That is just not true.<br />
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If we really sit down and look at our finances most of us would see somewhere that we can cut back (I know not everyone can). The problem is that most people do not want to cut back. How can I give up my cable television? How can I give up my internet? How can I live without internet on my phone? How can I beat the convenience and price of the dollar menu at my favorite restaurant?<br />
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In a time when the country as a whole is struggling, there are things we can do to positively affect our personal finances. We can make little changes that will free up a little more money. That money can go towards debt rather than entertainment. I really like the saying, "If you have to finance your recreation, it's not time to be recreating!" I would even take it a little further. If you have debt, it's not time to recreate! I don't mean never take time to have fun with your family. What I mean is why pay to have fun when you are already struggling to pay your bills (again, I am talking to myself with this too). IF we can remove the debt from our lives, then we will have even more resources to do more with, both recreate and donate.<br />
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So I want to challenge you to look at your finances. Are we really doing all we can to minimize our debt? Are we making the right choices that will free our family from the financial struggles we are facing? Are we really taking responsibility for where we are now? Make a difference in your life and your family's life. Take control of your finances, don't let them continue to control you. God bless!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472973420063236733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8448359264529723073.post-11596119299807603902011-06-01T05:10:00.000-07:002011-06-01T05:10:36.246-07:00Second of the 8 F's - FamilyWhen I searched the word family on the Merriam-Webster site, the first definition that popped up was the following:<br />
<blockquote><span class="ssens">1. a group of individuals living under one roof and usually under one head</span></blockquote>This is a very vague definition of what a family is supposed to represent. In fact, I would say that is why we have such a confused youth growing up. As I read through the eight definitions of family, I finally came to the definition that I would deem as the best for what a family is supposed to represent. That definition was the fifth on the list. Here is that definition:<br />
<blockquote><span class="ssens">5. </span><span class="ssens"><em class="sn">a</em> <strong>:</strong> the basic unit in society traditionally consisting of two parents rearing their children; <em>also</em> <strong>:</strong> any of various social units differing from but regarded as equivalent to the traditional family <span class="vi"><a single-parent <em>family</em>></span></span><span class="ssens"></span></blockquote><blockquote> <span class="ssens"><em class="sn">b</em> <strong>:</strong> spouse and children <span class="vi"><want to spend more time with my <em>family</em>></span></span></blockquote>This definition is what is lacking in America! Too many children are growing up without two parents raising them. Most of these children live with a mother or a grandparent. Not that this is wrong or bad, but there is a reason that God created man and woman to produce a child. It is important for the child to be raised by two individuals. Each parent brings different things to the raising of the child. One might demonstrate more of the nurturing side while the other demonstrates discipline. Both are needed to be positive examples of what a good relationship looks like.<br />
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Now this is not the end to family. Extended family needs to be spoken about here also. With the technology today, travel has become easily accessible. Families are spread out all over the country. Our closest family live about 20 minutes away. Not bad with today's technology, but the rest of our family live more than 50 minutes away. A majority of those family members live more than 4 hours away! Family units are no longer what they used to be. Quite often families would live within a couple miles of each other. Often as neighbors or on the same property. Parents did not have to raise their children on their own. They had a lot of family to help them.<br />
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Since families have started spreading out more, we have seen more and more couples struggle to stay married (The number of divorced people in the population more than quadrupled from 4.3 million in 1970 to 18.3 million in 1996, according to a Census Bureau report on <i>Marital Status and Living Arrangments</i>). We have seen parents struggle to raise their children. We have seen our society fall apart. I believe it is time to once again emphasize the importance of a family unit. Not just the immediate family, but the extended family coming together to help raise a strong family. Doing so will only positively impact our country. God bless!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472973420063236733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8448359264529723073.post-13593950471937158052011-05-31T04:48:00.000-07:002011-05-31T04:48:11.418-07:00First of the 8 F's - FaithOn the 18th of May I had posted that my next several posts would be about 8 F's of "Living Intentionally for Excellence." Since then, I have had a major distraction from continuing posts on those 8 areas. Although, I would have to say my parents safely making it through one of the countries worst tornadoes in recorded history has definitely taught me a thing or two about Faith. That is the first "F" I want to talk about.<br />
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Faith is something that I never really took seriously until I was married and started having children. Sure, I became a Christian when I was a child (around the age of 5). Of course I went to youth group throughout school (until my 11th grade year when I was turned off to church by a youth pastor). I even attended a Christian college where I went to chapel twice a week. I even regularly attended church and small group once married. But all of that did nothing more that make it appear that I was a believer. It wasn't until I decided to own my faith that I truly began to understand it. Once I made the decision to truly live a Christian life did I start to hunger for more Truth. That Truth being that Christ died for my sins and wanting to learn as much as possible to grow closer to him. I also wanted to make sure I understood well enough to raise my children in a way that would draw them to Christ. Family Bible Time is one way that I have been able to influence my children (along with my wife and myself). This is a time when we sit as a family and read from the Word. We then sing a song or two and have prayer together. It is a great opportunity to expose my children to the Truth and grow as a family.<br />
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In no way have I arrived. In fact, I feel like I have a long way to go. The one thing I do know is that the Lord loves me as I continue on my journey. I encourage you to look at your faith. Examine where you are at and where you want to be. I really encourage you to read from the Bible and question what you read. Then find someone that is a mature Christian and ask them the questions you have. If you do not know where to find a mature Christian, feel free to send your questions to be. I will be happy to find the answers for you (not that I know it all, but will be more than willing to help you find the answers). Have a wonderful day. God bless!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472973420063236733noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8448359264529723073.post-68890559589136273822011-05-28T06:35:00.000-07:002011-05-28T06:35:42.085-07:00Hold On!My wife found this video online and posted it on her blog. She felt it went along with what my parents had to go through together. I hope you enjoy it! God bless!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/1upG3AS4e4k?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472973420063236733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8448359264529723073.post-7962488655348045232011-05-27T04:51:00.000-07:002011-05-27T04:51:19.820-07:00Intense, First-Person Video of Joplin TornadoThis is an intense, first-person video of the tornado that ripped through Joplin, MO on Sunday the 22nd of May. It is almost six minutes long. About four and a half minutes of it is the tornado hitting the convenience store that the people are in. The video is hard to see, but the audio tells plenty! I think the part that amazed me the most with this is that my parents experienced this exact tornado. In fact, the person that takes pictures for their insurance company said that of all the houses she had taken pictures of that day, my parents' house was the worst. Even so, they walked away with no broken bones.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/cQnvxJZucds?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472973420063236733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8448359264529723073.post-77189488246939470762011-05-26T04:59:00.000-07:002011-05-26T04:59:43.340-07:00Joplin Disaster ReliefI spoke with my dad last night for about thirty minutes. He was catching me up on the latest discoveries down in Joplin for them. I tell you what, their story was amazing when I first heard it, but as I hear more it becomes more amazing! Seven relatives from Oklahoma and Kansas came down yesterday to help them sort through the rubble. They were able to find many things that are near and dear to them. In fact they have several bins and bags of stuff to look through to see what is salvageable. Now comes the process of itemizing everything they had for insurance purposes. How fun!<br />
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My parents are the type that have many possessions that are high in sentimental value. They have been able to find several things that mean a lot to them (I will spare details so that when my mom is ready to write about the experience she can share all the details). One item was my Grandpa Harbottle's flag from his casket for serving in the military. My dad found it in the glass case still unbroken or damaged. Unbelievable! <br />
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People have been very supportive so far. They have received some clothes to get them through this initial time after the tornado. They were blessed with money from the relatives in Oklahoma and Kansas. They were loaned a car from my mom's cousins, Marilyn & Paul, to help until they are able to purchase another one.<br />
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God has blessed them greatly with their safety and continues to bless them with support from others. If you are wanting to still donate, Joplin Family Worship Center (their church and the church of a few other couples that were affected by the storm) is collecting money. Please feel free to send your donations to them. You can go to <a href="http://www.jfwc.org/%5Crelief">JFWC's Disaster Relief</a> website to make donations. Thank you all you have been praying, donating and helping in their task of looking for possessions! God bless!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472973420063236733noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8448359264529723073.post-89131164340863903392011-05-25T05:04:00.000-07:002011-05-25T05:04:04.840-07:00Pictures From My Parents Part 2<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF2N-e52JL2qQnIIJhSgrrrF_uf8QCr1Z_Ljw0FNDct03esNnZezoEP4BfUGsuKpsDQD65NJ5Fr5-8z3jo0gliEZ9X3yhfsGdimXjZaXKbZnMqA6orJKABb3kwKGsT_NgFHkb7Y6UJwa8/s1600/What%2527s+left+of+house.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF2N-e52JL2qQnIIJhSgrrrF_uf8QCr1Z_Ljw0FNDct03esNnZezoEP4BfUGsuKpsDQD65NJ5Fr5-8z3jo0gliEZ9X3yhfsGdimXjZaXKbZnMqA6orJKABb3kwKGsT_NgFHkb7Y6UJwa8/s400/What%2527s+left+of+house.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">What's left of the house.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLRDXa3K9GmBR-N4xxpNgWqaNfuyUqjqByPQ6TtJT6PNVe9yopIi-ktwyFKj_Chnh6UA8tWfKe3GaB2XYElEC3wMV-dP8SC0cutZfgydkJVC0pjTSi1FqdeZ5_YjzzYZAfMfcypaYUJS0/s1600/Backyard.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLRDXa3K9GmBR-N4xxpNgWqaNfuyUqjqByPQ6TtJT6PNVe9yopIi-ktwyFKj_Chnh6UA8tWfKe3GaB2XYElEC3wMV-dP8SC0cutZfgydkJVC0pjTSi1FqdeZ5_YjzzYZAfMfcypaYUJS0/s400/Backyard.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">My parent's backyard. There used to be a fence around it.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzzvU5PS-IUUdIqLgIJktZHQKVlHll2NCOz4Ei0F11DQVTuF4THjkIaIuMZu3fIN2fSSol8zNv1wF1GPUUWWRk9Ip_52YDFXjyBcwDU42xyXMXI3hNjVsN47mZKJdh4-UaFMey4lf0pp4/s1600/Brush+and+debris+pile.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzzvU5PS-IUUdIqLgIJktZHQKVlHll2NCOz4Ei0F11DQVTuF4THjkIaIuMZu3fIN2fSSol8zNv1wF1GPUUWWRk9Ip_52YDFXjyBcwDU42xyXMXI3hNjVsN47mZKJdh4-UaFMey4lf0pp4/s400/Brush+and+debris+pile.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Part of the debris pile.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz__L5Lx2IKyeioaYVglR9PjzdThmpYrkmqdny2_EKdPeYDCIIcWTNv2sy-NfsZWX3owopWHamTDF5JoyiEmbCV6PTae2ca-hzp3-AaIMHhjU3wATQnbA9jgSgSKDXkyPk2Zr6qR_iKPg/s1600/Cabinets.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz__L5Lx2IKyeioaYVglR9PjzdThmpYrkmqdny2_EKdPeYDCIIcWTNv2sy-NfsZWX3owopWHamTDF5JoyiEmbCV6PTae2ca-hzp3-AaIMHhjU3wATQnbA9jgSgSKDXkyPk2Zr6qR_iKPg/s400/Cabinets.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">You can see cabinets, a door, and the door jam in this picture.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnCXRcJdmXXkwkys14Vw2UROk7Vd6UvebXgbA23PiIV2XrcQEKKgk8E_QWkUhk8wjj2J_4up7cYBu78M-oBoTA-H5I6keTTDVNqQH1yHpNdhlwDp6AMtVYddb0qxyeBYKx5jtuYVtJ1Dg/s1600/Debris+pile.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnCXRcJdmXXkwkys14Vw2UROk7Vd6UvebXgbA23PiIV2XrcQEKKgk8E_QWkUhk8wjj2J_4up7cYBu78M-oBoTA-H5I6keTTDVNqQH1yHpNdhlwDp6AMtVYddb0qxyeBYKx5jtuYVtJ1Dg/s400/Debris+pile.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Another pile of mess that was their house after the tornado.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKVUbzBjlatdMxHWufGSbdakpqvjJvJfwlt5ZAIYyKFjEVp6fkkDRbh_-RkNyoGPitce1sXvuJTAnbzXdjeHq0i0iZVhHLNpBz3NESQetfgoxrVbrjp6fic6O-3OQWkk1uuI7gwYFYB6o/s1600/Dresser.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKVUbzBjlatdMxHWufGSbdakpqvjJvJfwlt5ZAIYyKFjEVp6fkkDRbh_-RkNyoGPitce1sXvuJTAnbzXdjeHq0i0iZVhHLNpBz3NESQetfgoxrVbrjp6fic6O-3OQWkk1uuI7gwYFYB6o/s400/Dresser.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I believe that is their entertainment center if I remember correctly.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigBdIXWWuz84SXXfYjdJZYWinL_VlZHO2gwypW_lE64uUoJrSB_0-bSNd6-U33d6QDScFkg7u7L0lj7dQEkHcZ49nSTQpz2PYY545pA_PY7Rw0MBCd55YY7HVJ-lpMEr8Gyo9klvGPplI/s1600/Inside+of+truck.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigBdIXWWuz84SXXfYjdJZYWinL_VlZHO2gwypW_lE64uUoJrSB_0-bSNd6-U33d6QDScFkg7u7L0lj7dQEkHcZ49nSTQpz2PYY545pA_PY7Rw0MBCd55YY7HVJ-lpMEr8Gyo9klvGPplI/s400/Inside+of+truck.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The muddied inside of their truck.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhDtHr3IJNwuUZf9zlQz9inn3vQiB11wLFkIBrmeRVHHsyz6FfDucF9vcAF7pPLewp6hhuJsDLZDAKgBvQfN4Fqt7qWy77SAg4WMNv70TUxfciHQ2V7L89WSbN5azTd3th_2Qorp-lefM/s1600/Neighbor%2527s+house.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhDtHr3IJNwuUZf9zlQz9inn3vQiB11wLFkIBrmeRVHHsyz6FfDucF9vcAF7pPLewp6hhuJsDLZDAKgBvQfN4Fqt7qWy77SAg4WMNv70TUxfciHQ2V7L89WSbN5azTd3th_2Qorp-lefM/s400/Neighbor%2527s+house.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Looking toward their neighbor's house.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy2PY3Tv980hflOQRxJeNGPrky5tNE0Lz8ufMdWqGS7DLxezpOswakKoYoSAX__Txpwg92B9ZeXFz6DQMTs6GAjXImZbI7pj2xiqnTkrY1L4NPLQyANn4l17Zsc-2VElIQDEDXlUEMP60/s1600/Parents+were+in+there.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy2PY3Tv980hflOQRxJeNGPrky5tNE0Lz8ufMdWqGS7DLxezpOswakKoYoSAX__Txpwg92B9ZeXFz6DQMTs6GAjXImZbI7pj2xiqnTkrY1L4NPLQyANn4l17Zsc-2VElIQDEDXlUEMP60/s400/Parents+were+in+there.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">They crawled out from under this area.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJWKOnn22CLJhPHeQ3DCOXU0xNfo9gF3dE0645suHjGBvCAa-Ni5P0HQoV-7hIDGWDUs2H-bDa6NKs5gTjqDKvgjTwTUpnfCktSeJTWbGcXdvWuRL2PBtJ44th2wLACoah55yN790pdjI/s1600/Suburban.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJWKOnn22CLJhPHeQ3DCOXU0xNfo9gF3dE0645suHjGBvCAa-Ni5P0HQoV-7hIDGWDUs2H-bDa6NKs5gTjqDKvgjTwTUpnfCktSeJTWbGcXdvWuRL2PBtJ44th2wLACoah55yN790pdjI/s400/Suburban.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Their Suburban and a door.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi01KW7sk1mhzhZBPUEMC3-Xw-3D31vLNxEvtfoUkURz_WEpYQ0_vNW-WEXzJ_RqlNDI5oLSQ55Uv3q3Bqkgip4w87NGZPOaL9PHNOMhJKCC8qdR8OaYr6P8LOlOjhdCO7jKk1kz6RqsDo/s1600/Tahoe.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi01KW7sk1mhzhZBPUEMC3-Xw-3D31vLNxEvtfoUkURz_WEpYQ0_vNW-WEXzJ_RqlNDI5oLSQ55Uv3q3Bqkgip4w87NGZPOaL9PHNOMhJKCC8qdR8OaYr6P8LOlOjhdCO7jKk1kz6RqsDo/s400/Tahoe.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">My dad's Tahoe he had just bought.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472973420063236733noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8448359264529723073.post-61373156650537548462011-05-25T04:54:00.000-07:002011-05-25T04:54:52.170-07:00Pictures From My Parents<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaOX2K8_2-5ctWd8vNMFIAzz55qE8-_t_fEpYcFuPrfa4wx9JkkvXjVGCyC4brs4vAYLyU7WLPextPL9Gwry-ze9CuprmnqmDv6aB4iSaVPP0a7FqvP2Touu3M1_FmLjdJCAwsouhN_Ds/s1600/Crawled+out+of+this.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaOX2K8_2-5ctWd8vNMFIAzz55qE8-_t_fEpYcFuPrfa4wx9JkkvXjVGCyC4brs4vAYLyU7WLPextPL9Gwry-ze9CuprmnqmDv6aB4iSaVPP0a7FqvP2Touu3M1_FmLjdJCAwsouhN_Ds/s400/Crawled+out+of+this.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">My parents crawled out from under there!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHudVQD3Cr3Vko6DlPIm44Xhx22GNHqSpd21o9lPYPCPcbkACd2YqEsikW6PUFMg6pNXoqwm9vxnizbe0XE_7gOeZHqx_em_nYOV2pZLrkDR2MVLK1JsKtIXHe-69o0NB135NX_ulohY0/s1600/Wood+in+car+seat.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHudVQD3Cr3Vko6DlPIm44Xhx22GNHqSpd21o9lPYPCPcbkACd2YqEsikW6PUFMg6pNXoqwm9vxnizbe0XE_7gOeZHqx_em_nYOV2pZLrkDR2MVLK1JsKtIXHe-69o0NB135NX_ulohY0/s400/Wood+in+car+seat.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Found this chunk of wood stuck in their vehicle headrest. Yikes!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurknVeou_Fm1qSyoYaw5oLAnlTyKRVfSEPhbAvNx3WpDnIqXJKS53npWfRTgD5PrLuzRTYRl5dqHDl3kunXPznI1ZBUQ7rJPz1RhaGv1pRWq0j8phfNnRlnZYAbVgYWeq4-B1AlEOGFM/s1600/Dad%2527s+car.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurknVeou_Fm1qSyoYaw5oLAnlTyKRVfSEPhbAvNx3WpDnIqXJKS53npWfRTgD5PrLuzRTYRl5dqHDl3kunXPznI1ZBUQ7rJPz1RhaGv1pRWq0j8phfNnRlnZYAbVgYWeq4-B1AlEOGFM/s400/Dad%2527s+car.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">My dad's car!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw4JBRKId1Fyz7GEeGSgwIqWUJSJMSPZby8d7Uy8riTGdck9WLBWGRwp0x2cC2iHreqVRD7fnuR_IerVxNxOBppaedgp_o19g3Bq1GWPPxBt4jP0Erjwhiebxf-oY5_X5e2mSxt0UDhQw/s1600/Dad%2527s+crushed+car.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw4JBRKId1Fyz7GEeGSgwIqWUJSJMSPZby8d7Uy8riTGdck9WLBWGRwp0x2cC2iHreqVRD7fnuR_IerVxNxOBppaedgp_o19g3Bq1GWPPxBt4jP0Erjwhiebxf-oY5_X5e2mSxt0UDhQw/s400/Dad%2527s+crushed+car.JPG" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Front view of my dad's car and neighbor's house.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL73Qrjch_NTKpgMODDd-qTHGdIMK0d9Kr-8MkXFNXe8kMXAnrb8LR0Ff1bCIUo_-2DlkEYDbcyYfPCMu3VeMLDhGKhTMAg2rD7b5k5mnBYuTbbmSI7cAX0b0VkVpfkqXVQwiSscjQD_4/s1600/House+between+trucks.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL73Qrjch_NTKpgMODDd-qTHGdIMK0d9Kr-8MkXFNXe8kMXAnrb8LR0Ff1bCIUo_-2DlkEYDbcyYfPCMu3VeMLDhGKhTMAg2rD7b5k5mnBYuTbbmSI7cAX0b0VkVpfkqXVQwiSscjQD_4/s400/House+between+trucks.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">My parents' house was between the two trucks. Looks more like a cookout gone bad to me. (I couldn't stay serious the whole post. LOL!)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472973420063236733noreply@blogger.com0