You don't really need a scientific study to tell you the percentage of the population that eats out. Especially on a Friday evening. One drive down the main drag of most towns show restaurant after restaurant, parking lots filled, crowd backed out the door waiting their turn. It has become a way of life for many. I know several families who never eat at home. In fact the number of "3- meal -out- a - day" diners has risen 23% in the past five years according to one study I saw.

I'd get tired of that very fast I think. Eating out for us is still something special. Or something we do on vacation or travels. I enjoy dining out, but really I am lucky in that I've never seen a restaurant that could beat what I get at my own table. Kristie and I enjoy cooking. It's an important part of our lives to cook and eat together.

Tonight I was "in charge" and with her assistance we made a great sweet red sauce served over egg noodle pasta with a serving of stir-fried ( slightly steamed ) veggies and Hillshire Farms Hardwood smoked chicken sausage. You need to try it sometime.

After dinner it was coming up a thunderstorm so we unplugged everything and set down together ready to ride it out. The storm didn't last long and as soon as it had past I was cuing-up some soft romantic music. There is nothing better than to be snuggling together for a nap on the couch while soft Randall Bramblett music plays in the background.

Next thing you know it is hours later. Now that is what I call real reality programing.

This afternoon I was talking to an older man, a farmer about a planned trip his family wanted to make to Disney World taking him, his wife and the two grand kids. He kept saying, "I just don't sponsor this idea." I guess meaning he did not want to go or that he wasn't to keen on going. I never heard anyone say that before. And it caused me to think of other unique ways of saying the same thing.

"I just don't cotton to that." " It don't light my fire." Can't switch on a bulb". Then there is the, "It don't float my boat." It doesn't blow my skirt up." "It don't make my skillet fry faster". One truly funny one I once heard was, "That idea or 'idee' jus' don't shine my shoes." And a final thought if you really don't like the plan you say, " that'll make a donkey cry."

Bye

the ABC's of this week

A - Air conditioner - Wife's car, "the 'lil Dragster " needs a/c service...again
B - Baseball Game - Attending the game on Anderson Night
C - coffee - enjoying a fresh bag of Kenyan AAA via my great friend Sue who just returned from a mission trip.
D - Dad is doing much better this week
E - Excited by H.G guys night. in the planning stage
F - Friends - I am blessed to know the best
G - picking up the Genset ( it's for sale btw )
H - the Handlebar - looking forward to seeing Randall Bramblett in concert there this week
I - the Invitation at church yesterday. A miracle occurred in many lives.
J - John 17:23
K - Katelyn graduates this week. Is that really possible than my "Sugar Cub " is 18 ?
L - LZU - thinking I'm gonna fly there to visit the "Flying Machine" for dinner this weekend.
M - Music - This week is truly filled with great LIVE music. 4 nights
N - NewSpring - love my church
O - Obvious answers to some of the little problems we face. Others not so clear, yet thankful for all.
P - Pastor Perry Noble - thank you Lord for placing such a man of God in my life.
Q - Quiet time - God has been teaching me to be silent and listen
R - Rush - Worlds greatest Band. In G'ville this week.
S - the "Shock" - girls softball playoffs - the Monk is starting game two on the mound
T - Temperature - saw 99 degrees at my house yesterday
U - U.K. & Ukraine - Our Partner Churches in Europe, as well as Kenya - praying daily
V - Visiting - the New Foundations Children's home
W - Wife - More than I ever dreamed - I love her so much
X - "X" marks the spot for every thing else I forgot to list
Y - Yard - be careful what you wish for. I don't like to mow, and now my lawn is turning brown in this heat.
Z - Zaxby's I got a free meal coupon.

Well the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend is over. It was a wonderful one. My family has been blessed beyond belief. This year we were able to bring my dad back to his home for a visit, his first in sixteen months. One year ago dad was in the hospital. His doctors called us together and told us he didn’t expect dad to survive the night. At the hospital they didn’t expect a miracle. But we did !!! Having dad back in his own recliner even if just for the afternoon made Thursday one of the best Thanksgivings ever.

I spent time this week remembering a lot of my Thanksgivings past. I remember ones spent with mom, dad and my little sis thousands of miles from loved ones. Especially strong is the memory of thanksgiving spent on a Pacific Island where turkeys were unknown. But we did have coconut pie made with fresh coconut from a tree right outside our door. The table center piece was a gobbler made from another whole coconut with palm frond feathers. I always grin at that thought. Another fond memory is the times when the entire extended family was together. My Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, cousins and other people, not really related, but thought of as family. Those Thanksgivings always had 50 or 60 adults and a multitude of kids running around. There was always plenty to eat and naps for every one afterward, well except for us boys who always set up a game of backyard football. One year when I was in college we were playing our game when a group of guys happened up and asked if they could join in. I realized several of them were part of the University of Georgia National Championship team. Needless to say we lost.

Another Thanksgiving that stands out was one before I met my wife. I had just started a new job and didn’t have the money nor the time-off to go home that year. So I was truly alone on Turkey day. All the restaurants seemed closed and I drove to the Waffle House on the highway at the edge of town. For those who have never enjoyed them, the Waffle House is a roadside diner style chain, popular with truckers and late night travelers. I remember the waitress. She was an older lady, probably named Alice or Flo, I really don’t remember. I think I was her only customer all day. On that holiday I believe she was as lonely as I was. She was working alone because everyone else needed the day off. Sitting at the counter I ordered coffee and we talked as she grilled us up a big steak and plate of hash browns. Then we split a stack of pecan waffles for dessert. I stayed there talking, just talking and sipping coffee with her nearly five hours. She was at least twenty or twenty-five years older than me. We talked about the life, the world and her adventures in it. She had been most everywhere. One of the most fascinating people I’ve ever met. Though I ate there many more times I never saw her there again.

I treasure all these memories I have been truly blessed. I have friends and family who love and care for me. I am not alone, lonely, cold, or hungry. I have more to thankful for than I could ever list.

Yes TRULY BLESSED

I am thankful.

Uga VII: "Loran's Best"

The beloved University of Georgia mascot Uga VII passed away suddenly Thursday at his home in Savannah



"This is a very sad day for all Georgia people," said Damon Evans, Director of Athletics

There will be no Mascot on the sidelines for Saturdays game against Kentucky but a substitute will be at the Georgia Tech game.

A full time replacement will be announced before next season.

It's been a tough year for Georgia fans. Munson retired, the loss of several players to the NFL, a disappointing season and now the loss of our Mascot in only his second year. We will miss you Uga

I may get go to Cleveland for a couple of days. While I am there I'd like to be taking in a Indians game but that'll have to wait until next summer. Still I can spend time revisiting the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Then there is the very cool and totally interactive science museum. Best of all I'll have the chance to once again the fantastic International Women's Air and Space Museum at Burke Lake Front Airport right down town.

I am flying up in my plane. One way is about 3:15. Driving would take ALL DAY.

I have visited Cleveland before and I promise Dorothy Parker was wrong. Cleveland is a nice town and fun to visit. It really doesn't deserve the bad rap. A better quote would be from rock singer Ian Hunter when he shouted "Cleveland Rocks"

Where were the film crews when I needed them?

This morning would have been a great time to film a coffee commercial at my house. The temperature and relative humidly were perfect and when I poured my first cup it produced a massive amount of steaming vapor.

It's hard to resist a piping hot cup of my favorite brew.

I was always told never start off a story with an apology. I guess that applies to blogging too. However since I know nothing about proper writing I shall ignore that advice, and offer my apologies to those who set their lives by my postings. OK I am being silly. But I am a little late posting. I experienced some blog access issues last night. Something about maintenance and I fell asleep while waiting it out.

First up I planned on flying to the Atlanta area this morning on business, but it is seriously foggy here, way to bad to try to takeoff. And the airport at Cobb County is reporting the same if not worse. Maybe later.

As I said in my last post, Saturday was my anniversary. I had a great low key celebration with my beautiful bride. The day started slow because Kris had to forgo sleeping-in to attend a function at the University. Work related Saturdays are rare for her, but that doesn't make it any easier to arise early, especially when I am still sleeping. About the time her event wrapped up and she had returned home both the Clemson and Georgia football games were starting on tv. She had eaten so I grabbed a leftover chicken leg and we settled in to watch those games. Both teams have struggled inexplicably this season but Saturday they cruised to sorely needed victories.

After the game we had dinner reservations at the Galley. It's a somewhat upscale restaurant located on the shore of Lake Hartwell, at the marina. Dining in a quiet romantic setting while watching the sunset over the water was just the anniversary treat we had hopped for. It didn't hurt that the food was wonderful too. Those who know us well will be surprised to learn she, not me ordered the Prime Rib. That she passed up the Chicken Parmesan is still a mystery. I had grilled Salmon and it was amazing. But I did not miss out on the steak as she ate a little less than half and I get the leftovers later this week.

Sunday was special too. Once again we were able to get the whole family together and take my dad to his church. Only his third visit since his accident. Though Liberty Church is the old family church, it is growing so fast I hardly know 25% of the people there these days. That is a great thing. For years they hovered around 100 - 125 regular attending members, but in the past couple years they have more than doubled that. The building is bursting. Fortunately the new facility is nearing completion. During the service it was easy to see why the growth. First the people were on fire, and preacher Todd seriously brought it. Five salvation's. Rejoicing in Heaven was loud Sunday.

After church we were able to take dad out to lunch at a local meat and three place. We had a good time.

One of the things I love about my church is that we have four identical services every Sunday.
So attending in the evening I still did not miss anything. Our teaching pastor and Evangelist Clayton King chopped wood. God is using Clayton and we had witnessed another 126 souls added to the roll. THAT NEVER GETS OLD. Thanks Lord for men of God bring your message and praying people in churches like Liberty and NewSpring. I am so glad to be a part of this movement.

It's my wedding anniversary. After my accepting Christ, marrying her is the best decision I ever made. It proves I can do some things right from time to time.

Kristie was made just for me. She is a beautiful, smart, gifted lady. An amazing woman. Truly sold out to Jesus. Every part of her world is guided by that faith.
I am blessed to be loved by someone who has more talent and ability in one finger than I have in my whole being. She is the most important person in my life and my best friend.

I am thankful for her and her influence on my world. She is an answer to prayer everyday in my life. I love you sweetheart, you are my dream come true. Every year gets better than the previous one. I can hardly wait for the times yet to come.

Thank you for putting up with me all these years

You are my sweetie

I love you very much

My wife and I don't watch a lot of commercial TV.
Plain and simple we seldom find things that fit us. We don't have Dish or anything similar. Don't subscribe to cable. We don't even have an outside antenna. Some people would say that is why we don't find anything to watch, but after years of cable I argue it's because the quality of most of shows is lacking. Why on earth would I want to pay for shows I am not going to watch anyway?

A salesman knocked on my door a few days ago offering to install this thing called Direct TV. I said to him, " I already have direct TV, it comes straight from the stations tower direct to my rabbit-ears and I get 22 channels." He left me alone after that.

People often ask what Kris and I do if not television. Ever hear of conversation? It's like texting except you utter words in the actual presence of one another. And it doesn't have to be 140 characters or less.

Don't get me wrong I watch stuff. I love reruns of "Law & Order" for instance. And I have accumulated a collection of great tapes ( remember those ) and DVD's.

But some nights we just listen to music and read. Books not l.c.d. screens kiddo's

Tonight we enjoyed something different. Classical Jazz music for piano and drums. You see Kris is a great piano player and I am obsessed with drums. So tonight I broke out my Bill Bruford / Patrick Moraz cd " Music for Piano and Drums. If you don't know who they are then you never heard of the groups Yes, King Crimson, The Moody Blues, U.K., Genesis and many more.

Do yourself a favor. Google them and expand your musical education.

It’s here!!!

I know you have all been waiting, having trouble sleeping from the excited anticipation. Well you can rest easy now. It has returned. What you ask? Why my return to blogging of course.

I had planned for it to be a short break. A few weeks at the most. But since I can’t always predict the events and trends that shape my world, the break grew into months. As much as I missed blogging, the distractions and events of my world made my plans unpredictable.

Catching up:

Any one who reads this blog very likely knows me, and likely knows who I am. I am still the same guy, living in the same place. More than ever I am still madly in love with the most beautiful woman in the world, my bride. I’m thankful for her every day. You can still find me sneaking over to the airport every free moment, flying my plane, talking to the other “Airport Bums” and begging a ride. Hanging out there, while drinking way too much coffee is a habit I am not likely to break.

But most importantly, I am a radical Christ follower, who belongs to an on-fire church that believes in making Jesus famous so that lives can be changed.

The changes and events of past few months can be summed up simply by saying,

"Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose." French novelist Alphonse Karr (1808-90)
("The more things change, the more they stay the same")

What to Expect:

I started this blog as a daily or at least a semi-regular diary of the thoughts and events around me.
I am NOT a writer (as any one who reads this will attest.) But I do have a good time.

I can NOT promise you any profound revelations, or world changing ideas. I won’t promise to always spell correctly, use proper grammar or even compose complete sentences. I assure you typos abound in my work.

But maybe once in a while I’ll post something amusing, causing a small smile and maybe sooner or later something I write will make you say hmmm.

Thanks for reading and please feel free to post comments any time.

Until the next entry …

Where did I put my coffee cup?

Snowbirds over Anderson II

The Golden Knights Parachute team Team RV

Solo Acts
USAF Thunderbolt II ( WartHog )













Golden Knights Fk-27 in a low pass

Show sights

They have arrived. The Snowbirds, the Golden Knights and the Warthog teams are here for tomorrows airshow.

Where: Anderson, South Carolina Airport ( KAND)
When : Tomorrow 13 May 2009 @ 3:30 pm ( 19:30 z ) gates open at 2:00 pm ( 18:00 )
Who:

• Team RV
• Greg Connell
• Gary Ward
• Golden Knights
• A-10 Demonstration
• Canadian Forces Snowbirds

Admission price: FREE


Website : Here





The photos were taken by me around 3 pm today at the airport . Except for the top one which was made from my back deck 15 minutes sooner

Oceans Three ?

Disguised complete with ski-masks and armed with knives the kids pulled of an armed robbery of a jewelry store in Hong Kong. Two boys and a girl, all aged 14 almost got away with gold necklaces, bracelets and pendants valued at more than HK$1 million ($128,200).

All three are now facing hard jail time. The “master mind“ of the crime reportedly formulated his plan after seeing crime shows on television. He had only been released from jail a few weeks for an earlier crime. He had served seven years for that offence. Seven years and he is just 14. That’s half of his life in jail already. Do you think maybe they are watching too much tv?

Tuesday was a glorious day around here. The sun was out and the temperature was absolutely perfect. I was excited to get outside.

Around 11:45 I met the most beautiful woman in the world, my wife, downtown at Jax New Orleans Bistro for lunch. Jax is an interesting place in that they have two locations. One for regular days and one for special nights and so on. I don't understand it, but I guess it doesn't matter. Whatever their business strategy, their food strategy is killer. Lip smacking good, with a New Orleans, Jazz band / Cajun like flair.

Anyway my honey and I arrived at the same time and were seated. Obviously we just beat the lunch rush, because we were the only customers there. But by the time our food arrived the place was filling up. Jax gives a birthday discount during the month of your special day with a percentage off equal to your age. So I was grinning at the deal I was about to receive. I guess that is ONE advantage of advancing time. Warning : If you comment that before long, they will be paying me to eat there, I will hunt you down and thrash you with a leftover 'scetti noodle.

I ordered a Cajun style bacon burger with blue cheese crumbles. With a pasta salad instead of fries. Oh my my ... I am at a loss for words. Kristie had the Jax house special burger. The thing were so big that around half of each came home in a to-go box. It was a great meal. Plus as I said, it was made extra special, dining with my lovely wife.

Before lunch I had only two stops. Pop in at the Post Office to pick-up my mail and send a package of forms off. And most importantly, stopping at Best Buy to get my copy of the three disc collectors edition of the latest James Bond dvd, "Quantum of Solice"

It's Pretty easy to figure out how I spent my evening.

I have grown rather slack with the blog lately. I could make various excuses like I've been more involved in the day to day remodeling of my parents home, and managing the affairs of my father are taking a lot of time. It's tax time of year, for him and for me. Dealing on behalf of dad with the military retirement system, social security, the medicare system and the VA
( Veterans Administration) and the other various agencies is exhausting. They all have confusing, and confounding rules with plenty of hoops to jump through. Then there is an almost over whelming project for work. Yeah my well oiled personal system has seen too many recent changes. I could continue to list maybe 1000 great excuses. But the real truth is I have become sorta lazy about writing. Also I am afflicted with that silly social media disease Twitter. I have plenty of things to say. My notebook has 20 pages of blog ideas ready to go and there are maybe 75% finished blogs saved to my blog draft file. One massive catch-up posting a week doesn't cut it for me so I will try to do better.
Lately have been traveling back and forth "across the river" to Georgia as my father-in-law puts it. A lot! That involves driving along the shore line of Lake Hartwell and crossing the bridge next to the dam. I have noticed a big change in water levels over the last three weeks. Just a couple months ago our lake resembled a pitiful little pond. My friend Jane posted some photos on her blog that showed the situation near her home very well. From the plane flying over the lake makes the big picture clear, and truly showed how bad the situation had gotten. Not only were people with lake side homes suffering, but most related industries have really seen hard times. Many many ramps have been closed and most docks sit high and dry.

The recent rains ( and snow ) along with a major change in the Corp of Engineers lake management policy has quickly made a big, noticeable difference in the lake level. And Lake Hartwell is a big lake, with over 960 miles of shoreline. Just two months ago the lake level sign near the dam was more than 10 feet out of the water. Yesterday afternoon not only was the sign back in water but it lacked only a foot or so until the part with the level markings get wet again. That still leaves our beautiful lake about 11 feet below full pool. We've a long way to go, but it's a start

Wow another busy weekend for us again starting on Thursday morning, early !

I was up around 4 O'clock too excited to sleep any more. My church hosted Unleash conference and I was up and ready to go. As a volunteer I reported at 6:15 and had a day filled with uplifting and moving experiences. NewSpring had more than 3000 guests attending from all over the globe and as I found out later 900 more joined in via the web cast. I think the 525 or so volunteers would all agree we had more fun than anyone else. And as I have stated every year. We had our batteries recharged too.

As soon as the conference wrapped up I headed off to Georgia. It was a sad time as well as a time for rejoicing. Kristie's great Aunt who was in good health and very active at 80 suddenly passed away, or as we all prefer to say was promoted. So while we were sad and will miss Geneva, we are happy at the same time.

Our Friday was spent with the family and attending the funeral. Kristie and her brother played and sang, doing a fantastic job. Geneva left a legacy behind and the pastor challenged us all to step-up and fill the same roll in our families. Yes there was an alter call at the services. Geneva was famous for her love, caring and her cooking. She even ran her own catering business for several years. I've noticed several great cooks have gone on lately. Could it be be that God is preparing the marriage supper for his church?

Friday night one of my friends celebrated a milestone birthday. I'll not say which milestone, but if he were a dog he'd be nearly 3 centuries old. We had a surprise party for him at A.U. in the Sullivan building. I remember just a short time ago when NewSpring held our services there. We've seen a lot of lives changed in the short time since then. We had a great time and more cake than I have ever seen. Happy Birthday Patrick

I spent a while with dad on Saturday. Moving him to the Brown center was a great decision. Dad was awake and alert and we enjoyed some good conversations. He has his good and bad days, but has been on the upswing for longer this time. A prayer answered.

Saturday night was spent with Kristie's family. Her brother Richard was down for the funeral Friday and chose to stay for the weekend. We don't get to see him a lot so we enjoyed our time together. Richard is a hardcore Tar-Heel fan, so basketball was on in the background the entire visit. I forgive him for his poorly masked glee at Clemson's loss.

Sunday was a volunteer day for me still training as an engineer. I wonder will I ever catch to the technology God lets us use to reach the world? Sunday night was one of our best homegroup nights ever. And trust me, Kristie had nothing to do with it. The lesson was just perfect, and connected to all of us and the events of our past week. Everyone seemed to be so involved in the discussion. And it goes without saying the food was yummy. Thanks for hosting John and Sue.

It was another great weekend. Thursday was my sister’s birthday. We burned the phone line half the evening. I wish she was next door some times

I spent the rest of the night at my in-laws house. June is a true world class cook and nothing is better for a birthday celebration than one of her special meals. Unless maybe it is her deep pan coconut cake.

On Friday my bride and I spent a wonderful night together without any agenda. Kristie once again reminded me what an amazing cook she is whipping up a meal fit for a king and doing it from scratch in just 30 minutes. After we ate we spent the evening watching my birthday dvd. A video of Curious George cartoons. Yes I love the “World’s Most Curious Monkey”. It was a great evening, cartoons and quiet time, talking and celebrating my upcoming birthday a day early.

Saturday morning my bride woke me with the admonishment to be patient, breakfast would be worth the wait. So I grabbed a cookie and a cup of coffee, sit myself down in the living room. In less than the time it takes for a one Curious George cartoon she was calling me to the table. She had whipped up a big baked scrambled egg omelet casserole deal.

Later that afternoon she surprised me with a delicious fruit pizza. And that evening we met friends for some greasy burgers at a local hole in the wall type café.

After that we headed across town to Concord Baptist Church to hear the CCM group Big Daddy Weave. The concert was a part of a several day crusade which featured nationally know author, speaker Josh McDowell. Big Daddy did a great show and truly set the stage. Josh then delivered one of the most unique messages I have ever heard. Quiet a few teenagers went forward at the end.

What a great way to celebrate my birthday.

We had a great time.