Thanksgiving pictures

UPDATED Happy Thanksgiving!

From my family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!

I really have been reflective lately of how much I have to be thankful for.

Many people are out of work, have pressing financial needs, or poor family relationships or situations. Unfortunately we all could look around and find someone worse off than we are. The poorest people in the USA, have it better than 90% of the worlds population.

So take the "What am I thankful for?" challenge, make up your own list of the top 5 to 10 things you are thankful for.

Here is mine:

1. My Salvation
2. My wife
3. My sons and daughter-in-law
4. My extended family
5. The warm home God has blessed us with
6. Good christian friends in Ohio and Tennessee
7. A good job that has allowed me to see and do things I never could have imagined (I may get to go to Singapore and China in January!)
8. Good health
9. Soft heart
10. Great Senior Pastor at a Great Church with Great People

If you have trouble thinking of what you are thankful for, watch this video!

This says it all!

Days since Michigan’s last victory over Ohio State in football: 1,828 days.

42-7 was about what we all expected. It was close during the 1st quarter, but then we pulled away.

Hoping for Oregan State to lose and we might get a BCS bowl, otherwise the Capital One bowl on Jan 1 is not bad.

it's time! (pause the player on the right to hear)

ANTHRAX SCARE AT MICHIGAN

Michigan football practice was delayed nearly two hours late this morning after a player reported finding an unknown white powdery substance on the practice field.

Head coach Rich Rodriguez (former head coach at West Virginia University ) immediately suspended practice while police and federal agents were called to investigate.

After a complete analysis, FBI forensic experts determined that the white substance, unknown to the players, was the goal line.

Practice was resumed this afternoon after special agents decided the team was unlikely to encounter the substance again

It's Rivalry Week!

This is the week most OSU fans live for, Michigan Week! I have some great memories of this week when I was in college at OSU. There is always a big pep rally, and the marching band marches through campus.

It doesn't matter if both teams are 0 - 9, this would still be a big deal and a exciting game. This week, I am a little worried about them. They are so bad they are not going to a bowl game, so this is their final game of the year.

There are a couple of famous Woody Hayes (great ex-OSU football coach) stories about Michigan:

• It is told that Woody went to Michigan to recruit a player, while there he ran out of gas, but instead of stopping within the state of Michigan to fill up, he pushed his car across the state line so he would not have to spend money there.
• Woody also never said the word "Michigan", he always referred to it as the "state up north".
• Finally, there was game versus Michigan that OSU was winning pretty easily, OSU scored and instead of kicking the extra point, worth 1 point, he ran the ball into the end zone during the extra point, for 2 points. After the game a reporter asked Woody, why did you go for 2 when you were already winning the game? Woody replied, "because I couldn't go for 3!"

Go Bucks! Game time is Noon this Saturday.

Why you should never believe what you hear on TV

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/11/13/msnbc-retracts-false-palin-story-duped/

Hello from Canada, eh? updated Friday with picture

Well I am in beautiful, Brockville, Ontario Canada, located on the Saint Lawrence river. It is 125 miles due north of Syracuse, NY.

It is one of those places where you can't get to from Columbus without flying through somewhere else. So I had to fly to Washington, DC, then to Ottawa, Ontario and then drive an hour to Brockville. One good thing about Canada is that there are Tim Horton's on every corner, Brockville has 6 and it only has 5,000 people! They brought in Tim Horton's coffee and donuts for the class, so it started the day off great!

My hotel has a great chef, last night was a bison burger with sweet potato french fries. It was so good I had to have dessert, which was Angela worthy to tell you how good it was. It was a mini date cake with sticky toffee pudding covered in homemade caramel and homemade whipped cream! The only problem was, it was a small portion, but it tasted great. I told Angela about it and she said she probably had 3 or 4 recipes for it! I said, well make 1 or 2 of them so I can compare!

Class today went fine, it was on understanding yourself. We used a personality profile assessment to talk about how differing personalities cause communication and conflict issues. Tomorrow is on the traditional change management class I teach.

Just talked to Tyler, he said Rachel had a minor fender bender today going to school. She didn't call Tyler or even text him about it, she waited until she got to work and then sent him an email! Tyler has planned to talk to her about this tonight. So we will see how it goes.

Tyler also said he and Rachel have already bought and opened and are using their Christmas gifts for this year. They bought each other guitars and have been playing them.

Before I left, I got to actually got to meet Brandon's friend Mandy, she does exist and seems OK.

Well it is 6:00 PM and I think I am the last one in the plant offices, which is odd. Time to go see what the chef is cooking tonight!

Weekend update

Well, it's Saturday night all the kids are gone to Blake's' 18th Birthday party. Angela is in bed catching up on her reading and I just got finished grading papers for my college class I am teaching for Mount Vernon Nazarene University.

The class is going well. I like the idea that I get to have devotions before the class starts. It helps me practice sharing my faith in a safe sort of way. I wonder if all in the class are saved, so I am praying for them to re-examine their spiritual walk with God, while they learn a little about Human Resources Management (that is the name of the class I am teaching).

Today I had grade a 25 question quiz I gave them and a paper they had to write for week 2. tomorrow, I prepare for this coming Monday. Need to write another quiz and review the material one more time.

This week was pretty long. We got back about 11:00 PM last Sunday from Gatlinburg. We drove from Gatlinburg to Nashville and spent about 4 hours with Tyler and Rachel at Opry Mills Mall. Ate an early dinner at the Rainforest Cafe and headed home about 4:00 PM. Monday night I taught class until about 10:00 PM and Wednesday I had a meeting and choir practice at church so another late night. Thursday night we ate dinner with Tammy and Gary and the twins at Olive Garden.



Friday Corey got a 10 point buck!



John and Pam came up for pizza also on Friday, nothing special just good to see them again. Tammy and Gary went to Indianapolis for a special purchase, details to follow.

The Buckeyes won today, Tennessee lost to Wyoming? and Auburn lost to some high school team I think. Penn State got beat so we could still win the Big Ten and go to the Rose Bowl if Michigan State beats Penn State and we win our last 2 games.

Go to church somewhere tomorrow! God will bless you for it!

PRESS ON!

Gatlinburg Photos

Please do not vote!

Now that I have your attention, please do not vote in the upcoming elections unless you know something about the candidates: local, state and national.

Too many people just vote for a party or a person without really understanding their positions. To prove my point, I listened to a clip someone sent me about a radio disc jockey who sent someone out to ask people who they were voting for. Almost everyone that responded said Obama, but then the interviewer listed all the positions and had the person again pick which positions matched theirs. Most of the people picked McCain's positions and were mad at the interviewer for tricking them. No, they are uninformed and only voting for a name.

My son Tyler, did the same thing with his 5th grade class as part of their discussion on thinking for yourself. Most of the kids said they would vote for Obama, but when Tyler listed there positions on the whiteboard and asked them to pick which side they agree with most, they picked McCain.

So ALL of us have a responsibility to be an informed voter. Just about any news website, Foxnews, MSNBC, etc, have a voter guides of position comparisons. For Christians, the AFA and local organizations can also provide a voter guide to accurately compare the candidates. My suggestion is start with the Bible! It tells what is important. Opposition to Abortion and Homosexulaity, are 2 examples of where the Bible is clear. We need to vote for candidates at all levels who support biblical truth.

REMEMBER: A lot of the focus is on McCain & Obama, but the Congress can Stop any crazy ideas from bring put into law. So those elections are just as important as the President.

SO, get informed and then VOTE!!

Hello from Arizona!

I was welcomed to Arizona on Monday with 90 degree temperatures, unfortunately it was at 8:00 PM! But since it was a dry heat, it only seemed hotter than the 50 degree temps I left in Columbus. Glad I left my sweater in my car, I would have looked an idiot getting off the plane with it on.

Long days of work are not giving me much downtime. 5 training sessions per day for 3 days keeps me busy. Each session can last up to 2 hours, and tonight is the late night with the last session ending at 8 PM local time which is 11 PM Ohio time.

Yesterday was Angela's birthday. I asked what she wanted and all she wanted was a trip to Gatlinburg for her birthday present. Since we are going there next week on vacation, that will be easy to do. I'll let her buy herself something special.

Tyler called and they finally rented his old house! He was so excited, now he can send his Christmas list (yes our married school teacher son still sends a list to Santa). I think I will ask his wife, Rachel, to sign it before he sends it showing her approval.

Other than not being with my queen, I am enjoying the trip OK. Arizona is a nice place to visit, if you like brown.

I am staying at a resort close by that used to be the spring training location for the San Fransisco Giants baseball team. The pool is in the shape of a baseball bat, the hot tub is a baseball, and the front parking lot is laid out like a baseball diamond! Pretty cool.

Food great, that's all for now.

Press ON!

What I do for a living.

Many of my friends, and even some family members who want to know what I do for a living. It is hard to explain but here goes.

My job is unique in that I am work with all aspects of the business: sales, manufacturing, and R&D, developing leadership development programs and teaching them how to solve problems.

To help my family and friends understand what I am doing traveling, I have added the Blog from the LaMarsh Consulting group. I am the only certified instructor in the company for this program.

When I am traveling, this is about 75% of what I am doing, teaching people how to successfully manage changes related to projects or strategic plans.

Bible in a minute

What should we do while we are waiting for God to answer our prayers?

Wednesday Catching up.

1. I was in Chicago Monday and Tuesday for a training class. Just got back into town. I did get to eat at my favorite breakfast place, Walker Brothers. I had pumpkin pancakes and a baked omelet, both very good.
2. Did you hear the news about the guy who named his new born baby girl, "Sarah McCain Palin Smith"? And DID NOT tell his wife! He was on the news this AM and mentioned that his wife did not think that was a good idea. Talk about someone in trouble.
3. Did you notice gas prices? They are below $3 per gallon! Now if we could get them below $2 again, all would be well.
4. How is your 401K? Mine was down about 10%, but I am not worried, I cannot retire for awhile anyway.
5. Getting ready for a vacation at the end of the month, annual trip to Gatlinburg with our TN friends. Should catch the leaves turning just about the right time.
6. How about them Browns?! They finally looked like a playoff worthy team, now, can they keep it going.
7. Buckeyes have a tough one this week at Michigan State.
8. Had a great family bonfire and hayride last Friday. Jordan was there with some of her friends as well as everyone else, other than Tyler and Rachel. They chose to spend the week in Destin, Florida with her grandparents. Good choice!
9. Most exciting thing about the hayride was Charlie brought a stun gun, and let people act like they using it on each other. The only question I had was, why? If I wanted shocked I would put my finger into a light socket.
10. On a related note, there was a guy in my class this week who is a certified taser instructor, what are the odds?
11. Start teaching at MVNU - Newark, on Monday 10/27, teach Human Resources Management.
12. That's all for now, PRESS ON and MAKE GOOD DECISIONS!

Things I don't get - updated Friday

• On my way home from work tonight, I counted 23 McCain signs and only 6 Obama signs, yet the media wants to tell us that McCain is behind in the polls? Sounds like they are not polling the right people.
• Why do we "park" in a "driveway" and "drive" on things like the "bluegrass parkway" which doesn't have grass or a place to park.
• Why do people use "safe haven" laws to drop off their teenagers at hospitals? I heard on the news tonight that Nebraska passed a safe haven law for mothers did not want their new babies, but so far 9 teenagers were dropped off by parents, 1 from another state!
• Why has Brandon not brought Mandy home yet? They went to Lancaster
• Why the TV show "The Office" is not on every night? (Thursday night's show was an instant classic)
• Why family members can be hurtful to other family members and nice to non-family members?
• Why when our family plans to have a bonfire the temperature goes up to about 80 on that day?
• Why Jesus died for me, but I am glad He did!
• Why are some people so willing to help others and others avoid it like the plague?
• Why do some people only go to church on Sunday morning?
• Why are the Buckeyes rated so low in the polls when they have a whole new starting backfield than those who started the USC game?
• Why do some people never say thank you?

Nehemiah - The Leader

As I am sitting here studying for my CONNECT group lesson, I am reflecting on how great a leader Nehemiah really was. All he did was:

1. Saw a need
2. Took ownership of it
3. Created a vision of success
4. Laid out a plan
5. Got others to join in in the cause.
6. Stayed with it until it was completed

No meetings, no complaining, no saying "why doesn't someone do something?", no starting something and then stopping halfway through.

He took it upon himself to solve the problem. No miracles from God, nobody healed or raised from the dead. God simply answered prayers by providing a leader with favor, strength, and wisdom. Then the work of God was put into action in the day to day grind of committed workers under his leadership, ordinary people enjoying God's blessing as they followed a gifted leader.

I look at leaders at work that are good, 1 of the things that makes them successful is that ability to focus on 1 or 2 clear goals and staying with them until completion.

Bad leaders follow what I call a "management by best seller" approach, whatever the latest fad or new management book on the market is, they adjust their focus and direction to that.

Guess which one people like to follow? Right, it is the one who has a clear focus on the future, the one who does not start and stop 6 times throughout the year, the one who can explain in simple terms to their departments what success looks like. Good leaders are visible supporters of their teams efforts, are organized in their thinking and action, and encouraging to the team.

I look around today and see very few leaders as described above. I am so disappointed with the politicians and this financial bailout, too few stood up and said this was not a good idea. No one in a leadership position publicly stated any opposition. I just have a bad feeling that we taxpayers will suffer as a result of the decision made by 545 people in Washington.

$700 Billion (that's with a "B" as in BIG) is a lot of money. I am not even sure it is going to the right people. I know me and all of my friends could use little of that right now. Washington has lost touch with me and the people I know.

Can anyone say, Palin/Gingrich is 2012?

Nehemiah come back, we need you now!

Press On!

"Fireproof" the movie

We went with 6 other couples from our CONNECT group (Sunday school class) to see the new movie Fireproof. It was made by the same church in Georgia that did Facing the Giants and a few others. Overall it was pretty good, it does a good job of reminding men (and women) that keeping a marriage alive and growing is a continual process and that it takes 2 people to make it a success. If one person is a "giver" and the other is a "taker" no relationship can last very long.

I am very lucky to be married to a wonderful woman whose heart is a big as the sky. Who takes great pride in keeping a clean house, laundry under control, and meals ready, even though she works full time and is turning into a "counselor" for family and friends. Because of my love for her I try to help out around the house especially with laundry and dishes, but I could do better. One of the things I love about Angela is that she does not keep score. We are a team and we both are the better for it.

Back to the movie, if you hear a rumor about certain person tearing up, it was true. I went through 3 tissues, could have been more, but I only had 3. Guess I am getting a reputation, because someone brought me a BIG box of tissues to CONNECT group class.

Others News:

• Tyler rented his house! Signing a 1 year lease today with a young couple
• Brandon shot a doe on the 1st day of deer bow hunting season
• Corey starring in a flag football league, he dominated the 1st 2 games (chip off the old block)
• I am in my office about 6 days during October! UGH! Work and vacation travel.
• Angela started Zoomba classes, but had to put on hold due to hip pain.
• My mom fell and sprained her wrist and didn't tell me for 3 or 4 days, she is doing fine.

PRESS ON!

Back on track!

Well things are back on track in a couple of areas, finally.

ALL family members finally got their power back on so NO ONE is spending the night tonight other than Angela. It is good to see family members and fine to pitch in, but it is good to get things back to normal. Now if Tammy would only get her stuff out of our refrigerator, the last loose end would be tied up.

Also, the Buckeyes got back on the winning track and found a new quarterback. Cannot wait to see Pryor and Beanie Wells in the backfield together, look out Big Ten title and BCS Bowl. If we get and stay healthy, things could turn out well.

Rest of week went OK, some ups and downs.

Up = Work very busy, went to our plant in Michigan for a meeting. Seems like all the plants are doing Strategic Planning and they like the work I did in Virgina, so the plant in Michigan asked me to come and help them. They also told me they be telling the other plants how good I did!

Down = Some people, made very very bad decisions that came to light this week, do not want to go into details, but in a couple of situations, people made some decisions that could have a lasting negative impact on some families I know. Pray that God will work in these situations and provide direction, forgiveness, and healing.

Random Thoughts:

• Bonner's bought a 1999 Mercedes 2 seater convertible, very cool, (I think I coveted a little when I saw it)
• Brandon got hired full time at Nationwide financial services in Columbus! He has 30 days to study and pass his Series 6 license to sell the financial products of the company.
• Corey starts back to classes this week at OSU starting his last year.
• Vacation is only 5 weeks away, cannot wait for Gatlinburg again and to see all of our TN friends.
• Tyler & Rachel doing good, keep praying for a renter or buyer for Tyler's house.
• No much new at Thomas's except Jordan is in Las Vegas, not sure of details.

PRESS ON!