Monday, June 30, 2008

Back in OH-IO...



Back here in O-H-I-O for a little dose of reality. Vaction was great, but like many great things (though not all), it had to come to an end. There are just too many great pictures to put up on here, so I'll share just a few more.

A little something for the Lady I love...



The boys about ready for "Guys Night" at the Casino Boat and waffle house. Lou won $550, Bob and I just made "donations" to the boat.


Deja Vu? Maybe, just us 25 years since we took this same picture on the same beach.

The weather all week was great. We saw one great lightening storm (see previou posts). It was in the 90's all week. The food was great. I made porkchops for all of us one night. I made a homemade apple-BBQ glaze (1 part BBQ, 1 part Apple Jelly...melt over heat). It tasted great, but it needed to be thicker. I probably should have added corn starch or let it reduce down longer.
Charleston was an incredible city. I think Krissie and I will have to go there ASAP!!!! You could easily spend 4 full days trying to see everything there.
I officially start my new job tomorrow. I will be the new director of the Hall Complex here on campus. I'm not entirely sure what this position will entail. I've only heard horror stories really...but my goal is to take this job and make it managable. I'm not sure what that means yet, but we'll get it done.
Krissie is doing great on her trip. You'll need to check out her blog (see the link to the right). She is about 1 hour from St. Petersberg, Russia as I type this. St. Pete is supposed to be a fairly dangerous city. But, she tells me that she has befriended some experts on Russian culture and language that are on the boat with her. I've been praying that she stays safe all trip. But, this port makes me nervous. She's been told that people who are smiley, loud, laugh a lot, etc are singled out and usually scammed or worse. She fits that discription perfectly...so I hope she stays OK.
I've been reading up on the Patron Saints of the areas or activities she has been participating in. The Patron Saints of Russia are below:
I'm not sure if the links are active. If not, you can look these folks up on the Patron Saint Index.

Nothing else new to report. Remember to say your prayers for Krissie. Sunday was the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul. So, perhaps that is a good omen for her trip to Russia.




















Wednesday, June 25, 2008

More pictures...

Our house for the week.

We haven't gone hungry yet.

Alex loves the waves.

Pass Protection: Head up, butt down, chest out, elbows in, feet flat and shoulder width apart, butt pointing to the QB at all times, get a good punch, and move your feet!

Just working on a few plays...








Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Vacation Pictures...

Here are some pictures from vacation thus far:
This is our living room and kitchen.


The Tomlinson kids out on the deck.


Mom and Dad on the beach.

Alex and me celebrating my birthday!

Tomlinson tailgate at the water park.
The storm front that rolled in over the ocean last night.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

When am I done w/ this building..

Well..just chalk it up to one more incident here in Stradley. My grill was stolen this evening. I went for a run at 5:30 and it was there. I came back at 6 and it wasn't. The grill wasn't even outside..it was in the building where only university staff members should have access to the area. But, needless to say...just another day in Stradley. When the officer came to take the report (as we have to report things like this), she said to me "How do you like Stradley?" I responded, "It's alright. I'm being moved next year." She responded "I always twinge when I hear a call go out for Stradley over the radio. It just never stops here. I've worked at OSU for 11 years and that building is just a mess."

...when do I move out of this place?!!

Monday, June 16, 2008

Tiger does it again..

Tiger Freakin' Woods...has there ever been a more dominating athlete? Has there ever been an athlete with better mental control? What category do you place this guy in? I wish the opportunity was there to have Nicklaus and Woods playing side by side in their hey-day. But, when Nicklaus was in his prime, the courses he was playing don't even compare to what the tour is playing now.

Now, I'll give Nicklaus plenty of credit. His generation needed control more than they needed distance (so I think...). But, Tiger can pull out the distance or the control, or BOTH at the same time if it's needed. I admire the dedication that man has put into his game. I sometimes think that if I work hard enough or try hard enough at something that I'm passionate about, I can have the kind of overwhelming positive outcome like he has with golf. That's why it is so enthralling to watch him, or other athletes, because for the most part you understand what they are trying to do and I you can see someone with enough physical and mental gifts to make it happen.

The most exciting experience I've ever had watching a sport live, was the 2006 AFC Championship, Colts/Pats in Indy. There were people willing to pay multiple thousands of dollars for tickets to that game. You couldn't have paid me enough to give up the chance to watch that game live, w/ my brother next to me, and my parents and one sister three rows in front of us. When ever I hear "In the Air Tonight" I can't help but think of Bob Sanders saluting the crowd in the pre-game, Peyton focused on the task at hand, Reggie Wayne there wondering if he would make a big play that day, Dwight Freeney loosing up the fastest legs coming out of a three point stance in the league...all the while my dad, brother, and I looked out on that field from our upper deck seats and knew what the Colts had to do that day. We weren't going to make a block that day. Saturday wasn't going to get hurt and we weren't next on the depth chart anyhow. But, our minds and hearts were in it, along with the majority of 56,000 other fans. (I will say though that my fellow Indy fans are still living in Hoosier Hysteria (b-ball) and do not have a full grasp on the game of football...getting better though.)

We were in that game all night. The play seemed to move so slow for us. We, as fans knew what the Patriots were going to try to do, and it was easy to anticipate what we'd see next. I can't even imagine how slow that game would have seem to move for Peyton, Marvin, Saturday, Glenn, etc. The preparation, physical and mental toughness necessary to succeed at their level is so rare. I feel fortunate that I, along w/ my Dad and brother, have been blessed with even just a small piece of the mental capacity to understand the game of football as well as those guys do. It may not be for everyone, but for us its rewards are worth more than most.

On a different note, Krissie is on her way to Norway now. She left yesterday around 6pm EDT, 7pm ADT. I'm not sure what timezone she is in now. She told me that the ship they are on is the fastest cruise ship in the world. The web says that the MV Explorer tops out at 28 Knots, but I was told today by a former cruiser that the ship can actually go 35 Knots. I guess they could get across the say in just a couple of days if they wanted to. But, for whatever reason, they have chosen to just mosey over there. It seems like she is having a pretty good time on the ship. I haven't really heard from her today. But, she did post on her blog. That was a neat read.

Off to read more of my book Blink. Up early to work out (I'm working out twice a day now) and then to run a few quick errands before hitting up the office. I'm all packed in my office now and nearly finished in my apartment. I'm not quite sure when I will start up in the new job. It will certainly be after vacation next week. So, until then, it's smooth sailing!!
I'm equally excited by

Thursday, June 12, 2008

My first time...

So here it is...my first blog. Not even sure if anyone will read this or why I made it. Guess I'm making it because it's the thing to do now a days.

My blog is titled "Faith, Family, Friends, and Football." These are the four things that give meaning to my life. Fortunately, there are many aspects to each of these four. I'm not so shallow to think, however, that football is up there w/ my Catholic Faith and Krissie. Each of these four can stand on their own, but they are truley intersect at numerous points in my life.

I believe that my life has been shaped dramatically by these four things. I especially look to these four for life lessons to be shared with those close to me.

Krissie is away at Semester at Sea. She will be gone until August 22nd. That's about ten weeks for those who are counting. It's tough having her gone, but we are going to make it a means of making our relationship stronger. I'm awefully proud of all that she is accomplishing on this trip. It's incredible to imagine all that she will see on this trip!!

Off to Indiana tomorrow for a family wedding and father's day. My buddy Mitch and his wife Becky and son Charley are moving into their new home this weekend and I'm kind of bummed that I'm not there to help, as I'm sure they'd be there for Krissie and I if we were moving. But, it's important to be at family weddings and Father's Day. The wedding is a bit non-traditional, the reception at least. I'm not sure what to expect but the rumor is that we are going to the "Neon Cactus" as the majority of the reception. Not exactly the place I'd normally hang out at. But, that's OK. Hopefully people will make it to our wedding in Detroit.