So it's been almost six weeks since my last post. My excuse is only that I have a busy life, and I wear a lot of different hats. I'll try to list a few:
Dad
Husband - (This is one I should spend more time on.)
Cubmaster - I help lead my son's cub scout pack. We went on a camping trip a couple of weeks ago. A lot of work, but a lot of fun, and great memories.
Sunday School Teacher
Project Manager (work)
Yard Man (home)
I.T. Manager (solving all the computer problems at home)
Handyman (home)
Automotive fleet manager (car repairs)
Wrestling coach (for my son)
That's just a few that keep me busy.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
9/11/07
It's been six years since September 11, 2001. Obviously, that's a day no one will forget, and everyone (who is old enough) will remember where they were that terrible day.
That day always reminds me what a backwards world this can be at times. The U.S.A. is a country founded on the principle of freedom of religion. We tolerate just about anyone's personal beliefs, yet we are attacked not by another country, but a radical religion that could live here peacefully if they so chose. If you really believe you need to scare and threaten people into following your religion, there's a clue that something is just not adding up.
My prayers are with the families of those who perished on 9/11/01.
That day always reminds me what a backwards world this can be at times. The U.S.A. is a country founded on the principle of freedom of religion. We tolerate just about anyone's personal beliefs, yet we are attacked not by another country, but a radical religion that could live here peacefully if they so chose. If you really believe you need to scare and threaten people into following your religion, there's a clue that something is just not adding up.
My prayers are with the families of those who perished on 9/11/01.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
War Puts Everything in Perspective
Sunday morning, I was happy about Georgia Tech having beat Notre Dame in football on Saturday.
Monday morning, my wife read an e-mail from our church prayer chain saying that a young man that had graduated from our daughter's high school in 2005 had been killed in Iraq on Saturday.
On Saturday, I was thinking that a good day was when Georgia Tech wins a football game, and a bad one was when they lose. No, a bad, terrible, awful day is when the Military Police come to your home to tell you your child has been killed.
Here is the Department of Defense News Release No. 1079-07:
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. Christopher G. Patton, 21, of Lawrenceville, Ga., died Sept. 1 in Baghdad, Iraq, in a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
The circumstances surrounding the death are under investigation.
I understand that he was on a routine patrol and was shot. I guess that is considered "a non-combat related incident" by the DoD. Sounds like combat to me.
Chris' brother traveled with my daughter and their German class this past June. I don't know his parents personally, but I understand that although they are understandably grief-stricken, they have said that they have a "clean" grief because their son knew they loved him, and he died doing something that he loved and believed in.
How thankful we should be for these brave men and women that have the conviction to stand for freedom in hostile parts of the world. I'm not going to argue whether or not we should be in this war today - I'll leave that for another day. There's no argument that war is a terrible thing.
God bless the family of Spc. Christopher G. Patton, 21, of Lawrenceville, Ga. Thanks to him and all of our brave soldiers for fighting and sacrificing for freedom. Thanks to their families also for their sacrifices.
Monday morning, my wife read an e-mail from our church prayer chain saying that a young man that had graduated from our daughter's high school in 2005 had been killed in Iraq on Saturday.
On Saturday, I was thinking that a good day was when Georgia Tech wins a football game, and a bad one was when they lose. No, a bad, terrible, awful day is when the Military Police come to your home to tell you your child has been killed.
Here is the Department of Defense News Release No. 1079-07:
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. Christopher G. Patton, 21, of Lawrenceville, Ga., died Sept. 1 in Baghdad, Iraq, in a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
The circumstances surrounding the death are under investigation.
I understand that he was on a routine patrol and was shot. I guess that is considered "a non-combat related incident" by the DoD. Sounds like combat to me.
Chris' brother traveled with my daughter and their German class this past June. I don't know his parents personally, but I understand that although they are understandably grief-stricken, they have said that they have a "clean" grief because their son knew they loved him, and he died doing something that he loved and believed in.
How thankful we should be for these brave men and women that have the conviction to stand for freedom in hostile parts of the world. I'm not going to argue whether or not we should be in this war today - I'll leave that for another day. There's no argument that war is a terrible thing.
God bless the family of Spc. Christopher G. Patton, 21, of Lawrenceville, Ga. Thanks to him and all of our brave soldiers for fighting and sacrificing for freedom. Thanks to their families also for their sacrifices.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
YELLOW!!! JACKETS!!!
I got up at 5AM Saturday to go watch my daughter's cross country team run at Berry College in Rome. They all ran hard and represented Central Gwinnett well. We left Rome at 1PM and arrived at my in-law's lake house at 3:20 PM, just in time for kickoff of GT-ND.
It took Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis nine months to choose his starting quarterback for the Fighting Irish, and then it took him less than thirty minutes watching his quarterback struggle against the Yellow Jackets to decide he had made the wrong choice, on their way to the 33-3 final. The most promising quarterback for Notre Dame turned out to be freshman Jimmy Clausen, although he had the benefit of facing Tech's second string defense after the outcome had been decided. Congratulations to the Yellow Jackets for their great victory over the Irish. You may have seen it on NBC (the Notre Dame Broadcasting Company). I think it was late in the second quarter when the announcers finally had to admit that Notre Dame was being outplayed.
My friend Robert and his wife traveled to South Bend to watch the game. When Tech scored to take a 26-3 lead, I sent Robert a text message that said "Turn out the lights, the party's over". Robert wrote back "the party is just beginning". I know they had a great time. Robert told me on the phone shortly before the game that the Notre Dame fans were pretty mouthy on the way in. I'm sure is was a lot quieter on the way out.
UGA beat Oklahoma State 35-14. I hope UGA and Tech are both 10-0 when they meet in late November. Then of course, you know who I'll be pulling for.
How about that Appalachian State team taking out #5 Michigan in Ann Arbor? I have a feeling that the few stores in Boone, NC will be restocking their beer supply this week after seeing it quite depleted Saturday night. That was the first time EVER that a 1-AA team beat a ranked 1-A team. I think other 1-A teams may think twice about scheduling a twice-defending 1-AA national champion for their home opener. Congrats to the Mountaineers and everyone associated with Appalachian State.
It took Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis nine months to choose his starting quarterback for the Fighting Irish, and then it took him less than thirty minutes watching his quarterback struggle against the Yellow Jackets to decide he had made the wrong choice, on their way to the 33-3 final. The most promising quarterback for Notre Dame turned out to be freshman Jimmy Clausen, although he had the benefit of facing Tech's second string defense after the outcome had been decided. Congratulations to the Yellow Jackets for their great victory over the Irish. You may have seen it on NBC (the Notre Dame Broadcasting Company). I think it was late in the second quarter when the announcers finally had to admit that Notre Dame was being outplayed.
My friend Robert and his wife traveled to South Bend to watch the game. When Tech scored to take a 26-3 lead, I sent Robert a text message that said "Turn out the lights, the party's over". Robert wrote back "the party is just beginning". I know they had a great time. Robert told me on the phone shortly before the game that the Notre Dame fans were pretty mouthy on the way in. I'm sure is was a lot quieter on the way out.
UGA beat Oklahoma State 35-14. I hope UGA and Tech are both 10-0 when they meet in late November. Then of course, you know who I'll be pulling for.
How about that Appalachian State team taking out #5 Michigan in Ann Arbor? I have a feeling that the few stores in Boone, NC will be restocking their beer supply this week after seeing it quite depleted Saturday night. That was the first time EVER that a 1-AA team beat a ranked 1-A team. I think other 1-A teams may think twice about scheduling a twice-defending 1-AA national champion for their home opener. Congrats to the Mountaineers and everyone associated with Appalachian State.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Labor Day Weekend
The summer is coming to an end (officially), although we still have several warm days ahead.
I'm getting up at 5AM on Saturday to drive to Rome to watch my daughter's cross-country team from Central Gwinnett High School. My wife and the other two kids are heading to the in-law's house at Lake Oconee on Saturday morning. My goal is to get to the lake house by 3:30PM on Saturday to see kickoff of Georgia Tech vs. Notre Dame. Tech has a new offensive coordinator, and a new quarterback, although Calvin Johnson will be playing on Sundays this year. I'm hoping for a good year.
Monday, we're heading back home in the early afternoon, because my wife and I, and four other friends, are going to Chastain Park that evening to see MEAT LOAF. That's right, Paradise by the Dashboard Lights, Two Out of Three Ain't Bad, Bat Out of Hell - we're looking forward to all of them. I read that Mr. Loaf is turning 60 soon. Still performing and selling tickets - good for him.
I took my daughter and two of her friends to see John Mayer at Philips Arena earlier this month. That guy is extremely talented. Before the concert, my daughter and her friends gathered at a friend's house to make T-shirts for the concert. I told them not to bother to make me one (please), because I wasn't sure what the quality of the final product would be. Well, I must say I was quite impressed with the results. They downloaded pictures and printed them on transfer paper that can be ironed onto a shirt. And, yes, they made me a shirt. I hesitated to wear it, but my wife said "Oh come on - they made it for you -wear it!" So I did. I don't usually wear shirts with pictures of a guy on it (not that there's anything wrong with that...), but I did it for my daughter. We had a great time.
My 13-year-old daughter had her first babysitting job tonight. The wife and I stayed home to be close by just in case. Everything went fine. They really do grow up fast!
Have a great Labor Day. Put those white pants and shoes in the closet until Memorial Day :-)
I'm getting up at 5AM on Saturday to drive to Rome to watch my daughter's cross-country team from Central Gwinnett High School. My wife and the other two kids are heading to the in-law's house at Lake Oconee on Saturday morning. My goal is to get to the lake house by 3:30PM on Saturday to see kickoff of Georgia Tech vs. Notre Dame. Tech has a new offensive coordinator, and a new quarterback, although Calvin Johnson will be playing on Sundays this year. I'm hoping for a good year.
Monday, we're heading back home in the early afternoon, because my wife and I, and four other friends, are going to Chastain Park that evening to see MEAT LOAF. That's right, Paradise by the Dashboard Lights, Two Out of Three Ain't Bad, Bat Out of Hell - we're looking forward to all of them. I read that Mr. Loaf is turning 60 soon. Still performing and selling tickets - good for him.
I took my daughter and two of her friends to see John Mayer at Philips Arena earlier this month. That guy is extremely talented. Before the concert, my daughter and her friends gathered at a friend's house to make T-shirts for the concert. I told them not to bother to make me one (please), because I wasn't sure what the quality of the final product would be. Well, I must say I was quite impressed with the results. They downloaded pictures and printed them on transfer paper that can be ironed onto a shirt. And, yes, they made me a shirt. I hesitated to wear it, but my wife said "Oh come on - they made it for you -wear it!" So I did. I don't usually wear shirts with pictures of a guy on it (not that there's anything wrong with that...), but I did it for my daughter. We had a great time.
My 13-year-old daughter had her first babysitting job tonight. The wife and I stayed home to be close by just in case. Everything went fine. They really do grow up fast!
Have a great Labor Day. Put those white pants and shoes in the closet until Memorial Day :-)
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Thank You, Kathryn
Dear Kathryn,
I'm so sorry that you were a victim of cancer, and so quickly. You were such a good friend to me and many others, and we'll miss you. I know that your husband Ross was planning to spend many more years with you, and adjusting to life without you will be difficult for him. You were very active and vibrant at 72 years old. However, you and Ross have been such strong Christians, so he takes comfort that you are in a better place, and that he will see you there someday. Your son, and the rest of your family, will all have a great void in their lives.
For me, you were a great friend. When I started my first day of work right out of college, it was you who met me at the door of the office. You got me settled in, introduced me around, and you were always there ready to help with anything. When my wife and I moved to Lawrenceville, you invited us to visit your church, which has now been our church for 20 years. Somehow I knew that any church that you approved of was a pretty special place to be. I quickly learned that you were well respected at our church, just like you were at our office, and for good reason. You had a passion for seeing things done well, and you set a standard for all of us to strive toward.
When our daughter was in a play, you came to see her, and you brought your niece with you. When we adopted our son, you told us how you were so happy for us, and would pray for us during our journey. Every time I walk in our church building, I still think of you and almost expect to see you there.
I, and many others, will continue to offer comfort to Ross. Losing you so quickly was a tragedy for him, your family, and all of us. Our pastor did say that Heaven has to be much better organized since you arrived. I know that must be true.
Thank you for being such a good friend to me, our family, and our church. You had a tremendous impact and me and many others. I know you are now enjoying your rich reward.
Until we meet again,
Trey
I'm so sorry that you were a victim of cancer, and so quickly. You were such a good friend to me and many others, and we'll miss you. I know that your husband Ross was planning to spend many more years with you, and adjusting to life without you will be difficult for him. You were very active and vibrant at 72 years old. However, you and Ross have been such strong Christians, so he takes comfort that you are in a better place, and that he will see you there someday. Your son, and the rest of your family, will all have a great void in their lives.
For me, you were a great friend. When I started my first day of work right out of college, it was you who met me at the door of the office. You got me settled in, introduced me around, and you were always there ready to help with anything. When my wife and I moved to Lawrenceville, you invited us to visit your church, which has now been our church for 20 years. Somehow I knew that any church that you approved of was a pretty special place to be. I quickly learned that you were well respected at our church, just like you were at our office, and for good reason. You had a passion for seeing things done well, and you set a standard for all of us to strive toward.
When our daughter was in a play, you came to see her, and you brought your niece with you. When we adopted our son, you told us how you were so happy for us, and would pray for us during our journey. Every time I walk in our church building, I still think of you and almost expect to see you there.
I, and many others, will continue to offer comfort to Ross. Losing you so quickly was a tragedy for him, your family, and all of us. Our pastor did say that Heaven has to be much better organized since you arrived. I know that must be true.
Thank you for being such a good friend to me, our family, and our church. You had a tremendous impact and me and many others. I know you are now enjoying your rich reward.
Until we meet again,
Trey
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Where to Begin?
Yes, I've decided to jump on the blogging bandwagon. There certainly are a lot of crazy things going on in the world to write about, and my life is crazy enough as the father of three children. Our family lives in Lawrenceville, GA. My wife and I have been married for 20 years - it'll be 21 in December. I have a EE degree from Georgia Tech and an MBA from UGA, but the Jackets are my first love. My wife has a math degree from Agnes Scott College in Decatur, GA, and an Masters of Education from UGA.
I have two daughters who are 16 and 13, and a son who is 8. So, we have the high school, middle school, and elementary school covered for now. My oldest is starting to look at colleges (cha-ching) - maybe I'll get lucky and she'll stay in state, but you gotta follow your heart too.
A couple of things I've learned about raising children (so far):
1) Raising children is not a money-making proposition, unless your child is competing on a national level in something by the time they are 15 (i.e. Tiger Woods). In fact, the older they get, the more expensive they get. One of many reasons not to start your family too early - your kids can easily outpace your income.
2) Raising children is not for the faint of heart. For example, teaching your child how to drive. The last time I was in the car with my 16-year-old daughter and we approached a speed bump, the front of the car bounced off the pavement. I emphatically stated (ok, I yelled) that she needed to go SLOWLY over the bump. She said, "But Dad, I was only going 20!" I told her to try 5 mph next time.
Of course, all of the effort and expense is repaid in love many times over.
I'll post some thoughts here as they come to me and as I have time.
I have two daughters who are 16 and 13, and a son who is 8. So, we have the high school, middle school, and elementary school covered for now. My oldest is starting to look at colleges (cha-ching) - maybe I'll get lucky and she'll stay in state, but you gotta follow your heart too.
A couple of things I've learned about raising children (so far):
1) Raising children is not a money-making proposition, unless your child is competing on a national level in something by the time they are 15 (i.e. Tiger Woods). In fact, the older they get, the more expensive they get. One of many reasons not to start your family too early - your kids can easily outpace your income.
2) Raising children is not for the faint of heart. For example, teaching your child how to drive. The last time I was in the car with my 16-year-old daughter and we approached a speed bump, the front of the car bounced off the pavement. I emphatically stated (ok, I yelled) that she needed to go SLOWLY over the bump. She said, "But Dad, I was only going 20!" I told her to try 5 mph next time.
Of course, all of the effort and expense is repaid in love many times over.
I'll post some thoughts here as they come to me and as I have time.
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