Hope's Rube Goldberg

My daughter uses a Rube Goldberg device to get a snack!

My daughter wants 5 rabbits, 5 ducks, 5 fruit trees and a fishing pond for Christmas

The really cool thing is, she doesn't want these things for herself.  You see, we received the World Vision Gift Catalog in the mail the other day and my 8 year old started paging through it.  Sitting at the kitchen table, she turned over a paper plate that was sitting next to her, grabbed a pencil, and started writing on the back of the plate. I used to do the same thing as a child when the JCPenny catalog arrived.  I would look through it and write down all the toys that I wanted.  My daughter, however, is a much better person than I am.

Hope, my daughter, wrote down -

      5 ducks $35
      5 rabbits $95
      family fishing kit $50
      fishing pond $200
      5 fruit trees $30

That is her list.  That is what she wants to GIVE other people, kids around the world, so they may have a better life. The next thing she did astonished me.  I was waiting for Hope to ask me for money to buy these items, but instead she informed me that she is starting a "Booster" campaign.

"What's a booster campaign?" I asked.

"Dad, you go to Booster.com and design a t-shirt that people buy and then booster gives you money. I saw it on a commercial."

And that's exactly what she did.  Here is Hope's Booster page. She did it all: the t-shirt design, the description of her campaign, everything. The only thing her dad did, was to hold the camera as she made this video.

I love her so much. She has a great heart and I feel so blessed that she calls me daddy.  Check out the page and buy a t-shirt.  It's the giving season.

Phil Loves Irene and Chris Loves Shannan

My dad was one of those men that taught life lessons through the example he set in his own life. He was a hard worker, laughed off a lot of pain, and he loved his wife. One of the coolest things about growing up in my family was having parents that loved each other. My father not only loved my mom, he was IN LOVE with my mom my entire life.

One day, a teller from our local bank went out of her way to share with me that she had noticed how much my dad loved my mom. She said "I've never met anyone who loves their wife more than Phil loves Irene." The teller relayed a story about how Phil made a special trip to the bank so he could buy a raffle ticket. A raffle ticket for a quilt made by one of the local artisans in Lodi. "Irene would love that quilt" he told the teller with a twinkle in his eye. Did his ticket win? I don't think so, but the fact he made a special trip to the bank to buy a raffle ticket just for the chance of making his wife more happy was a win in my book. That was so neat to hear that about my father. It was really nice of the bank teller lady to tell me that story. It helped me to learn what love was. A true love that a husband should have and share with his wife. A true love that I am fortunate to share with my wife.

B-F-H Hollywood style

You know who else uses a Big Friggin Hammer?



THOR. I'll have to check this out come May.

Droppin The Hammer Down Part II

I have been wondering how to post this video since the tragedy that has happened at this ride.  You can read about it and see video here.  You see, a 12 year-old girl nearly died doing this ride I'm about to show you.  However, through the grace of God, she is doing remarkably well!  My friend owns Extreme World, and his first concern has been and always will be, for that girl who fell to the ground.

Since God is working a miracle in this girl's life and recovery, I feel comfortable showing this video.  Plus, as you will see, my cousin Peter gets razzed quite a bit in this video, but obviously his concerns are valid ones.  Also, to be clear, no one in this video (i.e. the jump master and grounds crew) was involved in the tragedy.  This is an awesome ride!

Droppin the Hammer Down - Part I

Apologies if you are expecting "Crash Part II", but I've been so busy.  Just cannot find the time to blog.  What is taking up all my time, you ask?  Watch this video of my cousin Peter and I and you'll find out.

I promise "Droppin The Hammer - Part II" will be even more exciting.  By the way, while my father was a wildman behind the wheel of a vehicle, there is no amount of money that would've gotten him on this ride.

My Dad's Nickname Could've Been "Crash" Part 1

I think I know why my father was such a great mechanic.  It was out of necessity.  It would've cost my father way too much money to have someone else fix what he had broken.  He drove his cars hard, fast and loose.  If he would've been born in the South, his name might be mentioned in the same breath as Buddy Baker, Cale Yarborough, or Richard Petty.  He shared that same mentality of the Nascar legends.  The "I can make a car do anything I want it too" mentality.  However, just like those Nascar legends he also totaled his fair share of vehicles throughout his lifetime.