Catching Up...

Well, I let this blog fall behind again. So lets hit some key points since my last post:

• Micah's new parenting plan finally got finalized with his father. (That was a lot of Fs...) Things really worked out and I believe we are in a place where we can limit the amount of flareups between both sides. But most importantly, I believe Micah will be happier once we settle into the new agreement.
• I got a new job! That's right! Still with HCA, but I'm the new Communications Coordinator on the HCA Rewards/Benefits team. So far it has been incredible, finally being able to tap into my creative side and really feel like I'm making a difference in the work I do. I put together several newsletters, design posters and fliers, design for web, write content, etc. etc.
• Penny is going to be 2 years old in 4 days...It is unbelievable to say that. She has gotten so big. I can't believe she will be so old...it really makes you think about how fast time moves when you babies are so big. Micah will be 8! 8! I met him when he was just over 2 years old...crazy that little man has been in my life for almost 6 years.
• Penny turning 2 isn't always a great thing...she definitely has hit the terrible 2. Though, we have a system...when she throws a fit Brittany or I will ask to have her hands and for her to look at us. Then we calmly explain to her the situation and she replies with "Okkkay...I sorrryy Daaa-yee" (That's how she says Daddy.)
• The photography business has taken off this wedding season. We don't remember being this busy in previous years. Totally a great thing, but definitely takes us away from the kids more than we want. 
• I've gotten more involved with the church. Brittany and I taught a children's class on Wednesday nights. We went to Gatlinburg with the Youth Group in February. We've been asked to help out more with the Youth Group, and we are getting excited for the possibilities. 
• Lots of new stuff happening with our house. We have hardwood floors now! Well, actually they are vinyl flooring panels that look and feel like hardwood but cost WAY less. We love them.
• We finally repaired our fence, for the most part.
• We turned our backyard into a cool hangout spot for kids and adults, with firepit included! Hopefully we don't burn the neighborhood down.
• We are still getting harassed by the HOA. I'm never going to move into another neighborhood with an HOA.
• We have been living with only one car...kind of rough, but it saves us from having a second car payment. Big shout out to my parents, Jason and Hope, Raleigh and Brooke and whoever else have been chauffeuring me around when I need rides to work or practice.
• Practice? What have I been practicing? Well, my old band, Circean, is putting together a reunion show. We've been practicing over the past few months and it has really came together. Good timing too, since the show is actually this Friday.
• We just got back from our yearly trip to Destin, FL. Had such a wonderful time, I think I want to move there...so laid back and a wonderful environment. 
• Tons of new movies are out that I want to see, many of them from my most anticipated movies of 2012 post several months back. I will write some reviews of the movies I've seen.
• Ummm, the Redskins drafted Robert Griffin III...excited would be an understatement for Redskins fans right now.
• Titans missed out on the Peyton Manning Sweepstakes...we still have Jake Locker waiting on the bench, though.
• Ravens just re-signed my favorite running back, Ray Rice to a 5 year deal. 
• Fantasy Football starts up soon, I'm in 4 leagues, running 2 of them and co-running another...Can't wait!
• I'm still madly in love with my wife, even if she does give me a lot of honey-to-dos. She is my best friend and I don't know where I would be without her. We will be married for 4 years this October.

I think that's about it! I'm sure I left out a lot of things, but I'll add those when I get to them. :)

Hopefully my lack of updates haven't lost some readers! <3

2011 Holiday Christmas List for Geeky Dads

Are you wondering what to get me for Christmas or my birthday? Yeah, that’s right, you’ve probably forgotten that my birthday is coming up as well since it is between Xmas and New Years, it’s ok I’m used to it ;). Or are you just wondering what to get your husband, son, boy friend? This is the best gifts to get a man like me on that special day in December.

Get ready to get your mind blown with great ideas.

Amazon’s Kindle Fire - $199.99

Tablets are like the new black aren’t they? Well, this one is the real deal for an amazing price. Especially if your dude uses Amazon services already for music and movies, this will allow him to access all his files already on his Amazon account, plus FREE CLOUD STORAGE. If you don’t know what cloud storage is, just know that it is AWESOME and your man probably knows what it is. For the price (less than half the price of an iPad), this thing will be a REALLY popular gift this year. Especially paired with some Amazon Gift Cards.

Flat Screen HD TV - $300-$4,000

Quite a large price difference here eh? Well, it all depends how big of a TV your man is wanting to watch football on. An acceptable size around 32" could be around $300 while the new 80" can be in your living room for a whooping $4,000. Actually the 80" would be more like your living room is in your TV. Any who, there can never be too many televisions in the house, right guys?

Video Games - $30-$60

You know you hate Video Games, but men love them. There are TONS of games out right now that I’m sure you can find something just right. Games from Modern Warfare 3, Battlefield 3, Elder Scrolls Skyrim, Madden 2012, Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword, Uncharted 3…I can go on and on here. If you aren’t sure what game to get him, just grab a gift card to Gamestop or Best Buy and let him go nuts!

Manly Movies - Die Hard or Rambo - $10-$20 each

What guy doesn't love the classic action flicks where things blow up and guys rule all? The Die Hard series is amazing, the first one being the best and should be in every guy's collection. Sylvester Stallone takes everyone to guy heaven in the Rambo movies. Either one of these series is a given for every guy to own or to have at least seen.


Manly Shows - The Walking Dead or The Game of Thrones - $35-$50 each

The Walking Dead and The Game of Thrones cater to two different types of guys, or the same guy in my case ;). A zombie Apocalypse or a medieval political war drama? Both filled with amazing characters and storylines, both filled with tons of blood, sex and survival. What more could a guy ask for? If your dude owns these the Game of Thrones book series or the Walking Dead graphic novel might be a great addition!

Star Wars Ultimate FX Lightsaber - $30

Ignore the kids in this video. Raleigh and I are buying each other these for Christmas so we can flip around like a Jedi. These have to be the coolest toy lightsabers made and at a wonderful price. Don’t  lie, your dude is a kid at heart and when he picks this up he will feel the force coursing through his veins.

The Walking Dead Invade My House!

My entertainment of the weekend consisted of a lot of brains getting eaten.

Well, this weekend I watched a new movie and a new TV show, both related to the Halloween holiday. Friday night I got home and wanted to watch a scary movie, so I popped in Netflix and found two choices that I really wanted to see, Zombieland and The Crazies.

I’ve heard that Zombieland is almost more a comedy than a horror movie. So, I went with The Crazies, which I haven’t heard too much about but I remember the previews being decent for it.

The Crazies

To my surprise the movie was actually a lot better than what I thought it would be. It had a zombie feel to it, but these were different types of zombies that didn’t really seem interested in brains. They seemed more interested in just killing people, basically acting like crazy zombies. I guess that’s where they got the name of the movie?

Anyway, the movie starts to change directions into a government cover-up conspiracy theory in the middle and that’s when it really started to get interesting. The army gets called in and tons of people die and get shot by them as they quarantine the city trying to keep the infected in the same area.

The main character is interesting and believable, as well as his deputy but I didn’t really connect with anyone else. The visuals were great, and the sound was that of a classic horror movie, so no complaints there.

I’d recommend going to check this one out if you are wanting to have the thrill of zombies chasing you around. Britt on the other hand didn’t like it as much I don’t think.

The Walking Dead

Last night, as football was dying down Brittany and I found ourselves with nothing to watch. Then, I remembered that The Walking Dead was about to premier.

Boy, am I glad I remembered. This show went far beyond my expectations and honestly I’m more excited about this show than any other show on TV currently.

Let me start by saying that I’m completely surprised that this show is on TV, if this were a movie it would be rated R. It lives up to the hype of any zombie movie’s gore level, tons of gun shots to the head, a lot of blood spraying, and a lot of cheering from me. Brittany on the other hand had her hands over her face through most of the episode. I will definitely make sure that Micah is asleep before watching any more from this series, seeing as his only interaction with zombies so far in his life has been from Plants vs. Zombies.

This show is going to be rich in character I believe; I’m already caring about the main character. The opening sequence with him (a sheriff’s deputy) and his partner was brilliant and got me connected to both of them immediately. By judging by the preview for the rest of the season it seems there will be several other characters I will get close to and hope they don’t get eaten by the blood thirsty undead.

Overall this show really surprised me and really has me wanting more. I haven’t been this interested in a show since the beginning of Lost, and we all know how that show turned out. Let’s just hope they can carry this awesome premier throughout the rest of the season.

Even if you aren’t into zombie lore, I seriously recommend checking out this show, but make sure no kiddies are around and be careful if you have a weak stomach for blood.

Here is the trailer:


That was my entertainment of the weekend, a good zombie filled Halloween!