Reflections of 2011 Part 2 Section B

Let’s get back to the countdown of the things I consider the “Top 5” life changing in 2011 with ”Part 2 Section B.”

5. Buying A Bike: Ever since I had my weight loss surgery I dreamed of the day when I could once again ride a bicycle. I decided that this was the year I was going to get one. For nearly 3 months I went from store to store looking as the different models and prices. I went Wal-Mart, Target, Nat’s and Howard’s Bike shop.

The bikes at Nat’s were very high end. The 10 speeds started at $600 and went up from there. Those at Wal-Mart and Target were very in expensive but were not made for long term use. I didn’t want to buy and expensive model but I needed one that would last.

After a lot of research both in the store and online, I ordered my Schwinn Select Series World 21 fourteen speed bike from Howard’s Bike Shop near the end of March. By the 2^nd week of April I was riding it around my neighborhood.

Not only did riding my bike benefit me physically it helped relieve stress as well. I took every opportunity I could to ride around Smiths Grove and beyond. I saw parts of small town and surrounding area that I don’t think I’ve seen in a long time; if ever.

I made quick trips to the local grocery store several times over the summer to pick up things we needed at the time. I rode to the Bryce Inn where my family was staying when they were here in July.

The cycling excursions that gave me the greatest sense of accomplishment are those which started out on Little Knob road. The road runs south off of Route 101 just across from the back entrance of the cemetery at the end of my street. It heads in the direction of Oakland, where I go to church.

A round trip from one end of Little Knob to the other and back is 2 miles. There are a couple of inclines that were extremely difficult to conquer at first and remained challenging even after I got used to negotiating them.

There are a few bike trips I’m especially proud of making. Two of them are my round trips to my church in Oakland and back. One was a morning ride to and from the Sunday morning worship service. The other was on a Monday when I had the day off.

It was during one of the hottest days of the year in August. I loaded my bike in the back of my Vue and drove to the church. I got on the bike and rode to about a half a mile to Oakland-Flatrock road and past a local soft drink distributor’s warehouse. My intent was to go as far as the house of a fellow church member about 2 or 3 miles away on Polkville road. But instead of turning right onto Polkville, went left staying on Oakland-Flatrock. I guess even on a bike I can get lost. When I stopped to rest I realized my mistake, turned around, and headed back the way I came. By the time I arrived at the church again I had covered between 6 and 8 miles. It was extremely hot but a lot of fun.

The third long bike trip (long for me that is) started out at my sister in law’s house on Covington Street near Kariakis Park on Cemetery Road in Bowling Green. I went down Cemetery Road turned right and rode the entire length of Lover’s Lane to one of the main intersections of the Bowling Green area, Scottsville Road and Campbell Lane. It was a 16 mile round trip and took me about an hour. Once again it was a very hot day so I stopped a couple of times to get something to drink.

Lover’s Lane is the main road between Interstate 65 and the main shopping area of Bowling Green. It’s also the most direct way to get to Fruit of The Loom where Paula works. I had wanted to ride my bike down this main thoroughfare on a bike for a long time. I finally did it and I was proud of the accomplishment.   

Over the summer I added some accessories to my bike including a rear view mirror and an speedometer/odometer. This coming year I want to get a rack that will allow me to easily load and unload the bike onto the back of my Vue and take it anywhere I want to go.

I really can’t effectively express in words just how much I have enjoyed riding my new bike this year. It is extremely relaxing and fun. First and foremost when I am peddling down a street or a road I am emotionally transported back to when I was 9 or 10 years old.

I mean that special age when a young boy experiences his first taste of independence because of the ability to ride nearly any place he and his friends want to go on their bikes. Every time I ride out of my driveway and down my street that feeling comes back.

My new bike really had an effect on my life this past year but in 2012 it promises to make even more of an impact. I plan on riding more often and taking longer trips. It would be even better if I could find a friend or two to ride along with me. My goal is at least once complete a trip that’s at least 20 miles or more.


My Schwinn Select Series World 21



4. Brain Storm: Unleashing Your Creative Self: This is the topic that I’ve already posted about on this blog but it really needs to be mentioned again. “Brain Storm” is a book written by Don Hahn, producer of classic Disney films as “Beauty and The Beast” and “The Lion King.”

I bought a copy of it for my Kindle at the end of June. It took me about 2 months to finish. But this composition was the guidebook for my discovery tour through the land of creativity during the last half of 2011. You can read my December 20, 2010 post to understand some details of that journey.

Being a Disney fan I cannot help but refer to any kind of “tour” through any kind of “land” without completing the metaphor by including the “gift shop”. And the souvenir I am taking from the land of creativity gift shop is a recognition and appreciation of creativity anywhere I find it in life.  

In addition “Brain Storm” has taught me to accept the fact that any means of expressing creativity a worthy of the effort. Of course that’s not an absolute but its true 99% of the time. Anything done with a creative spirit is either a “success”, a learning experience or a means of exercising one’s creative “muscles.”

Going forward into 2012 I am now in a different world when it comes to creativity. Don Hahn’s “Brain Storm” was the key that opened the door to that world.  

3. “Eric and Vinnie” Sketches: Let’s continue with the “creative” theme. There’s a common guideline when it comes to any aspect of creative writing that says “write what you know.” I put that rule into practice 4 times when writing a series of sketches in 2011.  Here are the details:

I was just about to leave church on a Wednesday night in the first week of June. Before I left I decided to take one last look in the sanctuary and see who was still around. The college age kids from the church were using props to transform the sanctuary platform area to look represent New York City in preparation for Vacation Bible School the next week. The theme of VBS was “A Big Apple Adventure.” 

Our associate pastor, Mark, who is originally from upper New York State, was “aggravating” the college kids by talking slang with a New York City accent. Being familiar with what he was doing I joined in with him. Pretty soon we were just going back and forth talking like “New Yawkers” It was a lot of fun but after a few minutes I left.

The next day Pastor Mark called me and asked if I’d be interested in writing and performing in a short sketch that Sunday to promote the start of VBS the next day. He said we could use characters with the same dialect we were joking around with the previous night. Realizing how “naturally spontaneous” our interaction had happened I thought there might just be something there to expound on. I agreed to put something together. 

Almost from the moment I ended the phone conversation with Pastor Mark my mind began working on the sketch. Very quickly I had nearly a dozen of ideas for jokes about the Big Apple’s landmarks, people and unique culture. I created the characters Vinnie Gandalfo and Eric O’Leary. I was Eric and Pastor Mark was Vinny.  

The challenging part was coming up with a premise that logically would allow characters talk about VBS. I created a pair of old high school buddies who bump into each other in Central Park for the first time since graduation day.

Eric is now a born again Christian and is about to host the kids from Oakland Baptist Church in New York City for “The Big Apple Adventure.”   In the middle of the sketch, thanks to an unintended technical glitch I got the biggest ad lib laugh I’ve ever gotten in public. Ask me about it some time. I’ll give you the details.

The finale of the sketch had the two New Yorkers trying to convince all kids to come to VBS, “Broadway Style”. We sang and danced to Frank Sinatra’s hit “New York New York”. That part of the sketch was Pastor Mark’s idea. It was the perfect way to end the sketch.

It was a big hit. In fact it was so popular we were asked to do 2^nd sketch for the VBS closing ceremonies the following Sunday night.

Central Park was once again the scene for the two friends to meet. They talked about how they had spent the week with the kids from Oakland Baptist. Vinnie also expressed some interest in getting to know more about Jesus. The pair breaks out into the Sinatra song when Eric declares “one more time.”



Vinnie And Eric with their "New York, New York" Finale

 Because Pastor Mark was going to be out of town the night of the VBS closing we had to video tape the sketch the Wednesday night before. It only took us 10 takes to get it right.

Three months later Pastor Mark came to me again asking if I’d like to write a sketch promoting our church’s annual “Beast Feast” with him doing his impersonation of Mick “Crocodile” Dundee.

The “Beast Feast” is a gathering of the men of the church on the night before out annual church picnic. Traditionally the men bring any type of wild game or fish to be grilled by Ronald Madison our unofficial church grill master.

The sketch I wrote involved Mark as Mick and me reprising the role of Eric O’Leary. Dundee wanders into Central Park, just outside the zoo, after losing his way to Oakland for the Beast Feast. A couple of jokes are exchanged and the pair decides to head off for Oakland, Kentucky together.

Vinnie and Eric made one last appearance in 2011 in an audio sketch I wrote for the start of my 7^th Rewind Christmas show in December. Pastor Mark was gracious enough to help me tell the story of the two New York buddies going shopping on my behalf at FAO Schwartz in Manhattan.

I know that was a long explanation but I needed to share the details in order to explain how writing and performing these sketches was double blessing for me.

I enjoy getting laughs from the jokes tell the jokes I’ve written. In the 5 years I’ve been performing as a ventriloquist I’ve gotten a few. But even before tell them on stage I am rewarded because I have the satisfaction of having written something funny.  I’m proud of that. However there’s an extra special “rush” when jokes you’ve written, are delivered by others and they get laughs. Until the “Eric and Vinnie” sketches that hadn’t happened to me in a while.

With the exception of one unique situation in the “Beast Feast” in all the sketches that “other person” was Pastor Mark. I appreciate all his performances and thank him for his work and talent.  

In addition I was reminded from Pastor Mark’s performances that acting is basically a combination of reacting and exaggeration. Thanks again for the acting lessons, Mark.

The positive reaction to all the jokes in all the sketches gave me an assurance of the fact that I can still write funny material. I believe that’s what fueled my initiative to go into several area nursing homes to perform shows over the last half of 2011.

I also believe I’ve been given a new confidence in that I know how to establish and develop characters and write an entertaining story arc.

So hearing people laugh at jokes I’ve written and the confidence and encouragement to keep writing for the future are the blessings I’ve received from the “Vinnie and Eric” sketches. They had a very positive life changing effect on my life in 2011.

2. Aria’s Ultrasound:  It was the most exciting news of 2011. On August 20, my son, James and his wife told us that we were going to be grandparents. Although it it hadn’t been medical confirmed, they were certain that Brandi was at least 6 weeks pregnant. .

On Wednesday, September 7, two days before my 51^st birthday, an ultrasound confirmed it we had a grandchild on the way. We received a copy of the pictures. While it’s always been difficult for me to decipher those images Paula pointed the tiny little baby out to me. She described her as “a little peanut.” At that moment a nickname was born. We started referring to the baby as “peanut”.

Excited about the promised blessed event, I fully embraced calling our first grand baby by her new pet name. I downloaded the songs “Found A Peanut” and the Four Seasons song, “Peanuts”  and started imagining singing them to my grandchild in the near future.

Brandi had a few difficult months carrying the baby. Her morning sickness lasted all day. She couldn’t keep anything down because she was so nauseous. She also had to deal with dehydration throughout that time as well.

I’m proud to say that the marinated steaks I made on the grill for my birthday dinner was one of the few things she could enjoy and keep down. I made them again for James birthday dinner in October. Once again Brandi ate’em up.

On November 2^nd we officially found out that the baby is going to be a girl.  Brandi and James have chosen the name “Aria Nicole”. This time we saw our baby girl again but in a 3D Ultrasound. I was going to post that 3D picture but it didn't really translate well to this format.

The arrival of Aria Nicole Conner into this world is still a few months away. Brandi’s “due date” is April 20. But the hope of having our family be blessed with a new innocent life thrills me more than anything that’s happened in my life in a long time. It changes my perspective. Makes me realize that I need to take care of myself and improve my health so that I can be around to see our little peanut grow up. At the very least I have to take her to Walt Disney World.

1. Change of Schedule: I’ve gone through 9 things that I think changed my life in 2011. But perhaps the most important change this past year was the change of my schedule at my job.

The last major change in my schedule was over 2 years ago in September 2009 when I went from a 3:30PM to Midnight shift to an 8AM start time. At that time I was supposed to have a rotating schedule with 1 weekend off every month. I don’t remember that ever happening but if it did it was only for a brief time. For as long as I can remember from the time I started working the day shift I’ve had 2 weekdays off. For the first half of 2011, my days off were Thursday and Friday.

I had been asking the call center management about getting Sundays off since the beginning of the year. I was really tired of not having any weekend days off. I told my supervisor, the HR manager and anyone else in call center management who would listen that I wanted at least one weekend day off. I’d prefer Sundays.

With my church being my main outlet for both social and ministry opportunities;   being absent from Sunday morning activities for as long I had been was becoming rather frustrating to me. I told my supervisor many times that my reason for wanting to be off on Sunday was to get involved in my church activities once again.

In addition, other than vacations or holidays, spending mainly just evenings with Paula for over a year had gotten very old. We needed to start spending days off together once again.

Finally, after months of my requests being put off by the company’s work force management team in our corporate headquarters in Minnesota,  at the end of May, I received an e-mail telling me that starting the first week of June my weekly schedule would be Tuesday through Saturday with Sunday and Monday off . I was overjoyed to say the least.

What a difference the new schedule made in my life. With Sundays off I could I go to church in the morning and participate in the service. I had the opportunity to write and perform in the “Eric and Vinnie” sketches and several children’s sermons. I also had the opportunity to read the scripture during the morning service in October.

I also returned to teaching Children’s Church once again. It was mostly as a ventriloquist or a helper. In November I did actually teach the entire session myself.

It was only because I had Sundays off that I was able to give Paula her surprise party and or spend several Sunday afternoons with my family at our house. We also went out to eat in Bowling Green and in Nashville. I also went to Nashville on a Sunday so Paula and I could participate in the “Walk For Obesity” fund raiser.

I took advantage of having Mondays off as well. Most of the time I used the day off to run errands in Bowling Green and get things done around the house. As I’ve already mentioned I went on bike rides and took my sister in law to see her doctor in Nashville.

I also used Mondays to reach out and start performing ventriloquism in a few local nursing homes.. My day at Holiday World was on a Monday as well.

That’s just a very brief list of what a difference having Sunday and Monday off over the last half of the year made in my life. That’s why I have ranked it as the number one life changing event of 2011.

There you have the two lists and the three posts of my 2011 “Year In Review” series. I’ve covered a lot of things in those lists but I still have a few more things about 2011 I’d like to write about simply because I want them to be noted.  I’ll publish another post or two about 2011 soon.

Be sure and check back for my next post. It is a milestone occasion for this blog. You see this post is my 499^th since starting this blog. I plan on making my 500^th post something special. I’ve given you, my loyal blog readers, an opportunity to choose what the subject of post 500 will be. Check out my Facebook page for a wall post that gives you a choice to add your voice to the decision process about the subject of my 500^th post. Cast your vote and then come back and read what you voted for. 

Recollections of 2011 Part 2 Section A

Happy 2012, everyone. I hope you enjoyed my first post reviewing my travels in 2011. This post is “Part 2, section A” of my “Year In Review” portion of will look back at the people, places, and things that changed my life over the course of this year. Once again, this will be done as a “Top 10” countdown. Section “A” will include the first 5. But first a couple of “honorable mentions”

Lawn Tractor Troubles:  For the most part I have tried to be positive in my review points but this first honorable mention had a negative effect on me this summer.

My Troublesome Ridning Mower

Last March, at the start of the 7 month mowing season, I bought a Craftsman LT200 riding mower to make yard work a little less time consuming and easier to do in the heat of summer. I bought it on sale at Sears with the opportunity to pay for it over the course of a year with no interest. This is a good idea right?

Well it turned out a series of events ended up making me wonder if I had made a mistake. These included: a bent pulley, broken belt, and bent blade after mowing over a hedge stump; the mower not starting for no apparent reason, running down the battery trying to get it going again; taking 3 months to find someone with a flat trailer to take the mower to Sears; finding out the warranty repair man comes to your home but only has appointments on Wednesdays (Monday is my day off); not being able to get the mower back to the house for two weeks.

Combine that with the fact that those problems served to strongly reinforce the perception that I’m mechanically incompetent and you’ll get a very frustrating first summer with my riding mower. It definitely changed my life but not in a good way. 

A Growing Friendship: In 2011 Paula and I had the privilege of building a stronger friendship with Mark and Patty Quigley. Mark is the associate pastor of our church and Patty teaches special Bible study courses for the women of the church.

We spent time at each other’s homes playing board games. We went to the movies and, as I’ve already mentioned in, went to a WKU football game together. Patty even had Thanksgiving dinner with us when Mark was away visiting his daughter in Tennessee over the four-day weekend. (Patty couldn’t go because she had to work the Friday after the holiday)

The growth of the friendship with the Quigley’s this year has been life changing because since we’ve been married Paula and I have never really had another married couple that we could hang out with and go on “date nights” together.  We are proud to call the Quigley’s our friends. They are a real blessing.  



Patty & Mark Quigley with Paula
 @WKU Football Game 11/5/11



Those are this list’s honorable mentions. Now, let’s move on to the Top 10 countdown.

10. Two New Blogs And A Laptop: Back in January 2011, for me, working or playing on the computer meant hibernating in the back room of our house. This took me away from my wife who was in our living room with her laptop watching TV.

Although this is the way it’s been since Paula got her laptop for Christmas in 2009, I decided that it was time for a change. In February with the blessing of my wife, I bought myself a new HP laptop computer.  

Now when it comes to computer time we are both in the same room together. That may not seem like much of a difference but it has changed the dynamics of our household and our marriage and I mean for the better.

My new laptop also gave me easy access to a computer. I didn’t have to choose between being with my wife sitting in front of a monitor while on the internet.  Now I can do both and I often do. To be honest, it’s unusual for me to be sitting in my recliner in the living room without my laptop in front of me.

The same month I bought my laptop I started my 2^nd blog. The reason I did this was because as a Disney World fanatic and Walt Disney Company shareholder (I own one share. It gets me a small dividend check and a copy of the company’s annual report every year) I found myself constantly forming opinions about anything and everything that went on in Disney’s World. Sending emails to and leaving voice mail for the hosts of my favorite Disney podcasts just wasn’t enough. I needed my own outlet to express my views and experiences that involved Disney. So at the end of February I created The “Goofy Guy’s Off World Disney Blog.”

Not only did the Goofy Guy blog give me a forum to write about all things Disney without boring the readers of this blog; it helped me cope with the frustration of having to wait a few years before my next trip back to “The World”.

In honor of the “March Madness” I held my own Disney music tournament. I picked 64 classic Disney songs, paired them up and chose my favorites until there was only one.  Not surprisingly the winner was “When You Wish Upon A Star.”

Then in late November after a frustrating year of trying to get back on track with my weight loss effort I realized that I needed help. I decided that help needed to come to me in the form of accountability. I was inspired by BTV, an online weight loss surgery webcast, to start yet another blog.

On November 8, I started the “Getting To My Goal” blog. From the beginning I intended this blog to be the vehicle that gives me access to my own personal support group. I asked the hosts of the BTV webcast to mention my new blog so I could get as many readers /supporters as possible.

For 3 weeks in November I wrote 16 posts taking responsibility for my bad eating habits and a resolving to get back to the type of behavior that helped me lose the 180 pounds I lost after weight loss surgery. The “goal” I am working toward is getting down to 175 pounds.

I received lots of support and even made a special connection with a family member. I’ve taken a break from that blog over the month of December. But I’ll be getting back to it in 2012.

Between my blogs and Facebook 2011 was a year I used social media in a very positive way. They helped me keep in touch with friends and family and helped me share my life with those whom I might not have been able to otherwise. That’s a life changing thing.

Here are the links to the two new blog I started in 2011:

www.goofyguyoffworlddisneyblog.blogspot.com

www.gettingtomygoal.blogspot.com

9. My New “Supplement”: If this entry seems a bit cryptic it’s because it’s intentionally vague. There is a reason for this. Much to some of my reader’s surprise there are some personal things I choose not to share completely on any of my blogs. But I know what I’m writing about and how it has changed my life. If you really want to know the specifics, ask me the next time you see me. I may give you a few more details.

Because of my limited nutritional intake after weight loss surgery to stay healthy I take a regimen of vitamin and mineral supplements every day. I won’t list them here but there are about 8 of them. I swallow or chew a combination of 14 pills each day.

This past February under the guidance of my doctor I added another “supplement” to help me improve my health and help to keep me focused throughout the day. Now twice a day I take this supplement and it’s really changed my life.

8. Theresa Breaks Her Ankle: On Thursday August 9 my sister-in-law, Theresa, broke her left ankle as the result of a “freak accident” while visiting a friend in Nashville. I won’t go into the details of the trauma. I’ll just say it happened when a wooden deck outside a friend’s trailer collapsed and Theresa was thrown to the ground; landing partially under the trailer. She was taken by ambulance to Skyline Hospital where we went to be with her. It was one of those surreal events where I found myself in a place near the end of the day that I had no idea I’d be that morning. This was 1000 times more applicable to my sister in law. The next day she had surgery and a metal plate and several screws were needed to fix the 3 fractures.

Of course Paula and I did what we could to help Theresa. Paula did most of the work in those early days of her recovery.

I couldn’t even begin to explain the dramatic effect this event had on Theresa’s life. I won’t even attempt to. That’s her story and much longer than could ever be covered in a blog post.

So why am I making this part of the 10 things that changed my life in 2011? Well, when it came time for Theresa to go back to her surgeon, Dr. Dyer, in Nashville for checkups her appointments had to be on a weekday. By that time I had Mondays off (more on that in the later) so I volunteered to take her.

From September through December, once a month we went to offices of Tennessee Orthopedic Associates. This not only changed the way I spent one of my days off each month; I also got to know my sister in law better.  

Ironically, at the end of 2010, in my final minutes of the Rewind Christmas program I recorded that December, I spoke about wanting to have the spirit of a servant in the coming year. Over the last 4 months of 2011 God gave me the opportunity to work toward that goal. Although I wasn’t perfect at it and had to learn a lot along the way I did my best to help my sister in law with anything she needed. It was a venue for personal growth that only God could have sent my way. I am grateful for the spiritual education.

At the end of the year Theresa is still dealing with the healing of her ankle but she’s come a long way. She is ambulatory and independent again. Our days of riding to see the surgeon are just about over (only about 1 or 2 visits early in 2012 will be necessary before she is “officially” released by Dr. Dyer) but I will always consider the time we spent together in 2011 the silver lining to her “broken ankle” cloud.

7. Rewind Shows: Although I made my way back to my Rewind programs last year with the recording of a baseball show. I started production of my first Christmas show in 12 years in December 2010 but it wasn’t until the first week of January 2011 that I finished it. In the spring of 2011 I produced an autobiographical based Rewind show. The “2010 Soundtrack” program; preserves the music and memories of very special 50^th birthday year.

Then in December, just a couple of weeks ago, I finished the 7^th Rewind Christmas show. I send my family and friends copies of both of my new Rewind Christmas shows.

Currently the production of “Rewind” is an “old school” process. It involves music and vocal recordings being mixed through a soundboard, recorded onto a CD. The good takes are then taken from the CD and imported into My I-Tunes library and combined to create the Rewind program.

The recording portion of this process is done in the sound booth of my church. This means finding time to go to the church and record. In 2011 I decided that it was time to start taking the steps to bring the Rewind production process home. .

I’m going to start recording directly to a computer digital recording program, eliminating the need for CDs. I’ll also set up a sound mixing board for the input of a microphone and music from my I-pods. This means I can record anytime I want to, day or night, without having to go to the church. This will make it easier to record more Rewind shows over the course of a year.

While the Rewind show productions may not seem like nothing more than a self-indulgent hobby at best. They have a positive effect on my life. First of all they help me keep my “creative pencil” sharp (more on that later) and moves me toward today’s digital recording technology.  The entire production process also gives me ideas I just might use in other creative areas.

Finally, sending copies of my Rewind Christmas shows to people I would like to be with during the holidays allows me to a bit closer to them over Christmas time. That makes me feel a lot better every December.

6. Planning Paula’s Surprise Party: Because my wife gave me the ultimate gift of a trip to Walt Disney World for my 50^th birthday I knew that in 2011 I’d have to make the celebration of her 50^th something special.

Although I referred to them as “vacations” in my first 2011review post; the trips to Chattanooga and Gatlinburg were partially Paula’s birthday trips. After we got back from Chattanooga, my wife mentioned that she’d like our next vacation to be somewhere that has a beach. Her dream vacation is to just sit and relax on the sand with nothing to do but watch the ocean. She then suggested that perhaps next May when her brother and his family go to the beach in Florida on vacation, she’d to go with them.

At the beginning of June I came up with the idea of throwing Paula a surprise party. I had just the right theme. It would be a “beach party.”

I knew to keep this a secret I‘d share information to a limited number of people on a “need to know” basis. I would only ask for help if I really needed it because I wanted to do this myself. I wanted to give Paula a gift that was only from me; just like she did with my Walt Disney World trip. I managed to do most of the planning and design.

I did everything from send out the invitations to the catering. However, I needed a little help with the guest list. For that I consulted my sister in law and one of Paula’s longtime friends and coworker, Jenny.

Theresa, James, Brandi, Michael, and Heather helped decorate the church fellowship hall the day of the party. But perhaps the most important helper was our friend from church, Gail. She persuaded Paula go to the church with her so she could be surprised.

Because I never ever planned a themed birthday party before I tried to recall all I’d ever seen, heard, or read about party planning. Finally all those segments of “Good Morning America”, Live with Regis and Kelly, and HGTV party planning shows would pay off.

While walking through several 99 cent stores, a party supply store, and Wal-Mart I came up with designs for the head table, Paula’s exclusive miniature island, complete with beach chair and center pieces for each table.

Limited as they were I used all my “artistic skills” to create the center pieces and Paula’s “island.” The party went off without a hitch. Paula was really surprised. I took plenty of pictures. Here are some of them. Actually there's a lot of them; but I'm proud of the way the whole thing turned out.



A Table Center Piece



Another Table Center Piece



The Head Table Center Piece & Cake



Overview of the Hall Fully Decorated



Paula and Her "Island"



The Cake With 50 Candles

So there you have 5 of the 10 of the topics that changed my life in 2011. Come back next time for Part 2 Section B for the “Top 5” including what I consider the most life changing element of the year. 

Recollections of 2011 Part 1: The Places I've Been

As the flame that is 2011 which burns on the candle of life waxes and wains and slowly disappears as it is carried by Father Time down the corridor of of eternity (nice metaphor huh?) it is time for me to look back at the special memories of the year that was. This will be a 3 part series.

Part 1 will be a review all the road trips, vacations and other outings from throughout the year. I will review them in a "Top10" format counting them down as they stand out in my memory. Some of them required driving several hours to get to but others happened right here in our local area. 

Before I begin the actual list let me start with some "honorable mentions" that didn't make the list.


Take Me Out To The Ball Game: I'm not sure exactly how many times I went Bowling Green ballpark to watch the Hot Rods (the Class "A" affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays) this past summer but I know it was at least 10. It's a great place to sit, relax and enjoy a nice night out with family and or friends.  The Hot Rods  had a great season too. They made the playoffs for the first time in their history. Thanks for the season ticket package, Paula. 


At The Movies: As has been the habit since I moved here in 1999 Paula and I went to the movies a lot this year. Some of our favorites included: "Super 8", "The Help", "Rise of the Planet of the Apes.". We also liked "The Lincoln Lawyer" a movie we only went to see after we went to the wrong theater.  I liked two out of the three Disney features we saw  this year. "Winnie The Pooh: and "The Muppets"(which I saw twice) were very enjoyable. I was disappointed with "Cars 2". 


Other films that get our "thumbs down" are: Contagion, Green Lantern, and Paranormal Activity 3." This by no means is all the movies we saw; but it does summarize our 2011 film experience. Perhaps if I find the time I'll make a list of all movies I saw this year. 


So much for the "honorable mentions." Now it's time to countdown the 10 favorite places I went in 2011. 


10. CATS: On Friday March 19 Paula and I had the worst theater experience we have ever had. The show was at the Lexington Opera House. It was Paula's 2nd time there and my 3rd (more on that later). While we didn't know a lot about the actual show we decided to go see "Cats" because it was an award winning musical and several people told us it was good. We hated it. 


There were several factors which contributed to this rejection. First of all it was all singing. There was almost no dialogue at all. To make things worse, you had to really pay attention to what the characters were singing to understand them. Part of the problem was that the music was a lot louder than the singers so you couldn't really hear them. 

Although we were tempted to leave at intermission but decided to stay. The 2nd act was a little more tolerable and at times even enjoyable. The two best know songs ("Memory" and "Mr. Mistoffelees") were sung after intermission. Nevertheless, overall it was a bad experience. 

9. WKU Football Game: After more than a decade of intending to do so;  I finally made it to the Western Kentucky University football stadium to see a game. We went with our friends Mark and Patty Quigley. The game was as exciting as a football game can get. The Hilltoppers kicker put a 32 yard kick through the uprights with no time left on the clock for a 10-9 WKU win. It was the most exciting game of their entire season. 

8. Meeting Alistair Begg: One of the preachers God has used to help me in my spiritual growth these past few years is, Alistair Begg; featured speaker on the "Truth For Life" podcast.. On June 9 I drove to a church in South Nashville near the Cool Springs Galleria where Pastor Begg was making a guest speaking appearance.

Getting to meet him after all he's helped me learn was an honor. I even got to ask him a couple of questions after the service was over.  

But the most memorable thing about that night happened before the event even began. Having arrived a bit early I found myself sitting in the church hallway waiting for the sanctuary doors to open. As I sat there I noticed an older couple who had come early and were volunteering to hand  out programs. As I looked at them I couldn't deny the fact that they looked familiar. 


As I watched them I soon realized that this couple were Frank and Carol Jarboe. They used to be part of the "Down Home Friends" puppet ministry in Bowling Green, In 2008 They sold me my first Axtell puppet, who is now Cecil the Turtle. 

I hadn't seen them since. I'd always wanted to tell them what a blessing their little puppet has been to me for these last 3 years but could never contact them. That night I had my chance. It was a "two for one" memorable road trip for me. 

7. Dory's Days Out : This past spring my dog Dory and I went on a couple of special outings. On Saturday April 16 we participated in and completed the Bowling Green Humane Society's 5K walk. It had been 5 years since I'd gone to the fund raising event. Back then I wasn't healthy enough to finish the entire walk. This time we both made it with energy to spare. 

About 3 weeks later we went to the "Bark In The Park" at the Bowling Green ballpark. Dory wasn't much interested in the game but she did like drinking from the big water bowls and resting on the cool concrete in the shade. We also got out picture taken with Roscoe the team's mascot.  

It was a couple of days that were a lot of fun and Dory really liked being out and about. I plan on going to both again next year. 

6. Orchestra Of Kentucky Concerts: The first outing of 2011 was also one of the most enjoyable, at least for me. On January 11 Paula and I went to Van Meter hall on the WKU campus to hear the Orchestra of Kentucky's concert featuring the music of LeRoy Anderson. Mr. Anderson wrote and arranged quite a few songs that remind me of going to the movies when I was a kid. If you're interested in the details go back and read my January 12 post. 

A little over 2 months later near the end of March we went to another Orchestra of Kentucky concert featuring Disney music. Of course we enjoyed this concert as well. But I will always remember it as the concert that helped me get over that previously mentioned  awful theater experience. The Disney concert was the day after we went to see "Cats."

Although I was a little disappointed that "When You Wish Upon A Star" wasn't played at the concert I really enjoyed hearing the classic Disney songs played live. There was also an very interesting post script to my concert experience. For more details check out my March 23rd and March 28th posts. 

5. Monty Python and The Circus: Nothing has thrilled me more this year than the opportunities I had to spend time with my sons and their wives. There were quite a few times all of us were together as a family. But my favorites were the times we went in specific groups. Here's what I mean. 

For Christmas 2010 Michael, James and I each got a ticket to see the musical play "Spamalot" at the Lexington Opera House. The show is based on the popular movie "Monty Python and The Holy Grail." 

On Sunday January 16 the 3 of us drove to the Opera House in Lexington (Yes, the same venue where Paula and I would see "Cats" 2 months later) to see the show. It as a lot of fun and a great "father and sons" outing. 

After that day my daughters in law began telling me that because I took the boys to Lexington I "owed" them a daughter's night out. I decided that I would appease them with a trip to the circus when it came to a local venue.  

On Friday March 25 the 4 of us (of course I had to include Paula in this outing) went to see the 2011 version of the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus at Diddle Area on the WKU campus. You can read the details in my March 31 post. 

Let me just mention that to this day if the 4 of us who went talked about that night  the one thing all of us would still remember would be a lion who was sitting in a cage on the area floor during intermission. He was really angry about something on the right side of the arena. All throughout the mid show break he roared for all his might at whatever he perceived as a threat. It was kind of scary and very memorable. 


4. My Solo Trip To Holiday World: I've gone to the movies, professional baseball games, a ventriloquist convention, and quite a few other places by myself over the years,  but until Monday July 23, 2011,  I had never gone to an amusement park alone. 

That was the day that I went solo to Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana. Ever since I went to Dorney Park for the first time in more than 20 years back in June of 2010 I've become an amusement park fanatic. 

Holiday World and it's water park, Splashin' Safari, is the most popular amusement park in our area. It has 3 of the top rated wooden roller coasters in the country as well as the Wildebeast, a highly acclaimed water coaster. 

These rides were the main reason I wanted to go to Holiday World. As it turns out other than the water coaster I really didn't like any of them. But there were other things about this holiday themed park that I really enjoyed. I posted the details of my day in Santa Claus in my August 2 post. I had a great time. 

At the time I took the trip I thought I was doing a test run for a 2012 solo trip to Walt Disney World. Those plans have since changed but for me this trip is the 4th most memorable outing of 2011.

3. The PA Family Comes To KY: At the end of July my two sisters, my brothers in law and my niece and nephew came to visit us in Kentucky once again. We had a wonderful visit with one exception. 

The Sunday they arrived my brother in law Gene tripped and fell while walking from the hotel to our house. He hit his face on the ground and really skinned up his nose. At first we thought it was broken but it wasn't. 

The visit included taking the guys to Bowling Green ballpark to see the Hot Rods play. They treated us  to an exciting walk off win by scoring 3 runs in the bottom of the 9th inning. The ladies paid a visit to The Paintin' Place in Bowling Green where they made their own ceramic craft to take home with them. Some of us spent one afternoon at Beech Bend park and Splash Lagoon water park. 

But my favorite part of the trip was the couple of times we went swimming in the Bryce Hotel's pool. What made those times memorable was a game we played. As part of my savings effort for our next Disney vacation I had collected about $50 worth of $1 coins. I took those bright shinny gold coins with me to the pool. Peggy, Shari, Teejai and I used 7 of them to play game. Then one night when more of the family were in the pool we played a "free for all" game. I threw all 50 of the coins into the pool and we all went after them. It was great fun. 

Their visit ended with our now traditional breakfast at the Cave City Cracker Barrel restaurant. The group pictures we took that morning are some of my favorites of the year. 

2. Our Chattanooga Vacation: The week before the Memorial Day Paula and I took a 5 day vacation to Chattanooga, Tennessee. It's only a 3 hour drive from our house. My trip report is covered in the four RH Factors posts from June 2 through June 19. 

We had a good time in Chattanooga but other than a few of them, the level of entertainment  venues, attractions, and restaurants are not on the level of other tourist areas. 

Some of my favorite things in Chattanooga were: Rock City and the Lover's Leap area; Ruby Falls,not the overall experience but the waterfall itself, the model railroad at the Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel, The "River" portion of the aquarium, and the pedestrian bridge. 
I also surprised Paula with an afternoon at the spa treatment at the Chattanoogan hotel. 

Our most memorable dining experience was at the restaurant called "Cheeburger, Cheeburger." 

We had a good time but we probably won't ever go back. There's just not really anything we'd be interested in doing again. Still spending the 5 days together and  being able to do things that 2 years ago we wouldn't have physically been able to do makes our Chattanooga vacation my second favorite outing of the year. 

1. Smokey Mountains Weekend: While it was the shortest trip of the year, in terms of length of time, our trip to Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area in Tennessee is my favorite excursion of 2011. 

This trip started out different from any other we'd ever taken just by the fact that we used Priceline.com to book our hotel room. We did a lot of things in a couple of days. We left about 4 o'clock on a Saturday evening in October and returned home that Monday evening. 

We did a lot of shopping, visited a haunted house, watched a 3D movie while it was "snowing" in the theater, and taste tested our choice of hundreds of types of flavored popcorn. We were "trapped" by a dead pharaoh inside a pyramid as part of an interactive attraction called "The Tomb", at at a "Five Guys" fast food restaurant, and revisited one of the most famous oceanic disasters in nautical history. 

We had breakfast at the Old Mill restaurant in Pigeon Forge on Sunday and spent the morning browsing through the surrounding specialty shops. 

My 2 favorite parts of the trip was the visit to Ober Gatlinburg and (the marquee reason for our trip) the Titanic Museum.

To get to Ober Gatlinburg we had to drive almost 3 miles up the side of a mountain. It was very close to the cabin area where we stayed during our first trip to the Smokies back in 2001. 

Ober Gatlingburg is a tourist area with specialty shops, restaurants, an ice skating rink, a carousel, a small zoo, an alpine slide, a water slide and more. 

The zoo, while not really all that great as far as zoos are concerned, provided the best otter encounter we've ever had. We spent a long time watching them and the 3 black bears. 

My favorite part of Ober Gatlinburg I did by myself. It was a ski lift ride to the top of Mount Harrison. The reason I went alone is because Paula doesn't like riding on those types of things.  The ride to the top took a bit longer than it was supposed to take. There was a lot of starting and stopping to let people off at the bottom of the ride. I videoed the entire trip with my camcorder. A lot of those videos are a bit embarrassing but I was a bit bored and just trying to improvise the documentation of my trip up the hillside. 

When I finally got to the top I rewarded with the most awesome view of the Smokie Mountains I've ever seen. I took pictures and shot video but it doesn't really convey the beauty of what I saw in the twilight of that autumn evening. 

On the second day we went to the Titanic museum in Pigeon Forge. This was the highlight of our trip. Housed in a building that's partially a replica of the infamous ocean liner the self guided tour takes you on a journey through the history of the RMS Titanic. It starts with the concept,  design, engineering, and building of the ship and ends with a memorial to those who lost their lives that fateful night in April 1912. 

This museum is a quality experience and could very well hold its own with "big city" museums. The recreation of the grand staircase based on the architect's original plans is amazing. The designers of this museum saved the best for last. The replica of the ship's bridge area really brings you into the Titanic experience as much as you can be. There is a recreation of the deck area where the air temperature at 32 degrees and a trough of water is chilled to the same temperature as the ocean was that fateful night. There's also an actual iceberg that visitors are encouraged to touch. 

We planned on spending only an hour and a half there but the exhibits and artifacts were so compelling  that we spent more than 2 1/2. 

After a final buffet lunch we headed home. It was exhausting but a very fun couple of days. 

So there you have my top 10 adventures of 2011. Half of them were  road trips and the other half happened right here near my home. Nevertheless they were all trips to places I wanted to go. Whether it was a trip to the ballpark, spending time with my sisters in my own house or a ride on a ski lift in the Smokie Mountains they were all great experiences. Years from now when I look back on 2011 these will be the trips what comes to mind.

Come back for Part 2 of my Recollections of 2011. 

Star Trek: The Next Generation Christmas Special

BLOGGERS' SPOILER ALERT: If you have children who are anxiously awaiting for Santa Claus to come visit them tonight the following may contain some real "spoilers". Please do not let them read this post.


On this Christmas eve I want to share an idea I have for what I think would be one of the coolest Christmas editions of a SiFi episodic TV series ever.


Ever since TV shows began there have been special Christmas episodes. It seems that no matter who the star is or what the premise of the show there is always an acceptable reason for having a Christmas show. Everybody celebrates Christmas on TV; even Jewish people. 


Well, I have an idea for a Christmas episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Even though the series hasn't been on the air in 17 years I think this would make a great episode. 


With the amazing, magical and seemingly impossible mission that Santa Claus accomplishes each Christmas season one can only assume that the means by which he does it is something beyond anything we as "ordinary" human beings are aware of.


This is where the connection between Santa and the crew of The Federation's flagship, The Starship Enterprise D, intersect. The technology in the world of Star Trek does not exist in our world today. However if someone had access to all the Enterprise's technology and hardware they could easily mirror what Santa does every Christmas Eve.


My idea for a TNG Christmas Special is not perfect. It's only a bare bones synopsis. The details would have to be worked out. I'm afraid I'm not enough of a Star Trek geek to do it effectively. Anyway, here's my idea for a Star Trek: TNG Christmas story. 


The episode is centered around Data. The android is on his way back from a conference by himself in a shuttle craft. He experiences warp engine trouble and has to land on the closest planet. 


Unable to contact the Enterprise, Data is forced to hike from the mountains (where he conveniently crashed seemingly undetected by the planet's inhabitants) to the nearest populated area. He quickly discovers that he's stranded on a planet with a society that mirrors the same culture as earth in the 1950's. 


From the weather and the decorations that adorn the town's shopping district after accessing his memory banks he can only conclude that the people were celebrating the Christmas season. As he searches in a local hardware store for what he needs to repair his shuttle craft he is befriended by a little girl, named Virginia. 


In the course of their encounter Virginia discloses that she is a "doubting Thomas" when it comes to Santa. She doesn't believe that he is real. Having familiarized himself with the traditions and customs of Santa and the importance of a child believing for as long as possible Data decides to take some action. 


He wants to show Virginia that there is a Santa Claus by doing exactly what Santa does on Christmas eve.  He returns to his shuttle and comes up with a plan. Using the transporter, a portable replicator (this may not actually exist in the TNG world but they could have been added for the sake of this episode) and other Federation technology he makes a way to play Santa to the entire town where Virginia lives. 


He limits himself to just the town because that's all it would take to convince the little girl to believe in the symbolic representation of the Christmas spirit of giving. 


Of course there would have to be some kind of antagonist in the episode. Perhaps a scientist who discovers the abandoned shuttle and tries to prove that the new stranger in town, Data, is the alien that it belongs to.

Of course there would have to be the obligatory moralistic ending typical of every episodic series' Christmas show. But there would also some kind of action that would result in a thrilling conclusion. 


But the main part of the story would be the relationship between Data and Virginia. The main story arc would be the clever way he uses Federation technology to be kind to his new young friend. 


So there you have my Star Trek: the Next Generation Christmas episode idea. As I mentioned earlier the idea isn't complete and may not seem like much to the extent that I've expounded on it. It may seem like a strange suggestion but if you check around you'll find some very unusual people have hosted or played characters in Christmas specials. 


You may not think it's such a good idea or maybe you're not even a Star Trek fan and don't really care. If either of those are true I'm sorry. I've had this idea for a while and just had to get it out there. This year's Christmas eve post seemed like a good time to do it.


I want to take these last paragraphs to thank you for taking the time to read this blog throughout the year. I'm on the verge of a very significant milestone in regard to the number of posts. There will be more on that in a few days. 


I want to wish you and your family & friends a very Merry Christmas. Even though I've been posting consistently over this holiday season I'll be taking a couple of days off to do some other things. I'll let you know when I'm back. Once Again...

Merry Christmas 

God Bless Us, Every One