2007 The Year in Review

Hey there, just thought I would take a minute to cover this crazy year.

If there ever was a year where WORK was the #1 thing going on it was this year.
It was also a year of a lot of changes.

The Front Porch
In 2004 I started playing drums for a small church called "The Front Porch". It was a massive change for me, I had been playing for a very large church in an orchestra, this was a very progressive church with rock-and-roll Christian music. Being able to play and change things on the fly was a lot different for me. This was a blast, it gave me a chance to grow as a drummer forcing me to play music styles i had never tried before. The church was a blast, a wonderful pastor, and a membership that was more like a family then a church. The problem was that we just couldnt seem to get anyone to come and stay. There were a few people who came and joined into the body of the church, but it seemed like we just couldnt make things happen. In early 2007 our pastor Eric told us that the church was going to merge back into Arlington Baptist Church in early May. This was really hard to deal with, it was like losing your family. The band split, we lost one guitar and our bass player. The rest of us merged into the band at ABC. It just wasnt the same. The energy of TFP's services was not there at ABC. After playing at Arlington the rest of 2007, It looks like that will be coming to an end as well. Our Pastor Eric has taken a position at a church in Hickory, and his wife Kresha (who leads the band) will be going with him, and it will no longer be the band that i love. I have to see where this takes me in 2008.


Work, work and MORE work
2007 the year of Overtime and Travel. In 2006 i dont think i traveled more then 2 times in the whole year. 2007 was the EXACT opposite of that. It started in January with me having to travel out to Kentucky to work on a plant i had never been to, in the freezing rain and snow. That trip was a long one, as i also had to drive to SC to work before i got home. But it was only about 1 1/2 weeks. Then we started on the "Evergreen" road. Evergreen is the term our company uses meaning the updating of existing equipment to a newer version. We had numerous jobs this year taking our Solaris product to Windows. Not something any of us at our office had really done much of. Lets see.. Manatee, Sanford, Martin, Ft. Myers, KUA, and more. The last 3 months of 2007 were mainly spent on the road. Starting Oct 20 I headed out to Florida, heading to West Palm beach, then to Orlando, then to Ft. Myers. Working almost every day for this time. I ended up with Pneumonia. What a thing to get when your on the road working 10+ hrs a day. I came home for 8 days at Thanksgiving, took all the meds the Dr.'s gave me and got a good bit better. Then it was back down to Ft. Myers for 2+ weeks, then up to Rome GA for a week. Not getting off the road till the 14th of Dec. The longest time i have ever worked away from home, a total of 7 weeks out of 8. Im glad im done for the year and can spend some time off at home, reconnecting.

Tae Kwon Do
As you have seen in other posts on my blog im taking TKD. I have been for over 5-6 years. In Dec of 2006 I was promoted to Red belt (2nd Gup). I had hopes for 2007 that i would have made Black belt by the end, but just didnt happen. I wasnt promoted to 1st Gup (Red Belt w/black stripe) until later in the summer. There just wasnt enough time for me to learn all that i needed to learn to pass a black belt test. The hope now is to test sometime in Feb '08. I still have a lot to learn, and losing 8 weeks by being out of town working. I never thought I would be working towards a Black belt. Not at my age, and size. TKD has helped me in so many ways, I only wish i would have got into it when i was 10.


Family
Alex is now 12 going on 13, he is a great kid. I just hope he manages to keep the spirit he has and the innocence he has thru 7th grade. The kids are so ruthless to him, every day its "are you gay", "why are you gay" "fag" and worse. All because he is 12 and acts 12, not 22 like these THUGS that are in his grade with him. I only wish i could be there to see what he has to deal with then beat the CRAP out of these little jerks when he walks away. If only he could see that its all temporary, and that he will get past these years. 7th and 8th grade are the worst in the world. Every kid is attacked and made to feel like they are useless and worse. I remember the HELL that was middle school. I didnt think i would live thru it, and i know it changed me and how i looked at the world. I pray he will be able to be the Alex he is now, in 2 years. With the same love of crazy things. I wish he would find a girl he could care for, it would help him thru this crap. Maybe.. lol Girls can be a blessing and a curse.

Overall 2007 was a crazy year. I am not sure i want 08 to be like 07 work was way to crazy and i spent way to much time out of town. I dont know where ill be a year from now, I pray ill be safe, sound and healthy. Hopefully a Black belt, and on my way to 2nd Degree by then. I hope that work calms down a little, and that i can find somewhere to blend into a band at a church ill like. Some place where Alex can be with kids that are good and nice. Only God knows what 2008 will bring, but no matter what it beings we just have to deal with it.

I pray 08 will be a great year for you and yours.