October 2016

So I am going to keep this as non political as possible, because as a parent, it is my job to provide tools for my kids, but not to deter their thought process in how they plan on voting as they grow up. As with any election, this is the most important of our current time. And I don’t say this lightly, as I much love politics, this election really could shape some factors of our country for years. The Supreme Court makeup alone, is going to be leveraged off of this election.

Why do I mention any of this? Really, it is for 1 reason, I’m really hoping to take my kids with me on Saturday to vote and this will be the first chance that I can really introduce them to voting. Again, if they ask specifically who and why I vote the way that I do, I’ll share with them. If not, then I will use this as a chance to introduce the overview of Government and also the purpose of checks and balances of our government system.

And I have thought long and hard about how I would talk to my sons about politics and it is hard. On one hand, I want to tell them my thoughts and opinions and then on the other, which is really the best approach, I want to just give them the facts and let them decide their own political views. And that is the way that I was raised. My parents gave me facts and allowed me to make my own decisions and as a result, I am the only registered (not say how my family votes) Republican on both sides of my family. I want to make sure that my boys know and understand how the government works. Respect and appreciate those, regardless of whether they agree with the politicians or not, but they respect that they have run for office, were elected and it is our hope that they make the best decision for this country.

So as I look at the current make up of this years election. I have a strong idea on how this is going to play out and I’m ok with that. I am not a fan of either of candidate, let’s make that clear. I also feel that 1 candidate would do less harm than the other, and I’m not saying that I am voting for either of the candidates. But I am focused on the state, city and county elections at this point.

My hope though this Saturday, is that my kids at an early age, see that I am doing my civic duty in voting and that they see that I’m trying to make a difference.

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One week later and I’m beyond grateful for the decision that I made when I finally said, I QUIT!

So, one week later and I have had 2 glasses of Red Wine in 7 days. That would be 1 night for me. Has it been hard, not really? I’ve substituted alcohol with water, a lot of water. About 110 oz to be exact. And that is over 1/2 my body weight, but not by much. And yes, there are articles that talk specifically to how much water that you should be drinking, which can be found here.

What other changes have I noticed in week 1? Well, not that much I guess? I didn’t spend any money at the liquor store, so that is 1 BIG difference, oh and I have 4 six packs in storage that I had purchased weeks ago, so I don’t need to go to the store for a while. So, saving money is a nice thing and I’m planning on taking what I would have spent this week at the liquor store and putting that money towards paying off debt.

Another change, I’m down 3 lbs this week! Sure, I’m peeing a lot, I mean, A LOT! But, I’m staying hydrated and I’m not drinking alcohol. So, that is yet another positive thing that I’ve noticed. And, I’m sleeping a lot better and more soundly. Granted, I wake up early anyway, but I feel more a wake when I first getup now.  I think Edwin McCain said it best in his song, Sober:

I’m a little worried, nothing’s spinning
I can walk a steady line
This unusual condition
Wasn’t by design

Sorry, I’m a little sober
In the morning I’ll be nursing and cursing
My clarity hangover

So, one week later and I’m so glad that I’ve made this decision. For so many reasons, both the obvious and those that aren’t, I’m glad that I had a clarity hangover this morning.

More to come…..

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Ok, I quit is a strong phrase, maybe it should be I am making a change?

Regardless, it is time to make some changes in my life and the first is to cut out alcohol. And I’m making the change for a many and one reasons, and these are in no particular order:

  • Health reasons – weight, sleep better, liver needs a break, etc.
  • Cost – I drink good wine and expensive craft beer
  • Habit forming – I didn’t like that I have started walking in and grabbing a beer.
  • I want to do everything that I can to be here for as long as I can for my kids
  • And I didn’t like who it was making me.

Now, for the record, I was not drinking to excess, but I was having more than I should. And I didn’t like the fact that it was making me sluggish and I wasn’t just having one in a sitting. So, it is time.

So today, instead of drinking 2 – 3 beers tonight, I’ll have 1. And then, I’ll goto 1 every other day. And just work it down. Does that mean that I will quit drinking beer and wine forever? No, I love to cook with both and I really do love the taste of a good glass of wine or a cold beer. But for today, today I need this. Today, I need to share with others and need to have someone that will help me stay focused on this and today, I quit. Today, I start a new day and  a new direction with a new focus. And as a bonus, I should be able to pocket about $200 + a month that was being spent on alcohol and shift that to paying down debt faster too!

So better heath, saving money, being a better dad all just seem to make this decision such a no brainer.

Today, I QUIT!

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Growing up in North Carolina, and granted, we are talking a long time ago, never did we practice a lock down drill in school? We practiced a lot of other drills, tornado drills and yes, even back when I was really young, we did practice for bombs. But not lock down drills.

I really hate that my kids will grow up in a society where they have to practice these things. They have to know where safe rooms are in their house or in their classes. I hate that they have to be on guard for others. And as I was talking about the lock down drill with my sons, they were telling me all the scenarios that could happen as to why they would need to go into hiding at school.

And it was at that moment, for the very first time, I thought about pulling my kids out and home schooling them. The idea of the boys having to hide because of a threat at the school is mind blowing. And no, I’m not going to even go down the road on gun violence, because it is such a polarizing discussion that it wouldn’t be beneficial. But it is scary as a parent to even think of those situations and yet, we all remember Sandy Hook.

I don’t know where in our society that we took a wrong turn? I don’t know what has happened, but as a parent, it is scary as hell! It is scary to think that my sons, the loves of my life, could be put in danger because they are in a school, which is supposed to be a safe environment.

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It was bound to happen. At some point, I knew that I would have to deal with this, but was hoping that it wasn’t going to be on this past Friday night and I was certainly hoping that it wasn’t going to be with one of the boys, but it did.  I had been testing fate for entirely too long!

This past Friday night, my wife and I decided to split the kids and we would each have some one on one time with the boys. I took Boy A and we went off to the city for dinner. And I just had this funny feeling on the drive down, something was going to happen, in fact, I even packed extra snacks for my son, just in case.

And after we went and had some fun, we got back in the jeep and nothing happened. I tried to start my jeep and it wouldn’t crank. I tried again, nothing. Ever since we moved and my commute increased, I had been testing fate on having my jeep break down. I knew it. But what was I going to do?

So there, we sat. I felt defeated, not because I had car problems, but because my son was with me. I had no choice but to remain calm, call AAA and then my wife and wait. Wait for what seemed like forever, but was really less than an hour. Wait and play games, talk, laugh and thank goodness, there was a restaurant where we were, so we could go and eat.

But I had been testing fate entirely too long though. My jeep has over 195k miles on it, though still in good condition, it is getting some serious wear and tear on it. And financially, we just aren’t in the position to buy something new yet for me. We are trying to pay off our debt and we are beyond focused and intense on getting that done and a new vehicle just isn’t in the mix right now.

So, I am sitting and waiting, working at home today, checking my phone and waiting on my mechanic to call me back with the news. Hoping it is just a starter. Hoping that the issue with the transmission is minor too. Hoping that these fixes don’t set us back financially too much and stir us off our course of financial freedom.

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