So, as you know, Kryssy and I recently moved.  The other day a very curious thing happend.  We opened a box that had been sealed in 1999ish.  In that box we found various things, mostly some of Kryssy’s stuff from College but the most interesting thing was a locked safety deposit type box that had a thick Master Lock on it.

We had a good time trying to think what might be in there.  From love notes, to fortune of course.  Well, it took a few days to find time to get into it and it really was not that important to us.  I have some bolt cutters in my truck (because who knows when you might need them right??) anyhow, I finally got the bolt cutters last night and below is what we found.  Take a look at the pictures:

So, no big treasure but it sure was a lot of fun to dream.  As you can see, it was mostly Kryssy’s stuff.  From late high school to college.  Check books, all types of recepts, gift certificates not used, pictures, a Polish recipe from an old boy friend etc..

This box though reminded me of a deep seated truth in me that I have gotten away from thinking about on a daily basis.  That being:

Psalms 40:1: “I waited patiently for the LORD;  he turned to me and heard my cry.”

The bottom line being Patience/Waiting on God.. We didn’t rush to open this box with some false hope.  We waited until we had time and had a lot of fun with it.  We didn’t find some cool treasure, but God used this to remind us of truth.

One more scripture from Isaiah 40:31: “but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

This all speaks to hope and trust that the Lord will come through.  We could go a lot more on all of this, but for now lets stop and focus on waiting on the Lord.  Get some time, get quiet before the Lord and listen.  What does He have you waiting on?

Tags: Mystery, Treasure, Waiting on God

I was talking to a friend of mine a day or two ago about honesty. He was telling me about a situation where he had lied to get out of a situation. I could relate. I have done that more time than I would like to admit. I have probably said it before, but Andy Stanley at a Catalyst conference I was attending once said, “Say what’s right and do what’s right, even when it is hard!” That quote impacted me greatly.

As I was checking email this morning, I came upon this story on Yahoo Sports.. take a look:
J.P. Hayes is as honest as we like to think we are

By Jay Busbee

The true test of a man’s character is what he does when no one is watching. John Wooden said that, or maybe it was Spider-Man. Whatever, it still holds true; being noble and upstanding is easy enough when you’ve got people watching, but when you’re alone with yourself, when you could do the wrong thing (or avoid the right thing) and get away with it, well — that’s when you find out what kind of person you are.

By that standard, then, J.P. Hayes is among the best that sports has to offer. He played a nonconforming ball for a single hole of the second stage of Q School last weekend. He realized it more than a day after the “violation,” called it on himself, and thus disqualified himself from Q School … with some severe, career-altering effects down the line.

So how did this go down? So easily, you’ll cringe:

On his 12th hole of the first round at Deerwood Country Club last Wednesday, Hayes’ caddie reached into his golf bag, pulled out a ball and flipped it to Hayes, who missed the green with his tee shot. He then chipped on and marked his ball. It was then that Hayes realized the ball was not the same model Titleist with which he had started his round. That was in violation of the one-ball rule, which stipulates that a player must play the same model throughout a round.

Okay, so, two-stroke penalty, no big deal. He recovered well enough to put himself in position to finish in the top 20 and advance to the third and final round of Q School. The top 25 finishers in that round, plus ties, earn exempt status for the entire 2009 PGA season. So, breathe deep, think about how close you came to disaster, then tee it up for the next round.

Only, while Hayes was breathing deep, he realized something else — not only did he play the wrong ball, he might have played a ball that wasn’t even approved for play at all.

“It was a Titleist prototype, and somehow it had gotten into my bag,” he said. “It had been four weeks since Titleist gave me some prototype balls and I tested them. I have no idea how or why it was still in there … I called an official in Houston that night and said, ‘I think I may have a problem. He said they’d call Titleist the next day. I pretty much knew at that point I was going to be disqualified.”

Now, the easy move here would be to either do nothing or blame the caddy. Hayes rose above both those temptations, putting all the blame on himself and asserting that everybody else on the PGA in his shoes would have done the exact same thing. We’ll never know, but let’s hope so.

Also, Hayes already has more than $7 million in career earnings, so it’s not like he’d consigned himself to another year working the counter at the Quik Stop. But still, knowing you’re taking yourself out of the running for a year of career stability and wealth takes some serious situational ethics.

Would you do it?

Really?

Tags: andy stanley, Catalyst, JP Hayes, yahoo

So, I love to laugh. As I have said before about my dad, he always loved to laugh and had an array of wrinkles around his eyes from smiling and laughing. Jesus is for sure my friend and not a laughing matter but this video is. Take a look!

Tags: Jesus, Sonseed, Video

THE SHOTGUN RULES

Are you tired of having fights with your friends every time you go to or out for dinner on who gets to sit next to the driver? Believe it or not there are millions of semi strict and/or goofy rules that determine who gets to sit in the shotgun…mostly all made by individuals trying to manipulate their way into the front seat.

The Theory

The term “Shotgun” refers to the front passenger seat of an automobile. “Calling Shotgun” is the act of claiming the position of Shotgun for one’s self. As this position is the most coveted of all positions when riding in a car, the following list of rules has been created to ensure that Shotgun can be acquired in a fair and equitable manner by any passenger of an automobile.

The History
The history of calling “Shotgun” goes back to the days of covered wagons and the Wild West. On a trip across the plains, the driver of a wagon would hold the reins of his horse team and concentrate on driving. This left him and the occupants of his wagon susceptible to sneak attacks from bandits and thieves. To avoid this atrocious circumstance it became necessary for one person to sit next to the driver with a shotgun and fend off the enemy.

Defending against bandits is no longer the priority of Shotgun however, but it has evolved into a pre-driving ritual that is experienced before almost every car ride across America and even the world. Because of the obvious evolution that has already occurred with Shotgun, we ask you to consider Shotgun as a living entity and be aware that it is always changing for the better good of society.

Section I
The Basic Rules

1. In order to call Shotgun, the caller must pronounce the word “Shotgun” in a clear voice. This call must be heard and acknowledged by the driver. The other occupants of the vehicle need not hear the call as long as the driver verifies the call.

2. Shotgun may only be called if all occupants of the vehicle are outside and on the way to said vehicle.

3. Early calls are strictly prohibited. Shotgun may only be called while walking toward the vehicle and only applies to the drive immediately forthcoming. Shotgun can never be called while inside a vehicle or still technically on the way to the first location. For example, one can not get out of a vehicle and call Shotgun for the return journey.

4. The driver has final say in all ties and disputes. The driver has the right to suspend or remove all shotgun privileges from one or more persons.

Section II
Special Cases

These special exceptions to the rules above should be considered in the order presented; the case listed first will take precedence over any of the cases beneath it, when applicable.

1. In the instance that the normal driver of a vehicle is drunk or otherwise unable to perform their duties as driver, then he/she is automatically given Shotgun.

2. If the instance that the person who actually owns the vehicle is not driving, then he/she is automatically given Shotgun, unless they decline.

3. In the instance the the driver’s spouse or date for the evening is going to accompany the group, he/she is automatically given Shotgun, unless they decline.

4. In the instance that one of the passengers may become so ill during the course of the journey that the other occupants feel he/she will toss their cookies, then the ill person should be given Shotgun to make appropriate use of the window.

5. In the instance that only one person knows how to get to a given location and this person is not the driver, then as the designated navigator for the group they automatically get Shotgun, unless they decline.

6. In the instance that one of the occupants is too wide or tall to fit comfortably in the back seat, then the driver may show mercy and award Shotgun to the genetic misfit. Alternatively, the driver and other passengers may continually taunt the poor fellow as they make a three hour trip with him crammed in the back.

Section III
The Survival of the Fittest Rule

1. If the driver so wishes, he/she may institute the Survival of the Fittest Rule on the process of calling Shotgun. In this case all rules, excepting I-4, are suspended and the passenger seat is occupied by whoever can take it by force.

2. The driver must announce the institution of the Survival of the Fittest Rule with reasonable warning to all passengers. This clause reduces the amount of blood lost by passengers and the damage done to the vehicle.

Please follow the above rules to the best of your ability. If there are any arguments or exceptions not covered in these rules, please refer to rule I-4.

Above rules compiled from: www.shotgunrules.com as well as other blogs with my own twist. Like I said, manipulation.

Any funny stories out there about a shotgun call?

Tags: Car, Lists, Shotgun

OK, so I have not been feeling very spiritual lately.. Like I said in the blog below about Saying Something, no use in saying something unless you’ve got something to say. I have felt very connected to God and He has been doing some good things in my life but nothing really bloggable. However, Kryssy and I got to see the Braves while in Florida over Easter and I was like.. wow.. they’re back and then a ran across this article and I had to attach it.. take a look!

Unsung Braves built for October glory

By Jayson StarkESPN.com(Archive)

Updated: March 30, 2008

We take you back in time to the first week of March. The 2008 Grapefruit League was only a few days old. But a National League scout already had caught on to something that hadn’t yet dawned on the rest of the hemisphere.

He’d just returned from watching the new, improved Atlanta Braves. It didn’t take him long to make this important announcement:

“They’re back.”

[+] Enlarge

AP Photo/Tony Dejak

In only 54 games for the Braves in 2007, Mark Teixeira slugged 17 home runs, drove in 56 runs, and had an 1.019 OPS.

And they are. Consider this a warning — to you and the rest of the National League East. They’re back.

It’s been 2½ years since the Braves last played a postseason game. It’s been 13 years since they won the only World Series of their 14-year rampage as division champions. It’s been 17 years since the Braves of John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Steve Avery and Charlie Leibrandt made their first foray into October in the Bobby Cox-John Schuerholz era.

But it wouldn’t shock anybody — anybody — who has seen them this spring if this Braves team turns out to be as good as any of those teams. And by that we mean: The Braves — yeah, the Braves — are our pick to win the World Series.

Go ahead. Call us nuts. Start typing those e-mails lecturing us on why the Red Sox, Yankees, Indians, Tigers, Mets, Phillies, Cubs, Rockies, yada yada yada are better than this team. Maybe they are. All we know is, while 98 percent of the planet was busy obsessing on those clubs, the Atlanta Braves built themselves a tremendous team.

Everywhere we went this spring, we asked the same question: What team has opened your eyes? Everywhere we went, we heard the same answer: The Braves. Take a listen:

“People are wayyyy underestimating that club,” said one NL executive. “It’s amazing how far under the radar they’ve been. But you might think that till you see them play. Then you say, ‘Shoot, this team’s dangerous.’”

“I don’t think anybody should be looking forward to going into Atlanta this year and facing [Tim] Hudson, Smoltz and Glavine,” said Nationals manager Manny Acta. “And [Mike] Hampton, too. That’s a bunch of tough hombres to go up against. And as long as Bobby Cox is over there, I don’t think anybody should overlook that team.”

“They’re good,” said the voice of the Phillies, Jimmy Rollins. “They’ve got the swag back. There’s no doubt about that.”

Hey, funny he should mention that. The Braves, after all, have Rollins to thank, in part, for their exclusion from the NL East conversation. When he launched that raging who’s-the-team-to-beat debate last year with his good friends, the Mets, he did more to redirect the floodlights away from the 404 area code than any other living human.

Well, it was fun while it lasted — that Phillies-Mets talk. But even the man who kicked it off thinks people have been much too inclined to forget That Other Team.

“You know how people are,” Rollins said. “It’s refreshing to talk about something different. And we got to talk about two new teams after talking about the same team for 14 years. But no one’s forgotten about them. Just the light isn’t on them because they haven’t won the last couple of years.”

Nope. Sure haven’t. And that’s part of it. But it’s not as if they were going 65-97 the last two years, either. In fact, the Braves (163-161) actually won more games during those two seasons than the Cardinals, Cubs, White Sox or Brewers.

Meet The Braves

The Braves’ projected lineup and rotation for the 2008 season. For more, see the Braves’ team capsule:

So let’s face it. What really has helped them stay out of that team-to-beat chatter is that the Braves just aren’t yappers. They don’t teach that Yapping 101 course at Robert Cox University, apparently.

“We’ve never been in that situation, where we’ve been able to do that,” said Smoltz, now in his 21st season of eligibility at this fine institution. “I mean, think about it. We won 14 years in a row. So what are we going to do — (say we’ll) add on? It was hard enough to win one in a row or two in a row. So if they want to talk, that’s fine.”

But to be honest, it wasn’t really that fine with every resident of Coxville. With a little intrepid reporting (alert the Pulitzer committee), we finally uncovered one Brave who admitted he couldn’t suppress his urge to speak up one minute longer.

“For a while,” said right fielder Jeff Francoeur, “you just want to be professional and stay out of it. But you know me, with my football mentality. After a couple of weeks of that (Phillies-Mets talk), it started getting to me a little bit. I wasn’t going to shoot out there and say we’re going to win the division. But I’ll say this: We’ve got a damn good team. … I think we’ve got the best team in this division, if we stay healthy.”

Uh-oh. Was that a brand-new war of words we just heard rise up out of the southland? Well, not exactly. Francoeur said this stuff so matter-of-factly, we’d be hard-pressed to call it a skirmish. Or a fray. Didn’t even feel like isolated sniper fire.

The fact is, no matter how much or how little they say, this edition of the Braves knows exactly what it is — a team that can play baseball with anybody.

“I really believe,” said catcher Brian McCann, “we’ve got every piece of the puzzle in place.”

So do they? Let’s break them down.

The lineup: Do they have enough offense? No question about that. The only teams in the league who scored more runs than they did last year (810) were two clubs that play in official hitters’ paradises — the Phillies and Rockies. But this year, even though the Braves will start five players 26 or younger, they should be even better — now that they’ll get a full season out of first-base mega-force Mark Teixeira.

Want to know how much that matters? After Teixeira showed up in the final two months of last season, the Braves’ batting average at first base went up 100 points (from .212 to .312), their slugging percentage went up 242 points (.363 to .605) and their OPS went up by a ridiculous 371 points (.633 to 1.004). My colleague, Keith Law, estimates a full season of Teixeira represents about a 60-run upgrade just at that one position. So this lineup has a chance to score as many runs as any team in the NL — the Phillies included.

The leather: Do they catch the ball? Yep, they do that, too. In last year’s defensive-efficiency ratings by the Hardball Times, the Braves led the National League in fielding plus-minus (plus-58 plays made that an average fielder doesn’t make) and outs made outside a fielder’s “zone” (454). And, for those who still might believe that Andruw Jones was single-handedly responsible for those ratings, they raked in the second-most infield outs (only two fewer than the Cardinals) outside the “zone.”

[+] Enlarge

AP Photo/David J. Phillip

When healthy, John Smoltz, 40, is still among the most effective starters in the National League.

True, the Braves have subtracted Jones and Edgar Renteria. But they’ll be replaced by Mark Kotsay andYunel Escobar. And, given Teixeira’s Gold Glove abilities at first, it’s not a stretch to argue this team will be at least as good defensively now as last year, if not better overall.

The arms: Finally, can this team pitch? A year ago, even they knew they didn’t have enough pitching. The proof was that, halfway through the spring, they went out and signed a free-agent pitcher who was still sitting at home in March (Mark Redman) — and plugged him into the rotation the day he got off the plane.

For a team that not so long ago produced seven NL Cy Young winners in eight years, and finished first or second in the league in ERA 11 years in a row, that was the baseball equivalent of a billboard on the side of a highway, flashing this message:

You need more frigging pitching.

“We’ve talked about that the last two years,” said new GM Frank Wren, hand-picked successor to the legendary John Schuerholz. “John and I talked about it at length, that we had to get more pitching depth.”

So they did what they needed to do. Now we look up, just a year later, and here’s what we find:

They’ve added Tom Glavine (free agent), the electric Jair Jurrjens (centerpiece of the Renteria deal) and Mike Hampton (freed from captivity in the trainer’s room) to the rotation behind Smoltz and Hudson. That means they’re so deep in potential starters that Chuck James, Jo-Jo Reyes, Buddy Carlyle and Jeff Bennett — who combined for 23 wins and 62 starts last year — will start the season either in Triple-A or the bullpen.

And, with the addition of left-hander Will Ohman (trade) and 98-mph flameball launcher Chris Resop (waiver claim), they have so much bullpen depth that they had no room for Tyler Yates. That might not seem like a stop-the-presses development. But Yates (just traded to the Pirates) was such an integral bullpen cog last year, he finished second on the team in appearances (75) and struck out 69 in 66 innings.

“The feeling here last year was, we had to have our two studs, Smoltzie and Huddie, go and go big,” Francoeur said. “But the feeling this year is completely different. I think the feeling is, if Smoltzie misses a start or two this year, we’re covered. If Hampton needs a couple of starts off, or anybody, it’s OK now, because we have that depth to fill that in. Last year, if we didn’t have our two big guys going, we had to score six, seven, eight runs a game.”

We understand, of course, that the top four starters will all be 33 or older by midyear. And that by Memorial Day, Smoltz and Glavine will be 41 and 42, respectively.

We’re aware that Smoltz has had shoulder issues already (though he’ll miss just one start). And that Glavine went 0-3, 14.81 in his final three starts with the Mets. And that if Hampton wins even 10 games, he would be the first pitcher to do that at his age (35) after missing two full seasons since Schoolboy Rowe in 1946.

But we should also point out that Smoltz, Hudson and Glavine finished second, fourth and fifth, respectively, in the league in quality starts last year.

And having nine legitimate starting pitchers — when the Mets and Phillies can barely find five — is no small factor when you consider that the average NL team last year needed to get 42 starts out of pitchers who weren’t in its original rotation.

So the Braves have enough arms to survive the marathon. For them to win that marathon, “this is one of those seasons where health will be huge,” said Smoltz.

Will Smoltz stay healthier than Pedro Martinez? Will the closer, Rafael Soriano, have a healthier year than new Phillies closer Brad Lidge? Who will come back and make the bigger contribution after major surgery — Mike Gonzalez (Braves) or Kris Benson (Phillies)? The NL East could well be decided by all of those questions.

But if this does turn into a war of attrition, remember this: The Braves are younger than the Mets and Phillies, deeper in most respects than the Mets and Phillies and have a better farm system to mine for reinforcements than the Mets and Phillies.

Plus, the Braves have a quality that struck everyone who saw them this spring. When we say they’re back, we don’t just mean on the field. We mean in their minds.

Just because they’re not swapping we’re-the-team-to-beat diatribes with the Mets and Phillies doesn’t mean the Atlanta Braves don’t believe it. It just means that as long as the remarkable Bobby Cox has been their manager, they’d rather do it than say it.

“It comes from Bobby,” said Wren. “Bobby has a way of making these guys feel like good things are going to happen.”

We haven’t been in this position for a while. Well, it’s time to change that. It’s time to make it happen.

–John Smoltz

Cox wasn’t able to work his customary miracles the past two years. But all of a sudden, the Braves have that mojo back that they rode into 14 consecutive Octobers.

“When I walked in here for the first time, in spring training of 2000, there was a clear difference [in attitude] from any place I’d ever been,” said Wren. “I’m not sure we had that feeling in our clubhouse last year. But I think we have it again.”

If they do, and if this is The Year, think about the story they’re about to write for themselves. How unbelievable a tale would that be?

Which would make less sense — 14 straight division titles that led to only one parade? Or a season that started with all the cameras and microphones pointed somewhere else, and then ended the way 13 of those championship seasons didn’t end?

“You know, you get to my time frame, and there’s kind of a desperation,” Smoltz said. “If I had to write my perfect scenario — along with Tommy and Chipper, who have been here and endured it the most — I think it would be to just kick off the next generation with guys who are starting their run. I’d like to say, ‘I was along for the ride, I got one more sweet taste of it, and now it’s their chance to run off a string of championships.’ …

“I think these guys have the right mind-set. They’re basically saying, ‘The heck with a playoff string. We’re going to win championships.’ Not that that playoff string didn’t mean something. But I sense that these guys are saying, ‘We’re going to change the way things have been viewed here over the last four or five years.’”

It’s too late to rewrite the history of the teams that ran off those 14 titles. But the great thing about sports is that the next chapter in the history books always can look different than the chapters that came before it. So don’t let the lack of clubhouse volume fool you. This is a team talented enough to resculpt history.

“We haven’t been in this position for a while,” said John Smoltz. “Well, it’s time to change that. It’s time to make it happen.”

Jayson Stark is a senior writer for ESPN.com. His book, “The Stark Truth: The Most Overrated and Underrated Players in Baseball History,” was published by Triumph Books and is available in bookstores. Click here to order a copy.

Tags: Baseball, Braves, MLB, World Series

I am projecting a winner!

Tags: Basketball, March Madness, NCAA, Tar Heel, UNC

Welcome to the new blog.  It is directly linked to the New Wilderness Adventures site now and you can read my feed from there.  You can still reach here, as you did just now, from www.thesailorsfamily.com thanks for your support…more coming soon!

Tags: Update

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Tags: 108, 36, 81, 82, 91