Texas Insurance

I can sell it now, after passing my exam....

I AM FLASH

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You are The Flash

The Flash 90% Hulk 75% Superman 65% Wonder Woman 65% Robin 65% Catwoman 60% Iron Man 60% Supergirl 55% Green Lantern 55% Batman 40% Spider-Man 35%

Fast, athletic and flirtatious. http://www.seabreezecomputers.com/superhero/pics/flash.jpg">

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Where Have I Been?

I don't know really. Right now I'm working one of my last 2 papers that I need to finish for this semester.

Recently we had a Christmas party with eveyone from the Reunion music team over. We packed our house out, and it was a great time. Here's some pics.

Holiday Decorating

I braved Garden Ridge. I barely made it out alive.
But our house is very festive now. In fact, it's the best on the block.

My favorite Trick-or-Treaters....that I MISSED...

Rarely do I ever miss things because of work - but I missed both of these tricksters last night.

My niece Ainsley



My bud Luke Hemple

Homecoming

So. I'm not the biggest Waco fan out there...but Elaine and I are traveling back to Waco this weekend to participate in a few Homecoming festivities (yes...we're actually going to the game) and to eat at some good spots....Kitok's, La Fiesta, and Ninfas (in no particular order).
We're also visiting our old home church Greater New Light Missionary Baptist Church.

Great Concert

Last night, Elaine and I went with some friends Simri & Shawn Davis (for more on Shawn check out The Whetstone and Jeff Berry Band) to see Nichole Nordeman in concert. It was a great concert. Not only are all her songs original, beautiful, and worshipful, but she also presented some great testimony. She incorporated scripture and some dang good theology compared to a lot of the other junk that's out there right now.

Stoneleigh P

I found my new favorite burger in Dallas. The Stoneleigh P. Pumpernickel bun, provolone cheese, and homemade garlic mayo make this burger awesome. Great atmosphere, too. On Maple and Wolf in Uptown. I highly suggest it.

The Fair

Elaine and I went to the fair with a lot of folks from Reunion Church to celebrate the church's 8th anniversary.
I have grown up going to the fair pretty much my whole life (in Waco) - and I remember the hot dogs, funnel cake, cheap glittery motorcycles you ride on a track, little ducks floating in water, and my sister taking me on the Zipper (which I ended up falling in love with).
This year I was on a mission to find the fried peanut butter and jelly - but couldn't find it anywhere....so Elaine and I decided to ride the ferris wheel - since neither of us have and it's the biggest thing there. I guess I didn't know the fair was so dang expensive. $11 just for us to ride that thing that went around twice. Rip off.
If you went to the fair and really did it right, you'd have to spend well over $100 to ride stuff and to eat....and I think that's pretty crappy. To me, the fair is supposed to be a place where you can look at the new cars...and also be surrounded by some nostalgic things unique to Texas - not a place where you have to blow your inheritance to take your family and kids....I mean...skip it and go ride The Cave at Sixflags...

R.I.P.

The New Way to Meet Neighbors

Today, I'm reading Bingham's History of the Church when I hear a knock on the front door.
I open it and see an older lady that lives down the street from us, who I've seen while walking the dog and such. She says that's she's in a 'situation' and needs my help.

I offer for her to come in, but she says she needs my help at her place. After I throw on a T-Shirt, I go outside and follow her down the street. She explains that she's locked herself out of her house because she lost her garage door opener.

We walk into the back yard and there is a ladder right next to a window. She asked me to crawl through it and open up one of the doors. So I shimmy my way into her bedroom in a small space between her bed and nightstand and go to the back door to let her in.

After she thanked me, I told her my name was Jerod. Her name is Betty. And now we're neighbors.

Weird Dreams

So I've been having some crazy STUPID dreams lately....I've seen myself working in a fried chicken restraunt, complete with the little paper hat thing.
But last night's dream was especially odd and cool. I was riding in a huge purple car...maybe an Impala..

Something like this car. Anyway - I'm riding along with Snoop Dogg and Nate Dogg. We pull up to a huge metal-ish warehouse and walk towards the front door. I open the door, peer inside, and turn back around to Snoop and say, "Do you roll with 50 cent?" He says, "No" and the next thing I know we're running back to the car. Gun shots ring out, I'm lying down in the back seat, and I get shot in the stomach. Then I wake up.

Dream interpretations welcome.

Creepy Love Tape

Some 19 year old guy made this little tape for his girlfriend for their 6 month anniversary. She broke up with him days later.

Listen to it.


Speaking of anniversaries, Elaine and I will celebrate our 3rd wedding anniversary on Wednesday.

Stupid Joke

Here - have a cheap laugh.




Three third graders were walking down the street: a redhead, brunnette, and a blonde.
Which one had the best figure?
The blonde - she was 18.

Was It That Bad?

Well. Pretty much.
I survived the first full week of classes at DTS. I feel like it pretty much owns my soul. Hopefully that will get better. Or maybe there's a pill or something for that feeling.
Bingham's church history class is at the top of my list.

A New Feeling

of complete dread.
I guess up until this week I've been kind of looking forward to going back to school and hitting all the books at DTS. But something about this being the last week before school starts again makes me have that feeling I used to get when I had to go back to school after Christmas break.

I can't explain the exact reason why - maybe it's the Greek or the no flip-flops rule. Maybe suicide greek left a bad taste in my mouth....

Anyway - I'm probably the only one who feels this way. I'm sure all of the other good DTS-ers (excluding Matt who doesn't have to ever visit campus) are more than thrilled to go back.

16th months

My niece is my newest and youngest piano student. If only my adult students could have such great posture.

I'm spying on myself

Matt recently showed me GoogleEarth. Amazing. You can check out anyplace on the globe with this thing...
Makes you wonder just how much big brother does know....

No - It's not ours

Patrick and Tiffany Thomas just had a little baby boy - Nehemiah.

My CD player is broken in my car. As a result I've listened to countless hours of boring radio...and not hardly any of 94.9 or 90.9 because I just get so sick of the same early 90s sounding stuff.
Anyway - I did find something that would fit in the 'contemporary christian' category that I really like. Finally some real lyrics from a CCM artist.




Hold On
Nichole Nordeman

It will find you at the bottom of a bottle
It will find you at the needle's end
It will find you when you beg and steal and borrow
It will follow you into a stranger's bed

It will find you when they serve you with the papers
It will find you when the locks have changed again
It will find you when you've called in all your favors
It will meet you at the bridge's highest ledge

So baby don't look down, it's a long way
The sum will come around to a new day

So hold on Love will find you
Hold On He's right behind you now
Just turn around And love will find you


It will find you when the doctor's head is shaking
It will find you in a boardroom, mostly dead
It will crawl into the foxhole where you're praying

It will curl up in your halfway empty bed

So baby don't believe that it's over
Maybe you can't see round the corner


So hold on Love will find you
Hold On He's right behind you now
Just turn around And love will find you


To hang between two theives in the darkness
Love must believe you are worth it

I'm all moved in.

But Comcast can't install cable internet until August 11th. Ich liebe dial-up.

Waking Up

At 7 am to a car alarm really ticks me off.

Jamba

It seems that our culture is in love with over-priced drinks these days. There's no shame in admitting an addiction to Starbucks...in fact you might even feel like an outsider if you don't have a favorite drink there.

I think there's a better option than Starbucks....granted you can't buy any CDs there and it's not a great place to study or hang out --- but it's a lot better for you. Jamba Juice.

Might I suggest the Orange Dream Machine...it's my favorite after-workout drink...

Awkward Moments 101

So shoot me for being blog-lazy.

Last night, however, I encountered one of the most awkward moments I've had in quite some time.
After attending a small worship service at a well-known Dallas-area church, the group my wife and I were with were invited to go to Fuddrucker's and eat. After a little thinking, we decided to take them up on the offer.

We got to Fudrucker's a little bit late, ordered our meal, and then sat down with some of these folks we had just met. While we're sitting, a younger guy (younger being 20-ish) asks me if I'm sad...What an icebreaker, right... So I tell him that I'm not sad, but that I'm just a little bit tired having been up since 6 or so that morning and that I was really hungry. So he kinda just shakes his head or whatever...

They call our names to pick up our food. I go through the condiment line, manage to drop my fully dressed burger on my foot (I was wearing sandals) and the people behind the counter are gracious enough to give me another burger (they actually upgraded me from the 1/3 lb. to the 1/2 lb.)

So we go sit back down and start eating and chatting with some folks that are about to start DTS. The usual. Then, pretty much out of nowhere this guy comes at me again... "So can I pray for you?" I just looked at him funny and he continues with, "Because you are really sad and, I mean....it may be too personal that you don't want to say what it is, but I can just pray for something unspoken...so I mean, would that be okay for me to pray for you right now?"

Ok - so - time out. I've got a mouth full of beef, sitting next to 4 or 5 people that I just met and this guy sitting 6 or 7 seats down the table is loudly speaking over the people between us and asking me if he can pray for me. Not just can he pray for me, but will I divulge the deep dark sadness that I'm emoting in front of everyone. Needless to say, the other conversations stop, and it's just me and him. And he's waiting for an answer.

I was inclined to say, "well, I'm sad, you see, 'cause I dropped my burger just a minute ago, but I'm okay now, because they gave me a new one."
But I didn't --- I just told him that I wasn't sad...but that I appreciated the gesture.

But he didn't drop it with that, he asked me if I was sure I wasn't sad. I said I was sure and then pretended that my fries were the most interesting looking things I'd ever seen and avoided any further eye contact.

I really believe the guy had the best of intentions....and I don't mean to rag on this guy. But isn't there some sort of "you've crossed the line" alarm that goes off in everyone - or have some people taken out the battery so it doesn't beep anymore?

My Dog and His Enemy

My dog Harrison really wants to hunt and munch squirrels. We go to the park everyday on a little jog and he gets to run off the leash. We've developed this little system where I point to squirrels off in the distance and he takes off. He's gotten within inches of catching one....I guess we still need to work on his stealth qualities.

It's Hot

Dallas, TX
Today Sunny hi 100°F - lo 79°F

crap

What's Your Dill? 

Introducing

The new face of Primerica.



Trust Me

Seriously --- If you're in need of any financial planning...this is your man.

Are you kidding?

If you drive South on 75 until it splits into I35 and I45, you'll notice a billboard on your right hand side for Golden Pickle Juice. The sign states that pickle juice prevents dehydration and hangovers. I thought it was a joke, but I went to the website. It's real.

Painters must be buff

Elaine and I have been painting for three days in a row now. And we're pretty worn out. I have a numbing over-all body ache. I used muscles that I didn't even know that I had.

Musicians

Catch some incredible musicians playing in the Van Cliburn piano competition.

The webcast is live. Check out the schedule of events to see when the next performance begins. The competition ends June 5th.

Scorching

And it isn't June yet.


Satruday night, after enjoying dinner at Gloria's, Elaine and I were on our way home and witnessed a pretty bad accident. Some guy in a mini-van (complete with Tweety Bird car seats in the back) ran a red light going 50+ miles an hour. Amazingly enough, nobody died, and there weren't any serious injuries. But even more amazing is that the driver of the mini-van ran off. He jumped out and just bolted...

I hate hospitals

Today my mom had surgery at Baylor Hospital --- laparoscopic surgery on her colon. She went in about 5 and we got news at 7 or so that everything went as planned. I thank God.
It's amazing that they can remove a part of your body and sow it back up without making huge smiley-face scars in your skin.
Hospitals are a strange place. No matter where you come from, how much money you have, how highly you think of yourself...the hospital really kind of levels everyone out....we're all stuck in these bodies that are dying... It was interesting to sit in the waiting room (a very crowded one at that) and see hicks, blacks, blue collar, middle income, upper class (you name it) wait together and share the same anticipation.


Thanks to all that prayed for her...

Nikka Costa

In my opinion the reigning female rocker.

Her new album can'tneverdidnothin drops May 24.

Check out the new song 'Till I Get To You on her website.




Nikka

Most Would Say I'm Nasty

But I don't care.

My love affair with hamburgers has been hot and heavy the past two days. This morning I completed 3 straight meals consisting of cheeseburgers.

Friday afternoon, Elaine and I tried Fat Daddy's Burgers on Garland Road close to our new house. Pretty good --- and pretty big.

Friday I chowed on 2 grilled burgers at a friend's birthday party.

This morning, on the way to Toni and Guy for a trim, Elaine and I stopped in at Whataburger. She got breakfast and I, of course, got another burger.

3 in a row. Beat that.

Contract Pending

The process is in motion and, Lord willing, June 1st we'll close on this baby.



2240 Springhill

Out of Hiding

Tonight I had the opportunity to lead worship for the regional Apartment Life gathering at Valley Ranch Baptist Church in Coppell.
In a lot of ways I felt like I came out of hiding. I haven't lead any music by myself in over a year.
I was grateful to have Patrick Thomas (the music minister at Reunion Church) giving me an awesome foundation on the piano...the guy is truly phenomenal.
Overall - the whole thing felt pretty good...

A Star Is Born

Ainsley James

My niece warms up this unusually chilly May day.

Tunnel Lights

I've almost made it. Suicide Greek has almost made me want to slit my wrists a few times. But I've realized that there are reasons to live. Now there's only a test to deal with.

And in other random news :

I haven't been watching American Idol much this season, but I was glad to find out that Constantine was kicked off. He creeped me out.

In the Aftermath

So I'm officially over the raping and pillaging of my Honda.

What stings the most is that my John Legend CD was still in the player when they jacked it. It's the little things....

My wife has graciously allowed me to swap cars with her. (She's selfless and knows how co-dependent I am on music).

Best wishes to all of you who are going through finals (Sheol).

Give Me a Break

Mondays are always packed full of odds and ends that I have to take care. But today takes the cake.
I go out to my car in the parking lot only to find my driver's side door cracked open. My fear grew as I got closer and opened up the door. Sure enough : I've been robbed.
Kenwood CD player : Gone. Alpine Amp : Gone.
They did such a clean job --- nothing broken, nothing else taken (even the little bit of cash sticking out of the cupholder).
Of course I don't have any comprehensive insurance on my beautiful 1994 Honda Accord with 215,000 miles....
I'm almost over my pity party...give me a little while.

Beef

If you're into steak, you might try Randy's Steakhouse in Frisco. The creamed spinach goes well with the filet.
The Starkey's give it 3 stars (out of 4).

How to Have an In-Home Geyser

Since we've lived at Post Square we've had little to no maintenance problems. Tonight changed all of that.
Elaine was making me a nice little BLT (minus the T because we were out). At one point she had the faucet turned on. Next thing we know, the entire faucet head had shot off and we had an in-home geyser erupting in our kitchen.
I honestly think it was God's doing --- giving me a good laugh.





Our Faucet

Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, and CRACK

Tuesday was a pretty nice day for baseball, unless you were sitting in my seat. I went to see the Rangers play that afternoon and was surprised by how many people are free on Tuesday afternoons.
The view of the game was great, but unfortunately I was sitting behind a severe case of plumber's butt. This rather large hispanic man (and his young daughter) were in the row in front of me. Every time he stood up and sat down, 4 to 5 inches (seriously) of pure crack came out of his jeans. It was in plain sight (our entire section was reacting) and it was plain wrong. Couldn't he feel the breeze back there? No self-awareness at all.

High Price

One of the benefits of being a guy is not having to wear horribly uncomfortable shoes (except those plastic-like ones you get from the rental place for weddings).
Today there was a sidewalk sale at WestVillage. Since Elaine and I didn't have to do any visits for apartment life, we had a free afternoon and walked down there. She had on these really high heels (of which I'm a fan.)
She complained of a blister on the way, but didn't really make too big of a deal about it. But when we stopped into our first store, she looked down and blood was practically rushing out of her shoe. We got her cleaned up with only 4 or 5 on-lookers, strapped a band-aid on, and went on our merry way.
I don't know whether or not to think she's ultra-tough or just crazy....but I'm just glad it ain't me.



When our dog dresses up.

It's the Hooka

Recently I learned that even I could have my own blog.
I use to pride myself on being on the trendy side of technology - but it seems that I've fallen behind. However, I tread on the heels of greatness....aspiring only to be in the same ballpark as Matt and Jon. Thanks for the inspiration.