Journal Entry for Saturday, June 4, 2016

Today was the second and final leg of our journey to get back home.  We traveled from Bartlett, TN to Acworth, GA.  It would be a fun, but long, drive back home.  The road home is always longer.  I don't know why, but it just is.

Before we even got on I-40 Eastbound toward Nashville, Ben threw a major fit.  At first, I thought he had a dirty diaper and that it was giving him problems.  We checked his diaper and found that there was nothing in there.  So we decided to get back on the road and proceed as normal.

The first eight pictures above this paragraph were ones that I took outside of Pringles Park in Jackson, Tennessee.  We're making good time Eastbound on I-40.  We were on our way to the Nashville Area to find something to eat.  We needed a place to go, and Ben needed a place to play as well as a place to eat.  The bad news was that there was no McDonald's that was close enough to where we were that had a playground.  Ben was getting Hungry and we needed to stop somewhere soon, playground or no.  We stop at a diner in Bucksnort, TN for lunch.  I love the name of that town:  Bucksnort.

The next set of pictures up above are the entire family (and me off camera) eating chicken and drinking drinks.  Ben was having fun playing with the sugar and salt.  He even poked a hole in his cup of tea.  We got him a new one.  I ended up eating some hot Nashville Chicken Strips, and boy I felt the burn in my mouth.  I loved it and I would eat it again.  Next stop:  The Chattanooga Area.

Above this final paragraph are pictures of Ben and Blake playing at a McDonald's in East Ridge, TN before we go home.  We travel back onto I-40 Eastbound, and then we go South and then East on TN840 for 50 miles before we return to I-24 Eastbound.  We get back onto I-75 South to head back home.  First, we stop at a McDonald's to get some food and some high quality play time with the kids.  After that, we finally cross the Georgia State line and it is a straight shot down I-75 back into Acworth.  I don't know when the next vacation will come along, but when it does, I'll document it for you.

Journal Entry for Friday, June 3, 2016

Today was our first of two travel days heading home.  We all began our first leg from Locust Grove, OK to Bartlett, TN.  Before we did that, my wife, two sons, and I paid my mom one more visit before we got out on the road.  I got to see mom in her home.  She was so happy to see all of us.  Blake loved seeing her.  Ben wanted to turn the lights on and off.  Kelly was happy to see my mom too.  She also had to referee our boys so that the didn't get into anything they weren't supposed to.

It seemed like it was taking forever to get to Springdale and Fayetteville, Arkansas this morning.  We took the Cherokee Turnpike (US-412) until the turnpike ended, and then it continued on like a regular old U.S. Highway complete with traffic lights.  It seemed like an hour passed before we could get onto I-49 and head south toward I-40.  We were getting a groove once we got to Fayetteville.  Ben was content with his Paw Patrol on TV; at least I thought he was.  Before you know it, Ben started to pitch a major fit.  He had an epic meltdown right before our ears.  We had to make not one, but two traffic exits in order to find the nearest McDonald's.  I cannot get into the details of it because I felt the stress of trying to appease my family.  I do not care to relive that again.

We got moving after we found a McDonald's to eat at, but it had no playground for our boys.  We headed south onto I-40 and headed Eastbound towards Little Rock and later on, Memphis.  Before we passed through Little Rock, we stopped at a Burger King in Conway, AR.  It was our second visit there in the past week.  We ate, played on the playground, and I chased Ben throughout the restaurant.  We tried the BK Hot Dogs, and I liked them more than Ben did.  I think Blake passed on those at this time.  I went for the easy buy, a 10-piece Chicken Nuggets for $1.49.  They tasted good to me.  The best part of my trip is playing with my sons on the playgrounds of fast food establishments.  I do my best work when I'm with my family.

After we ate lunch again, we headed Eastbound on I-40 towards our destination East of Memphis.  I got to listen to SiriusXM channel 34 (Lithium).  Songs like "Head Over Feet" and "Champagne Supernova" brought me back to my college years in the mid 90's.  Some of them were good and bad.  The boys were super good in the car and we arrived in Bartlett, TN just before sundown.  I watched local news from all the big stations plus the CW before I went to bed.  Before I went to sleep for the night, I drank 2 Coors Lights, 2 Miller Lites, and two Jager Bombs.  I sipped my Jager slowly.  Our friend showed me the way.  Now, I dread the early wake-up call that comes with heading back home tomorrow.  My sons are going to be my alarm clock.

Top 5 (June 22, 2016): How to combat the lack of NFL, NBA, and NHL this summer (WGCL-TV, a ZACH IRWIN EDIT)

Journal Entry for Thursday, June 2, 2016

Today would go on to be more challenging than I ever could have imagined.  We had trouble finding the splash pad park in Pryor, OK this morning.  We went in circles before we finally found it just south of OK HWY 20.  Once we got there, Ben didn't want to splash around.  I think I wanted it more than Ben did.  Usually Ben has more fun with kiddy things than I do.  Sometimes I'm wrong on that.  Ben found something he wanted to do, and that was to ride on the baby swings.

Ben and Blake had a blast swing up and down on those swings.  As soon as Ben saw them, he wanted on one.  Ben was totally focused on where he wanted to be and what he wanted to do.  He wanted to go on the swing.  Nothing, not even me, was going to stop him from doing that.  As we were on the swings, I saw two doggies running around the park.  I didn't want to get Ben near them because they looked sick and they were strays.  We saw local animal control pick them up and haul them into the animal transport vehicle.

After we got done playing in the park and splashing in the splash pad, we went out to lunch in Pryor.  The Mid-American Grill was our place to be.  Poor Blake:  He vomited twice and that ended our lunch over there.  We all felt bad about the mess we made and the vomit we left behind.  It was time for all of us to go crash for the afternoon.  You can barely see our boys sleeping below.

We had ample time to recover when we went out to eat for dinner.  We had our first and only meal at Mazzio's pizza.  I wanted to try their nachos, but we ran out of time to do that.  Ben had his first taste of Dr. Pepper and he had a bunch of lemonade.  We enjoyed our pizza, and we even got some french fries too.  We gave my mom some leftovers of pizza from our meal.

Ben and Blake chowed down and had a great time.  I love these guys and I love feeding them so many goodies.  It is one of my favorite jobs.

After dinner, my sister Gena and her husband Jock came over to our room and visited all of us.  Ben turned the lights on and off.  We enjoyed each other's company and I was said to see them go.  It will be a while before we all see each other again.  Our journey towards home begins anew on Friday.

Writing samples from May 23, 2015

(OTS)
THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA COULD LIFE THE BAN ON GAY LEADERS SOON.

(VO)
NATIONAL PRESIDENT ROBERT GATES GAVE A SPEECH HERE IN ATLANTA TO ARGUE FOR LIFTING THE BAN.

THERE ARE MANY CHAPTERS IN THE METRO AREA EMBRACING SOCIALLY CONSERVATIVE VALUES WHICH DO NOT INCLUDE GAY PEOPLE IN LEADERSHIP POSITIONS.

SOME PEOPLE WE TALKED TO DON'T WANT THIS BAN LIFTED WHILE OTHERS ARE READY FOR CHANGE.

(SOT)
Larry Bishop/Assistant Scoutmaster in Marietta
"I wouldn't want a gay leader for my son.  There's no trust there."
---BUTT TO---
Robert Ross/Former Boy Scout
"It's about freakin' time."

(CONTINUE VO)
LOCAL CHAPTERS HAVE NOT COMMENTED PUBLICLY ON THE ISSUE.

THE NATIONAL MEETING HERE IN ATLANTA WILL CONTINUE INTO THE WEEKEND WITH NO CHANGES IN POLICY EXPECTED.


(JUST MY WRITTEN COLUMN)
THE 2015 TOYOTA CAMRY X-S-E IS NOW CONSIDERED A NEAR-LUXURY VEHICLE.

I REMEMBER WHEN THE CAMRY WAS A NICE BOXY CAR IN THE LATE 80'S.  IT MORPHED INTO A NICE ROUND LOOKING CAR IN THE EARLY 90'S.  IT BECAME MORE ANGULAR IN DESIGN NEAR THE START OF THE NEW MILLENNIUM.

MY LATE FATHER BOUGHT A CAMRY AROUND 2003.  I ADMIT I WAS STUNNED WHEN HE DID IT.  IT WAS A PRETTY BIG CAR THAT BARELY FIT INTO THE GARAGE.  I NEVER ONCE THOUGHT OF THE CAMRY AS A LUXURY VEHICLE.  I THOUGHT THE AVALON WAS MORE OF ONE.  MY DAD NEVER DROVE IT AROUND MUCH UNTIL HE STARTED WORKING FOR JOHN BLEAKLEY RV IN DOUGLASVILLE, GA IN THE MID 2000'S.

AFTER MY DAD DIED, I SOLD THE CAMRY TO GIB CONNOR, MY FRIEND AND REAL ESTATE AGENT.  IT HAS BEEN THE MOST RELIABLE CAR HE EVER OWNED.  I'M WORKING ON MY MOST RELIABLE CAR OF ALL TIME.  SO FAR, MY OLD 2001 TOYOTA CORROLLA S WINS THAT HONOR.

THE CAMRY THAT WAS REVIEWED WAS FRUIT PUNCH RED.  THAT COLOR IS THE STANDARD OF WHAT TOYOTA IS.  THAT IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE CAR BRANDS EVER.  I DON'T KNOW IF I WILL EVER OWN ANOTHER ONE AGAIN.  YOU JUST NEVER KNOW.


(TAKE VO) HARTSFIELD-JACKSON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT HAS A WEEKEND TO REMEMBER.

MORE THAN 75,000 PEOPLE WENT THROUGH SECURITY CHECKPOINTS AT THE AIRPORT, SETTING A POSSIBLE RECORD FOR ONE DAY.

PASSENGERS STARTED THE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND ON THE GROUND BEFORE HITTING THE SKIES.

(TAKE VO)
AIRPORT OFFICIALS URGE YOU TO GET TO THE AIRPORT THREE HOURS BEFORE YOUR FLIGHT LEAVES.

ALSO ALLOW YOURSELF TWO HOURS TO PASS THROUGH SECURITY ON YOUR WAY TO THE GATE.


(ON CAM)
AN ATHENS MAN IS TRYING TO RAISE CAINE HERE IN GEORGIA.


(TAKE VO)

HE MIGHT BE ABLE TO BRING BACK CANEBRAKES IN THE STATE AND THROUGHOUT THE SOUTH.

THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA MASTERS GRADUATE WANTS TO RESTORE THE ONLY NATIVE BAMBOO SPECIES TO NORTH AMERICA.

IT WOULD BE USED FOR FISHING POLES, KNIVES, AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AMONG OTHER THINGS.

TE TALKED ABOUT SOME OF THE BENEFITS OF RESTORING IT ALONG OUR WATERWAYS.

(SOT)
Thomas Poters/Athens Resident
"Restoring Canebrakes also will help restore the cleanliness of our rivers."

(CONTINUE VO)
THEY ARE THREE TIMES MORE EFFECTIVE AT REDUCING AGRICULTURAL POLLUTION AND ARE CRITICAL FOR THE SURVIVAL OF WILDLIFE.

Dreams come true: Blake shows Balance on March 16, 2016

Dreams Come True: Blake is starting to Stand Up

Journal Entry for June 1, 2016

Today was a fun day out at a park in Salina, OK.  We got to see Ben and Blake play on the playground.  Ben and Blake wanted to eat everything on the ground they weren't supposed to eat.  Ben got to swing and so did his doggy.  Ben climbed up a chain link ladder and went down the slide afterward.  Ben is getting stronger every day.

We celebrated Helen's Birthday at Chili's in Pryor, OK.  Ben got some chocolate molten lava cake for dessert.  Helen got a free ice cream sundae for her big day.  Ben and Blake chomped down on chips, salsa, and some of all of our lunches.  We gave Ben some tea, but no soda (not yet anyway).

The guys had a good night after we visited my family today.  We all ate together at the Country Cottage in Locust Grove.  We all had a lot of good food.  Ben and Blake got to chow down while we were together.  Ben wanted to turn the lights on and off, and he wanted to run around the store.  I had to stop him.  After dinner, we got back to our room.  The boys played on the bed and slept well at night.  I caught up on the day's news thanks to KJRH-TV 2 and KOKI-FOX23 before I called it a night.  Tomorrow should be a fun day.

Ad Art #10 for 2016