Man, what I'd give for a DeLorean...

As I sit here fighting back sniffles, I can't help but think of how awesome it would be to have a DeLorean. Not just any DeLorean, but the time machine type from Back to the Future.

Right now, I wish that I could activate the time circuits, fire up the flux capacitor, and floor it to 88 mph and travel back to Sunday evening when I stopped by my mom and dad's house.

I went searching for some old books under my old bed. Apparently, there was some pretty potent dust under there. I'm talking dust that hadn't been disturbed for the better part of 5 or 6 years.

After pulling the books out, I started sniffling...then I started sneezing. And my sinuses are still awful.

I would love to hope in my time machine and tell my past self to forget about the books!

Also, I've had a hankering to watch BTTF lately, but it doesn't look like I'll have the time to do that anytime soon.

If only I had a time machine...

It's Good to be Back at Montevallo!

As many of you know, I am teaching at the University of Montevallo this year in the Department of Communication.

We've gotten the first two weeks of class under our belt, and it has been awesome! It feels so good to be back in the classroom, especially classrooms as familiar as these.

Returning to UM has been such a great experience for me. Even though it's a bunch of work, it is all totally worth it. I still pinch myself sometimes because it doesn't seem real that I'm teaching in my old department.

I am so incredibly blessed to be working with the original four professors that were there when I was there. Dr. Cofield and Dr. Hoerner have been so helpful, both with getting settled in and up to speed on what's going on. It's been great to be able to joke around with Dr. Scott and Pat again. And I love being able to go sit in Dr. Thompson's office and chat about any and everything (just like old times). They've all been so welcoming and wonderful to me.

(L-R) Dr. Hoerner, me, Dr. Thompson, & Dr. Scott on my graduation day. No one could find Cofield!

Of course, they've told me to call them by their first names now that we're colleagues (and it's still weird to me to think of them as colleagues and not my professors). But changing what you've called someone by for the better part of a decade is no easy task! A lot of times I'll say, "Hey Dr. Cof... Jay."

In addition to teaching Intro to Mass Comm, TV Studio Production, & the Foundations of Oral Communication, I'm also the faculty adviser for Falcon Fever, UM's weekly online sports show. I'm really excited about some changes that we're making, and as soon as we start filming (which is next week!), I'll be posting links to it on all my various social media. So keep your eyes peeled for that! We'd love for you to watch!

While I'm bouncing along the red brick roads as I drive to the coveted white-lined faculty parking spots beside our building, I thank God for blessing me with this opportunity...and for all the other opportunities He is revealing to me. I know I owe this all to Him.

This is going to be one of the most exciting, crazy, hectic, stressful, amazing years of my entire life...and I'm going to love every minute of it!

It was the Best of Summers, It was the Worst of Summers

Wow. It's hard to believe it's been a month and a half since I last talked to y'all. But this has been one heck of a summer.

As you know, we spent the first half of our summer frantically renovating and moving. I am SO glad that's over.

One of the best parts of the summer was celebrating my one-year anniversary with my wonderful, outstanding, beautiful wife. We returned to Joe's Italian (YUM!) for our anniversary dinner. (Those of you who attended last summer's wedding of the year will remember that Joe's catered our reception.) Joe's is also where we went on our first date and the day we got engaged. Needless to say, it will be a keystone in our love story for ever and ever.

Remember this...?

The Wedding Party (Eat your heart out, Will and Kate!)

And this?

The coolest groom's cake ever!

At the Lucky Snapper in Destin on our honeymoon!!!

 And here we are one year later:

About to head to Joe's!

She's so stinkin' cute!

I forget where we were going this time...

I can't believe our first year of marriage has flown by so quickly!! Seems like it was just yesterday that I was fighting back tears as I saw her walking down the aisle. There are no words to describe how much I love Jackie. But I want her to know that my love for her is never ending and unconditional. God has brought us together, and for that, I am eternally thankful to Him for blessing me with such a wonderful wife.

Sadly, the day after our anniversary, tragedy struck our family. Jackie's Uncle David died in a car crash on his way to work. That week was a whirlwind of emotions, but what I learned is that you should always always always make every effort to see your extended family every time you can. Although I had only known David for a relatively short part of my life, it didn't take long to see what a kind and loving man he was. He will truly be missed.

Shortly after David's wreck, we learned that he had written his own eulogy and posted it on his blog years ago. It was touching and also very funny. Hearing David's words read aloud at his memorial service was a wonderful and calming experience for me. Words can't really describe it. I told Jackie that it made me want to write my own. While we both agreed that it may seem a bit morbid, we fully realize that we are never guaranteed tomorrow. She said she might write her own, too.

This summer also included a trip to North Carolina to pick Mom up from a visit with her sister and niece. It was good to see them, even if it was for less than 24 hours.

Here's a picture I snapped on the way as I flew past South of the Border:

South of the Border (on the NC/SC line)

There's also been a lot of other family stuff going on that I won't get into on here, but needless to say, I am ready to put most of this summer behind me!

I want to focus the rest of this blog on some of the good things that did happen this summer.

Jackie and I became parents of two rambunctious kittens, named Garfield and Odie (formerly known as Tiger and Tony [aka Woofy]).

They only look innocent when they're sleeping. (L-Odie, R-Garfield)

Jackie's mom fostered Garfield and Odie, and their two brothers after the momma cat abandoned them. After she took good care of them for a couple of weeks, we finally brought them down to our place. They've been so much fun, but they are SO mischievous!

Garfield's "Why did you wake me up?" face.

Odie snuggled up for a nap!

Garfield has already used 2 of his 9 lives in the span of a week: first he was stung on the nose by a wasp, which caused his face to swell up, and then he jumped up on the super-hot oven door when Jackie opened it the other night.

Garfield likes to help me study. It would help if he could read...

Hello!

I also learned a new skill this summer: cutting Jackie's hair. Luckily (for both of us), it turned out looking great!

Adios, long locks! Hola, new do!

In other random summer news, my parents and I took a quick trip to the greater Orlando area for my Uncle Laurin's retirement from the Air Force. (He's my mom's little brother.) After David's death, I knew I wasn't going to pass up the chance to go on this trip. We hadn't seen Laurin's family in about 5 years, so it was great to catch up! My mom and I both cried like babies during the slideshow when pictures of my grandparents came up. (I miss Popeye and Gran Peg so much. I sure can't wait to see them in Heaven some day!)

One of Uncle Laurin's former commanders officiated the ceremony and gave a really interesting account of my uncle's career. I never knew what all he did until that day, and all I can say is that I am so proud of him and his many years of service to our country!!!

Me, Mom, Uncle Laurin, and Dad

This past weekend, Mom celebrated her 29th Birthday (for the 30th time). We took her out to eat at Texas Roadhouse (yum), and we got her a cute little cake from Publix.

This was the picture of the day:

Boomer had his eye on the prize!

And last, but certainly not least, I've been busy preparing to teach this fall at the University of Montevallo!!! I've accepted a one-year temporary position teaching Mass Comm and COMS classes. I'm really excited! Our first day of class is Monday. I'm really looking forward to a great year (and hopefully many, many more)!

Hello Montevallo! Hello beautiful campus! Hello red brick roads! Hello front end alignment for my car!

That's about it for now. This summer has been super busy, super fun, super emotional, super sad, super crazy, super exhausting, and super educational. It has taught me a lot about myself, my emotions, and who I am as a man. I'm grateful for the lessons that this summer has taught me, but I am glad to see it go.

I'm vowing to have less drama and more happiness in my life. And these last two pictures make me very happy, so please enjoy them:

In the words of Liz Lemon: "I want to go to there."

Dear Summer 2011, I'm glad to see the sun setting on you!

What TV is Teaching Our Kids

I came across this interesting story about the values that TV taught kids "back in the day" compared to today.

According to the study, classic TV with characters like Lucy, Desi, Andy Griffith, Barney Fife, Laverne and Shirley, and the Fonz promoted values like being nice to and helping others, self-acceptance, and a sense of community and tradition.

So what are The Situation, Hannah Montana, and all the wannabes on American Idol teaching kids these days? Well, the results probably won't surprise you. Here's what the study found as the top 5 "values" (and I use that term loosely) seen on current television: fame, achievement, popularity, image and financial success.

No wonder our parents call the past "the good ol' days." I certainly don't want my kids to think that being famous is more important than being nice.

Here we go...again!

After yesterday's post, I was motivated to haul my butt to the gym. I was so glad that there were only 2 cars in the parking lot when I pulled up. I hate going when it's busy.

I only did the elliptical today... but it felt so good to be back!!

I also spoke with the guy that works there about why we hadn't received our two free months for referring my parents and a lady from our church. I've been assured that we'll get 2 months for free, which is a $100 savings!!!

While I was on the elliptical, I kept telling myself, "Just keep going...just keep going..." Of course, the voice in my head sounded a lot like Ellen DeGeneres as Dory in Finding Nemo. "Just keep swimming..."

When I was done, I was proud of myself. I didn't feel like I was going to die. In fact, I felt better than I have in a long time. I keep trying to remember how good I felt before I gained all this weight. I also keep looking at my motivation pictures. Oh, to be that skinny again...

I know that I have a long way to go, but I'm determined to succeed! I can do this!!

Spinning My Weight Loss Wheels

I know that I started this blog with the intention of keeping track of my weight loss during 2011. Since we're past the halfway point, I have to admit that I haven't lost a pound.*

We tried working out at the gym at our old apartment. We made motivational posters. We danced until we dropped doing Zumba. We joined Snap. We even ran a 5K.

And after all that, I still weigh exactly the same as I did on the day I created this blog. Granted, we haven't been to the gym in a couple of months. We've been so busy that we haven't had time to focus on ourselves. (I know that sounds like a lame excuse, but it's all I've got.)

Well, Jackie and I are once again getting back on the wagon. We're going all out with Weight Watchers. Jackie has already written the points value on every bit of food in our house. She has even created a food journal for me. We are also going to start going back to the gym.

I have to succeed this time. Failure is not an option. There is still a lot of time left in 2011. I'll try not to waste it.

*To be honest, I did lose a little bit of weight (about 7 pounds), but I quickly gained it back.

To Boldy Go...Eventually

Courtesy of NASA

As I watched the final space shuttle launch this morning, I could not help but be saddened by the thought that the USA will no longer be the dominant space-faring country.

America, winner of the Space Race, will now have to bum a ride on Russian rockets to reach orbit. That just doesn't sit right with me.

I am thankful, however, that NASA will be teaming up with the private sector, especially SpaceX, to reach toward the heavens.

I think what also hurts my heart about the end of the shuttle missions is that it is a setback from the future we see in my favorite sci-fi franchise, Star Trek.*

Spock: It is illogical for the US to end its space shuttle program. Kirk: I know! Think of all the space babes they won't meet!

I love the Star Trek franchise's message of exploration and boldly going where no one has gone before. It is a future that I hope and long for. Although in the present time, we appear to be boldly going nowhere.

Capt. Picard wants more shuttle missions! Make it so!

In the movie Star Trek: Insurrection, Captain Jean-Luc Picard, burdened by the busywork of bureaucracy, laments to Commander Riker, Counselor Troi, and Dr. Crusher, "Can anyone remember when we used to be explorers?"

My fear is that the USA may never regain its hard-fought position as the leader in space exploration. We too may one day ask each other if we remember the days when we used to be explorers.

I have no doubt that one day man will live on the moon and on Mars. We will boldly go... eventually. I hope that I one day have the opportunity to go into space. I don't think I'll ever live on the moon, but it might be a nice place to take a vacation. :)

And a final thought, while all eyes are on Atlantis during this final mission, please remember the men and women who have given their lives in the name of space exploration. May their sacrifices never be forgotten.

*For the record, I don't believe in aliens, like the ones that exist in the Star Trek universe. I simply enjoy the engaging, quality entertainment that Star Trek provides and its depiction of a prosperous future for humanity.