Glad to be back at "it".....

Yet another blog topic I wanted to post last week, while working in Morganton...

When I first started working with Allied Environmental Services, I was a recently divorced, 29 year old father of two. During the last six years, I have had the opportunity to see all the sights that North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia had to offer! The beauty of small towns and crossroad communities with no stoplights, the majesty of "big city" skylines and snow covered Mountaintops! Hell, I've even had the chance to see Bay City, Michigan covered with snow & 4x4 trucks riding up and down frozen rivers in February!! THAT was a sight to which my reaction had all the passengers on the plane laughing with/at me!

After five years of leaving Greenville, NC, at 4am Monday morning and then not seeing home until the wee hours of Friday morning, and driving thousands of miles, needless to say it got OLD, QUICK! For the past year and a half, with my marriage to Emily, and then the birth of James Mitchel, I really haven't been in the field that often! I have LOVED being home the majority of nights! Let's face it, no matter how hard hotels try, or how much they spend to provide quality rooms & comforts, that hotel bed is NOT, nor will it EVER be, YOUR BED!

Maybe it was the cold temperature 3:30 am, November 18th, maybe it was the 5 hour drive I was facing, or maybe it was the anticipation of reuniting with good friends the day after the trip was over, but I felt energized and excited to be "BACK AT IT"! I guess all the years of doing this type of work have made it part of who I am. Eating lunch on site with Kenneth Hadnott, on of my co-workers, we figured it up...in six years with this company, I have logged 375,000 miles and he has 568,000 miles. If you are ever lost in NC or SC, give one of us a call & we could get you where you needed to go 95% of the time!

Though I HATE being away from Emily, the kids, and our home, the feeling that traveling and working out of Greenville gives me is very satisfying. I am truely blessed and thankful to have a job that I enjoy, but most importantly, I am truely blessed and THANKFUL to have my family and friends to come back home to!

Love & Cold-Beer! Read.

"It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!!"

After recieving s "stern" talking-to from Becca & No-relle for not keeping up with my Blog, I'm back! I had PLANNED to do some blogging while working last week in Morganton, NC, but the job & the hotel bed got the better of me!

When does the Holiday Season begin for you? It began for ME early last Tuesday morning, driving through Greensboro. I was searching for a suitible radio station & came across 102.9(I think) playing NOTHING BUT CHRISTMAS MUSIC!!! Add that to the cold & snowy weather in Morganton, and the anticipation of Nick & Noelle comming to visit a few days later, I was like a kid waiting for Christmas morning! Nick and Emily said it was too early for the Cristmas music, on the way back from the airport & dinner with Becca...and that just made me HAVE to play it more for them! Ha!

This past weekend has been one of the BEST weekends I've ever had! From Nick's new sport (CONCRETE SKIING) and getting to see Emily & Noelle....um..."RELAXED" we'll call it....together to watching an ECU victory together, and EVERYTHING in between makes these torn ligaments in my right ankle worth it! Nick & Noelle, thank you SOOOOO much for comming & bringing some fun to our house! We must ALL promise not to make it so long between visits again! Becca, my favorite Li'l Wolf-puppie fan, it was great to see you again & you are always welcome in Purpleville!

That's all for now...I have some more to come later! Love & Cold-beer for ALL and a happy/drunk Turkey Day!


Well,

EXCITEMENT Defined...

One definition of "EXCITEMENT" has to be, "Reuinitng with friends/family after long periods of time"....well, if it ISN'T one of the definitions, it *%$#^E&% SHOULD be! LOL! Em & I got the news last night...Darlin' & No-relle are ENC-BOUND, November 20th, 2008!!!!!! We are due for round two of "AIRPORT PARKING GARAGE TAILGATING"! Round one took place when The Trinders picked us up @ Phoenix Airport & Nick & Noelle had some cold-adult-beverages in the car, on ice, and waiting! MAN you should have seen the looks we got from people, tailgating PHX Airport Parking Garage!!!! Well, I am NOW starting to plan the RDU airport excursion AND a pig-picking that will follow! Pictures will no doubt surface on this blog & Facebook! We are SOOOOOO excited (see, that's one of the definitions!!!) to have you two coming east! November 20th. can't get here soon enough! Don't worry, I'll have the beers!








P.S......
Nick, since the Ladies are getting matching tats when they turn 30, and you alredy HAVE tats & I am over 30, why not the two of us get tats (NOT matching! LOL!) while ya'll are here?

Awaiting September 5th, 2009

It was just announced...Appalachian State will be comming to Dowdy-Ficklin Stadium September 5th, 2009! I cannot WAIT for this game! App State is a great team, and even though they play in Division 1-AA, they can EASILY beat us, if ECU doesn't take them SERIOUSLY! I am already starting to make Tailgating Plans for this game! It should prove to be a thriller! GO PIRATES!!!

"Cheer for East Car'lina...Cheer for Ol' EC...We know we're the finest...ONWARD TO VICTORY! GO PIRATES!!! Cheer for East Car'lina...Cheer on, for Ol' EC...Loyal and Bold, we are the PURPLE and GOLD...WE ARE THE PIRATES OF E-C-U!!!"

My job...

When people ask me what I do for a living, I normally explain a little about geological & hydrological sampling, corrosion control systems, different types of mold and mold remediation techniques, and then say that's a fancy way of saying I get PAID to play in the dirt! Well, I've gathered some pictures of me "on the job" to show just a couple of aspects of what it actually is that I do...









This was a 4,000 gallon Underground Storage Tank that had to have an Internal Inspection, since it's Cathodic Protection system had failed. The entrance hole an 18 inch square and NO ONE thought I could fit through it! That just made me prove them WRONG! It WAS a tight squeeze, though!

Love & COLD-BEER! Read.

Happy Halloween!

As Halloween approaches, I remember those years past when we would bring Tyler & Katie to this neighborhood called Planter's Walk for Trick-or-Treating. We would go to Robbie & Cheryl Marlowe's house, pay one of their older children to walk around with the kids, and then we'd have "Adult-time & beverages" and hand out candy! Well, we now live in Planter's Walk, and have a Rookie Trick-or-Treater. I imagine that we'll STILL find a way to have "Adult-time & Beverages"......knowing us! Happy Halloween and of course, Love & COLD-BEER!

Gotta LOVE the world-clocks

I added those clocks to remind me of the places I long to be. Being "Born & Bred" in Eastern North Carolina, that one should be obvious...

Arizona was added in tribute to the T-3 (Phoenix Contingent)! I find myself thinking DAILY about the time Emily and I have spent out west with Nick & No-relle (adopted Williamsons) who are part of my family!

St. Lucia...what more needs to be said! I LONG to return to that Island where Emily and I Honeymooned...and that I MOONED! (ok, so it was just the Sandals Resort that I mooned)
I hope we can return often, and accompanied by friends.

Love & COLD-BEER!!! Read. (my new "sign-off" saying!)

And away we go....

Well, I'm just giving this whole "blogging" thing a try...gotta keep up with the times, you know! So please bare with me as I learn what the H#LL I'm doing! My dear friends, Nick & Noelle Trinder, have one of these, so I decided to follow suit.

The first thing I must say is that I have to be one of the MOST BLESSED men on the face of the Earth...Emily, Tyler, Katie, and Mitch, I love you all with so much passion & I am so happy with the family we are making together, day-in & day-out! You guys make life FUN and worth living!

To ALL of my friends, new and old, I thank God for you all, and look forward to adding more wonderfull memories to those we already have!

Love and COLD-BEER to all! Read.