Saturday, July 31st, 2010

Namaste,

Just a quick note.... I am writing this blog with my climbing headlamp on so I can see the keyboard, so I probably look pretty goofy! Got up at 6:00am and had some coffee while getting my mowing stuff together. I let Sherrie sleep for a little bit, before waking her up. She volunteered to help me with a few lawns today, and I am grateful. Our first stop was at Jason Klinka's house. He has been on vacation for a week. He took his family to Santa Fe, and Taos, New Mexico. Next we headed to Ben and Kinsey Crocker's house.... I wanted to get their lawn done before they even realised we were there, and we were almost successful. Ben caught us with only fifteen minutes until we were done. We then headed over to mom's house, and knocked her lawn out then cut up the remaining post from her old fence. We were going to swim but we were nasty and hungry. We came home cleaned up and headed towards Red Robin. Curtis called and said he and Lisa were on their way over, and we were going to do some work here at the house. We ate quickly, then ran by Home Depot to get a few items. When we got here Curtis was already working on the sink. He was not having any luck either. His best friend Dan McBride came over to help, and it got crazy. I ended up making seven trips to the hardware store, and we replaced everything under the counter. The little checker at Home Depot knows me by name and was laughing at me. It took us until 7:00pm to get the sink fixed. We cleaned up and went to Louie's for dinner. We had a great time, and the owner Randy, who is a great sponsor of the Quest came and hung out with us for a bit. Home for a shower and bed! Sherrie had a "Pinktini" and she passed out as soon as her head hit the pillow. I think I worked her too hard today! I am really grateful she helped me so much today..... I never would have made it without her! The pictures are from my last trip to Vegas. Only seven more weeks, and I get to take Sherrie for her first trip to "Sin City!"

All my love!

Mat

Friday, July 30th, 2010

Namaste,

Pretty slow day.... Got up on time, and got my shower. Had my coffee while starting a new book. "Momentum" 77 observations of a life well lived, by Mark Bravo. I only got a few chapters read, but I am really enjoying it. This book is available through Mark's website http://www.runbravo.com/. I left for work early, and stopped by Starbucks. I got into the office and made my IV's for the weekend. I had a doctors appointment at 8:20... Just a follow-up on some labs and things. I see the nurse practitioner Michelle Muranto. She is awesome, and would stay with me as long as I need, rather than rushing through her patients. Back to work.... Gaymarie and I had plans to meet Mike Champlin and his girlfriend Jamie at Ajunta for Indian food at lunch. It was great! I have not had Indian food since..... Well since I was in India! Back to work, where just like most afternoons, very slooooooooow! We left around 4:00 and I came home to take an hour nap. Sherrie, Trey, and their friend Joshua spent the day at the pool, and when they got home we went to El Chico for dinner. We had a coupon for buy one dinner get one free, and Trey had a coupon for Mexican Apple Pie. He won it from a reading contest. Dinner was OK!!!! We walked around the mall for an hour then took Joshua home. We came home and mom picked Trey up, then Sherrie and I went to Home Depot to get fixer upper stuff for tomorrow. I am trying to fix up the house a little bit at a time. There just never seems to be enough time! Here are a couple pictures from Kathmandu.

Love you all!

Mat

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

Namaste,

My darling wife forgot to set the alarm clock this morning, so I did not get up until 5:30! Jumped up and got my shower, then my cup of coffee. I had a dentist appointment at 7:00. Dr. Mike Wallace is a great man, and dear friend. I graduated with his older sister Angie and she is a sweetheart! We talk about Family, Vacation, Fight Club, Mountaineering, and just about everything else. I left his office and stopped by Starbucks to visit with my constituents. Oh yeah.... My morning Dark Chocolate, Cherry, No Fat, No Whip Latte! On to work..... I kicked it in gear and knocked it out! We ran to Panda Express at lunch, and then back to the grind. I swear to you this afternoon was the longest in my life. I am really tired and I caught myself watching the clock. We stayed until 4:30, then home to change clothes and head up to the gym. I was just going to roll a bit, but Coach Parker came in and we talked a bit. His class is from 6:00 to 7:30, but I was meeting Sherrie at mom's at 6:50. I told Coach, and Timmy Elliott that I had to bail at 6:45. I ran to mom's and then stripped down and jumped in the pool. I rinsed off then dried off. I changed clothes and Sherrie and I went to the concert in the park at Hafer. It was a Bluegrass band called "The Bonham Review!" It was.... Well lemme just say, I am not a big Bluegrass fan, so it was kinda like nails on a blackboard! We ran by the market then home to make a salad, and get ready for Friday! The pictures are a couple of old one's of Jordan, back when she was sweet and innocent! The top one was Christmas at Curtis' house in Atlanta 2004, and the bottom one was Jordan with Vinny and Rick from Orange County Choppers. That was at a bike rally two miles south of the house! I had the opportunity to visit with them several times over the weekend. They were great guy's!

Love you all!

Mat

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

Namaste,

Happy hump day!

I did not sleep a wink... I guess with my leg pain, severe cramps, and dreaming I was back in Kathmandu, kept me awake. I had a dream I walking around Thamel, which is a district in Kathmandu. I started thinking about all the people I met there, akk of the things I saw, and all of the pure beauty. I miss it sooooooo much. It is indescribable! I think the book I have been reading may have influenced my dream as well. It goes in depth about Sherpa life. When I win the lottery.... I will spend six months a year in the Khumbu region of Nepal, teaching school, or building homes for the poor. I would leave tomorrow if I had the funds..... Oh yeah.... If my wife would go with me! Anyway.... Up at 4:30 and thought about going for a run, but my dang leg is so swollen, it hurts to stand. I got my shower, had my coffee, and finished my book. I was sad to finish it, but happy to know the knowledge I gained by reading it, will help me educate people to the Sherpa culture, and history. I left for work a little early, but had alterior motives. I wanted to get my work done and get over to Midwest City, and be done with my mowing for the week! I stopped by Starbucks, and mentioned to the staff that I became Mayor! The all started calling me "Your Honor, and Sir!" It was great! The day progressed just as I suspected, and I was able to go pick Brent up, and get Midwest City knocked out. We had a few extra projects, and some mower issues so it took a full four hours. I changed clothes and went back to work. There were a few things to clean up, but only about an hours worth of work. I came home and did our lawn, then a cold shower. I told Sherrie I wanted a pizza for dinner. We shared a small veggie pizza, and salad. After dinner we had to move the dresser back into the bedroom, and put drawers back in. The bedroom carpet was still very damp from the carpet cleaner yesterday. We both over ate so we headed to Mitch park. The running trail at Mitch is 3 miles long. We parked the truck, and started power walking because of my leg, and when we got a mile and a half away from the truck, the heavens opened and it started pouring. I was wearing my new Puma running shoe's so we started sprinting back to the truck. I found a few short cuts, through soccer fields, and frisbee golf courses, but we made good time back. I really thought I would have to drive back up the hill to get Sherrie, but when I got in the truck I looked back and she was only a 100 feet behind me! I am really proud of her. She has not been running for very long, and she is really doing good! Home for shower number three of the day and then a little relaxation! I am considering a glass of wine to make sure I sleep well tonight! The pictures are my new running shoes. The blue and yellow ones, are the Puma Euphoria's, and the red, white, and silver are the Saucony Fastwitch 2's!

Love you all!

Mat

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

Namaste,

Tuesday started just as most other weekdays start! Got up at 5:10, got my shower and had a cup of coffee while watching the ever depressing morning news. I usually watch for the weather, but that has been more depressing than anything! Other that oppressive heat, we get the "Baby Mama Drama!" and the murder for hire plot! Really? Really? Oil spills, and death and destruction, makes sense why so many people jump off tall buildings! Is there not anything good and wholesome in the world anymore? I was listening to the news while reading a few chapters in my book. I am almost done with it, and I really have enjoyed this one. Tenzing Norgay and the Sherpas of Everest! It tells the story of how the Sherpa culture began and exist today. Something I hold very near, and dear to my heart. Off to Starbucks where with my visit today.... I became the official Mayor of my Starbucks! I have called myself the Mayor for sometime, but it was not official until today! You can all call me "Your Honor!" On to work. I busted everything out and then did some price changes. BORING! We are so slow right now, that Jodi was going to take a long lunch, and I told her I might as well get my mowers and get busy! She was cool with that. I really appreciate Jodi letting me do my properties when it is slow at work, to give me a little more time at home. It took me 5 hours to do the property, then home for a very quick shower, and up to Summit Medical Center to speak at WeightWise. I had a group of 60 or 70 people, and I talked nonstop for 45 minutes. I told stories, and educated people and had several questions from the guest! I raced back home to move the furniture back in place before the Fight Club board of Directors showed up to have our meeting. We agreed to place Tim and Trisha on the Board of Directors and they will assist with scheduling and collections. They are really gung ho, and we need all the help we can get. I am really tired and my body still hurts from my sparring with Giroux. I thought all of the physical activity today would work out some of the soreness, but NO BUENO! The pictures are brown Kites. They were flying high above Monkey Temple in Kathmandu. There were hundreds of them. B.E.A.utiful! I spent this particular day with a gentleman, I had just met a few days prior. We hit it off immediately. I had just returned to Kathmandu from The Solo-Khumbu, and he was getting ready to start his trek. Villayat "SnowMoon-Wolf" Sunkmanitu is an inspiration to me. By far the best photographer I have had the opportunity to meet, and an amazing writer. "Wolf" has just published his book.... "Words of a Wolf" Poetry of a Veteran is available on his photography website.... www.wolf-photography.com Look at his galleries and check out his blog! Wolf and I will work together again!

Love you all!

Mat

Monday, July 26th, 2010

Namaste,

Has anyone ever said you had a case of the Mondays???? Me either! Sherrie made me sleep in an extra 20 minutes. My left legs is so sore, that every time I moved last night I sat straight up in bed! So I really wanted to stay in bed. I got up showered, had my coffee, and read a chapter of my book. I stopped at Starbucks, and then on to work. It continues to be slow at work, but I had the clean up from the weekend. I stayed busy, and about noon I had to run to OU/Edmond and borrow some Potassium Chloride. I ran into Qudoba and got a taco salad. It was yummy. I don't know why I don't go there more often. Back to work. The afternoon was slow. I left about 4:00 and came home for a bit, before heading up to the gym. I was going to work the desk, but there was a new guy who needed orientation, so I rolled around with him a bit. He accidentally elbowed me in the leg where I may have something broken, and I was reduced to tears. I came on home, and recruited every kid in the neighborhood to help us move the furniture into the dinning room so the carpet cleaners will have empty rooms tomorrow. I got a shower has a salad, and am getting ready to count sheep! The pictures are from DJ and Lindsay Dirk's wedding!

Love you all!

Mat

Sunday, July 25th, 2010

Namaste,

Woke up early as Sherrie and I had planned on running this morning, but it was raining. Very light, but I am not going to get my new running shoes wet. I enjoyed a nice cup of coffee, and then got ready for church. Today was Christmas in July, and they did the Nutcracker drum line. It was pretty cool. I brought Sherrie home and then went to Home Depot. I got some stuff to try and fix the bathroom. I am rebuilding the cabinet under the sink in my bathroom, and then find the leak in the wall. Well, I got the cabinet fixed, and I found the leak in the wall. There was a small hole in between the shower and the trim on the wall. I cut part of the wall out from the bedroom, and when I poured water in that corner, the water just rushed right in. When I was at Home Depot, I bout some parts for my chain saw. It has been broken for several months. I got it fixed and worked over some trees in my back yard. They were in very poor shape. I have really let them go due to all the other things I have had going on. We had my friend Miriam's little boy Tommy's birthday party. We had a good time. The boy's made a water slide, and I will post some pictures. I had to run back to Home Depot to get some silicone caulk to fix the leak in the shower, then I met Mike Giroux at the gym. We warmed up for about 15 minutes, which was not hard, because the gym was about 120 degrees. We got in the cage, and went after it for five, five minute rounds. The first three, we did stand-up, and the last two we started from guard. Mike took the stand-up fight, and I think I won the ground war. I am pretty banged up though. I can't stand on my left leg, I have a huge bruise on my left cheek, and black eye. Battle scars! That's why we call it Fight Club! Home for a great dinner of Tilapia, and grilled veggies. It was a pretty busy, but great weekend. Can't wait to get back to work, so I can get some rest!

Love you all!

Mat

Saturday, July 24th, 2010

Namaste,

Woo Hoo... Awesome day! Started early with Sherrie and I trying out our new running shoes! Mine are the bomb dot com, and Sherrie said her new shoes are like running on clouds! We stopped by Starbucks and then came by the house. I got my lawn equipment and we headed over to moms. I did the lawn and Sherrie and Trey swam. When I got the lawn done, I jumped in the pool! I brought Sherrie home and headed to OK Runner to get another pair of shoes like I got for Sherrie. There are not many opportunities to get a hundred dollar pair of shoes for $20 or $25. I had a chance meeting with a very inspirational man. Mark Bravo, one of the states most accomplished runners, and MC of the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon broadcast. Mark just published his book, and was signing copy's at OK Runner. I had the chance to tell Mark my story and the impact I am trying to have on our community. We exchanged information, and I hope to be in contact with him soon. Off to Ben and Kinsey's house to do there lawn. Ben told me on the phone it looked OK, but he tells 1/2 truths! It needed to be done. I got it all cleaned up, and maybe he will concentrate on the kitchen, so Kinsey can cook me dinner soon! We all went to Mazzio's for a bite to eat. I think I drank a gallon of water........ When we were getting ready to leave my good friend Joy Brown Text me and wanted to swim at mom's house. I left Ben's and headed back to mom's. Joy, Trey and I swam for about an hour before I had to come home and get ready for church. It was the last week of "At the movies" at Life Church! We saw Chad and Shannon Lovett there and they invited us to dinner, but Sherrie had just eaten at Tina's wedding, and Trey had leftovers at mom's house! I needed to drink more fluids! We stopped by the market to get some strawberries, and banana's then home. I had some leftovers from last night and then Sherrie's fruit cake surprise. It is fat free yellow cake, fat free vanilla pudding. and strawberries, blueberries, and banana's. She even added some fresh cherries. YUMMY! We are going to watch a movie, and crash out early! I am adding a couple real pictures of Ben and Kinsey, and a picture of my BFF Joy Brown!

Love you all!

Mat

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

Namaste,

TGIF! Friday was a good day overall! Made my usual stop at Starbucks before work.... Work continues to be slow, so I had most of the weekend prep done before 8:00am. We had a few audits, and general record keeping to do, so it kept us busy. Gaymarie owed me lunch, so we went to Chipotle and had a burrito bowl. Mr Evans, who was Jordan and Trey's elementary school principle was there. He goes to church with us, so we chatted a bit. Mr Evans is an awesome guy, and great example of a loving father. After lunch, we ran by Jon Ric to drop off the disk with pictures from our shoot the other night. Next door is OK Runner, and the were having a shoe sale! "FABULOUS!" I got a pair of Puma Utopia's and got Sherrie a pair of Saucony Fastwitch 2's. The afternoon was soooooooooo slow! At 2:30 I was done! I came home and laid down! Took a nap for about two hours. When I woke up, Sherrie had started dinner. We were going to have a nice romantic dinner, and watch a movie, but Jordan decided to stay home and ruin our date night. There is no way on God's green earth, that if we would have said.... Jordan you need to stay home tonight she would have! We ended up walking around the mall after dinner, just to work off some of the fullness, then went by Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Sherrie had to get a wedding present. We came home and went to bed early! I always write about Ben and Kinsey, and several people have ask why I never post pictures of them together, or of Kinsey, so here you go!

All my love!

Mat

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010

Namaste,

I have W.O.S.! (Wife over shoulder!) The day started much like every other day of my life. Over slept by ten minutes, so my whole day was off! Just kidding! I jumped up got my shower, and then worked on my presentation. I am almost done with it. It is really coming along really nice. Off to work after Starbucks! My whole crew was there..... Work is sloooooooooooooow! I met Tim Elliott and Trisha Clark at Louie's at lunch to discuss the schedule for next month. We are going to have to change things up again. Mike Giroux is going to take some time off, and we will have to fill in the gaps. Tim and Trisha are great kids, and are a going to be a great asset to the gym. Back to work... Afternoon sucked! We bugged out at 4:30 and I rand by home depot to get a hose before going to the gym. I got to the gym and turned the fans on, then passed out in front of one of them. I fell asleep for 20 minutes. I had a great workout with Travis Chyzy, and a couple of new guys. Trav and I go at it full bore. The new guy's are just not ready so we go about 50%. Home for a shower and food! can't wait for Friday to be over, and get some relaxation going! The pictures are me and my really hot wife. Sherrie has joined me in the exercise movement. She has lost 30 pounds this year, and weighs less than she did in junior high. She loves to run now, so I don't have to run by myself all the time! She is awesome!

Love you all!

Mat

Wednesday, July 21st, 2010

Happy hump day! Did not sleep especially well again. Sherrie and Trey went to the Lady Gaga concert last night, and did not get in until after midnight. I woke up at 5:10 and got my shower, and had my coffee. I am working on a presentation about weight loss, and bariatric surgery, so I made a few slides for the power point. Off to Starbucks then on to work. Work continues to be slow. Our administrator is moving to Dallas, so today was her last day. We had a group of 20 that went to lunch at Ted's. Sherrie came over and had lunch with us. The afternoon seemed to drag on. I had the lawn trailer so I left early and Brent met me at Midwest City. We knocked it out in 3 hours flat! I dropped him off and headed to Yukon, to take care of Julie Schwartz yard. It was a giant mess. She is missing a panel of her fence, so I took the big mower in and cut the lawn on seven, then on five, then on three. It was so thick that I had to rake it up and then mow with the push mower, and bag it. I thought it would only take 45 minutes, but it took over two hours. Home for a shower, and some fooooooooood! Time for bed! Pictures are me on Island Peak!

Love you all!

Mat

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

Namaste,

Well what a busy day! Started just like most days... Coffee, a shower and the a stop at Starbucks. Off to work where I did my usual morning stuff, then at 11:30 came home and got the lawn trailer. I knocked the lawn out at the Edmond facility, and the ran to mom's to jump in the pool and cool off. I made it to the gym at 5:45 and worked with a few new guys until 7:00, and then we we had a board of directors meeting. Mike Giroux resigned as president and I picked up a few new responsibilities. Just some easy stuff, like paying the gas, electric, and rent. Not too bad. I am exhausted. Trey and Sherrie are at the Lady Gaga concert right now. I hope they are having a blast! The pictures are a couple of senior pictures I did. Tia Braley, and Phillip Davidson.

Love you all!

Mat

Monday, July 19th, 2010

Namaste,

Did not sleep well. Woke up at 4:50am, after a crazy dream that I was at a weigh in for a fight. I laid around and had my coffee, until I saw Ben Crocker outside my house. I guess he felt like he needed to return my trailer before work this morning. He said that it was the earliest he had ever been up! We reloaded the trailer, then he headed home to get ready for work. I came in and got ready for work. Off to Starbucks, where my good buddy Grant bought my coffee.... Work was unbelievably slow. I worked from seven until 4:15 without a lunch break. Jodi brought me a chicken sandwich at 2:30. I picked up mom at 4:30 and took her to a seminar in Norman about a new surgical procedure call Stomaphyx. It is basically a gastric sleeve procedure without an incision. They go down the throat with a camera and a stapler. They gather the fundus and reduce the surface of the stomach. I didn't get home until eight, and then worked on the plumbing.... What a nightmare! It is leaking exactly where it was originally! Oh well! I did some research on my oil leak on the mower.... It is a blown head gasket. I think it is something we can fix, but I will need some help. It's not as difficult as doing it on a car, and everything is exposed. I need to get through this weeks mowing first! Time for bed! Good Night! Pictures are Buddhist prayer flags in Nepal. The top one is above Thokla, and the bottom one is above the Tengboche Monastery!

Love you all!

Mat

Sunday, July 18th, 2010

Namaste,

Pretty busy day! It had it's goods and it's ah S*$t! Started at 6:30 doing laundry.... Watched some TV and had some coffee. Sherrie and I got ready for church and picked Trey up on the way. Trey and I worked in the parking lot, and Tommy Johnson, the gentleman who runs 1st Impressions, wrote Trey a check for $100 towards his trip. It was awesome! After church I came home and started working on the bathroom sink. I really should have had a plumber, because I really need one now! I broke the drain pipe off inside the wall. What a mess. Curtis said he could come over later in the week and help me. I got really pissed off, and loaded up the mower and headed over to mom's. I finished breaking down old fence panels and then mowed and weed ate her lawn. I jumped in the Rover and came home. I trimmed some tree's then did our lawn. I came in and cleaned up. Sherrie made an amazing dinner. She slow roasted a pork loin, and made some potato's! We went to Crest, for their vegetable sale. We have so much fruit and veggies we could start a farm. Came home to relax a bit, and watch some TV! I decided to attempt the plumbing issue. I cut the wall open and removed the broken pipe. I will take it to Home Depot tomorrow and see if they can assist me. I got dirty again, so Sherrie made me go for a run with her. We did our two mile circuit. I did 1/4 of it running backwards. That works muscles you don't realise you have. We are discussing different ways to raise money for Trey's trip. I think we are going to have a garage sale in a few weeks. That should make several hundred dollars. The pictures are Sherpa porters in the Solo-Khumbu region of Nepal. These are the most humble, hardest working people I have ever met. I met porters as young as nine, and as old as 90! Being a porter is a very hard life, but these people do whatever it takes to provide for their families!

Love you all!

Mat

Saturday, July 17th, 2010

Namaste,

Wow... What a great day! Sherrie and I jumped up at the crack of 8:00am, and went for a run. It was soooooo hot that I think it did more harm than good! What I mean is it really zapped all of my energy, but we pushed on! Home for a shower, and then up to farmers market! We got some tomatoes, and some home made peach salsa, and then something awesome happened. I ran into my high school wrestling coach. Byron Graham is one of my hero's. I have been meaning to stop by his house and see him for the past two years, but just have not done it. I will go see him soon though. I walked up to him and said "Coach", "Coach".... He turned around and said "Hey".... "How are you?" I said "Do you know, who I am?" he said "Nope!" I told him and he was surprised! We had a good chat for a few minutes. When we were walking around the market, Sherrie had one of her favorite sandals fall apart, so we went to the shoe store and got her a new pair, dropped by the house to leave the tomato's then headed down to bricktown for the "Bricktown Art's Festival!" It was rather small but very nice. It was already 100 degree's out so it was not to busy. We looked at everything and only came home with two bottles of wine from a couple of local winery's. We came home, and laid down for an hour. We went to Life Church at 5:00, for the third week of at the movies, then stopped at Louie's for a chicken wrap. We headed over to the market, and picked up some food! While we were there Ben called and ask if he could borrow the trailer. He said he would come get it before I left for church. What made sense to me is that Sherrie and I go home unload the trailer, and get it down to their house, so they could continue tiling their kitchen! We did not stay long, so they could continue working. Came home and took a shower, then literally fell asleep before my head hit the pillow! It is going to be hotter than heck today, and I have a lot of things to do here at the house. Mom's lawn needs to be done today too! The pictures are from the farmers market, and the Bricktown art's festival!

Friday, July 17th, 2010

Namaste,

Yeah.... It's Friday! Typical morning with a stop at Starbucks then on to work! I was gonna read a bit this morning, but ended up talking to Chad for an hour. That was fine!!!! He has a very unique perspective on life, and his advice has never been wrong! Work continues to be as slow as ever.... I tried to stay busy all day but after the enormous week I had, I was really dragging tail! I came home at 3:30, and laid down for a couple of hours. We had dinner plans with Ben and Kinsey Crocker. We went to Shoguns, and it was off the hook! I know I write about Ben and Kinsey all the time, but they are such a great couple. Huge, generous hearts, and would do anything for anyone! I love those guy's so much! They are an example of what America should be like. We would have no hunger, no homelessness, no loneliness...... Wow I think that's what Christ said about taking care of your neighbor? Anyway.... I apologize for the diatribe! Sherrie and I came home and went straight to bed. I have so much planned for today, that I don't know if we will get it all done, but we did sleep in until 8:00! I have not done that for 15 years! Then we went for a run! DANG IT"S HOT! The staircase was made from a single piece of wood. It is in the chapel of Loretta in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Love you all!

Mat

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

Namaste,

I over slept this morning by twenty minutes. Jumped up and got in the shower.... Off to work! Stopped at Starbucks. I took the lawn trailer with me so I could head to Midwest City as soon as I was done at work. I worked through lunch, and headed out at 2:30. I made it to the campus by 3:00 and Brent was there waiting on me. We got busy.... I had to trim some hedges before I started mowing. We knocked it out in four hours. With doing my lawn, and mom's lawn Monday night, and Julie's lawn Tuesday night, the Edmond property and Steve's lawn on Wednesday, then Midwest City today..... I thought I was done mowing for several days.... On my way home Chad Lovett text me and his mower is down, so he needs me to come mow his lawn. I will find a way! I am beat..... Time for bed! The pictures are Boomer and Shadow Jones!

Love you all!

Mat

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

Namaste,

Well I had this great plan to wake up early and go knock out most of the Edmond property.... I left the house at 5:15am and really kicked butt! I got all of the mowing, weed eating, and edging done before 9:00am. Went in and took a shower, and got to work. I had unit audits to do, so that took a big part of the day. I picked Brandon up and he came up and push mowed the courtyard, and cleaned up the area behind the retention pond. He did a pretty good job, and only took two hours. I dropped him off on the way home and came by to get Trey. We went to a friend of Jodi's and holy crap. His lawn is easily one and a half acres, and his lawn mower has been broken for weeks. It was easily three feet tall. I mowed it on the highest setting and then blew all of the grass in one direction, then Trey and I raked it up, and bagged it. We did the front yard three times to get it looking good! When I started the back yard I had no idea what was going to happen. There were places that the grass was six or seven feet tall. I had to go at a snails pace.... I mowed over and over, and over to get it all knocked down..... I started at one end and blew everything into the woods. That was quite a busy day! I came home showered, had some veggies, and now I am going to bed! I am going to do Midwest City after work tomorrow and then take several days off! I am exhausted! The pictures are from a trip to Vegas. The top picture is a dedication to the men that died while building the Hoover Damn. The second is Death Valley, California!

Love you all!

Mat

Tuesday, July 13th, 2010

Namaste,

Exhausting day.... Typical start.... Jumped up, ran to Starbucks.... When I got to work I started working on chart audits. Finished them at about 10:00. Other than that pretty slow. The girls and I ran to Goldie's for lunch. Goldie's is an Oklahoma institution. They have an all you can eat pickle bar. Every kind of pickle and pepper you can imagine. Back to work... I bailed at 4:30 and came home to get my lawn gear. I had been ask by my friend Julie to come take care of her lawn. She said it was in sad shape. She was right!!!! The front yard was two feet tall, and the back was easily four feet tall! I had to knock it down with the weed eater, and then mow it! The grass was so tall and wet that it would not go in the bagger. The front yard looked good, but the back yard is still a mess! I will go back over there sometime soon and work on the backyard again. I was going to go do another lawn because it was to late to make it to the gym, so I went to one of Jodi's friends house. The yard is huge! probably an acre to an acre and a half.... I called her and told her, I did not have enough sunlight left to push mow it so I will take the big mower over there tomorrow evening! Came home to shower and get ready for bed! A couple of pictures from our trip to Jamacia!

Love you all!

Mat

Monday, July 12th, 2010

Namaste,

It was defiantly Monday!!!!! Sherrie worked overnight last night, and I did not sleep worth a darn! I tossed and turned, and when the alarm went off at 5:00, I just looked at it! I got in the shower and then watched the news. Made my stop at Starbucks, and then on to work! I stayed busy this morning, since I was out last Friday, and then the weekend we had plenty to do to get caught up. We ran to get some take out for lunch, and then back to work. I did chart audits after lunch and then headed out at 4:30. I had a photo shoot at Jon Ric Medical Spa and Salon. Kay Morton who owns the spa is one of Mat's Quest's biggest sponsors. Kay has 24 employees at the Spa and wanted pictures of all of them for her website. Most of them are attractive young ladies!!!!! You know I don't have a problem taking pictures of pretty young ladies! As soon as I left there, I came home and got my lawn equipment and headed over to mom's. Her grass was out of control due to the monsoon we have had. I finished it in just over an hour! Back home to knock mine out! I can do mine in 45 minutes..... I came in and took a hot shower, before sitting down to edit pictures. Trey made me a PB&J for dinner! The pictures are from today's photo shoot at Jon Ric! I love the top one. That is Kay giving someone a Botox treatment!

Love you all!

Mat

Sunday, July 11th, 2010

Namaste,

Here we are in the present.... Sunday morning. I jumped up and hooked the trailer up to the truck. I went to 7-11 and aired up tires and filled the mower with gas. Back to the house to get ready for church. I took the equipment with me, and Sherrie went to get Trey at moms house. I worked in the parking lot, and Trey showed up to help. We went in for service and then I headed over to Midwest City. I had Brent's mom drop him off and Curtis was coming to help us! I started edging and as soon as I was done they showed up. We attacked the property until I got the mower stuck in mud! We had to work in the flower beds and trim hedges so we spent 15 hours over there today! We only got 1/2 of the hedges done, but it looks so much better. I came home and took a shower. Then headed straight to El Reno to take Curtis' truck home and get my car! We went in and visited with Lisa for a bit, then headed home. I am mentally, and physically exhausted. Gonna turn in soon! Pictures are Me on my bike.... We had gone to the fair and I won a big fish! That was September of 2007, and the other needs no description! That is my baby! The black panther. My car that I have not driven for FIVE weeks! I bet Curtis enjoyed it!

Saturday, July 10th, 2010

Namaste,

So I had set my phone to wake me up at 5:30.... I jumped up at 5:15 and got in the shower. My plan was to shower and sneak out without waking Uncle Gerald up. He told me he wanted to have coffee, and make breakfast..... Sounds great in theory.... He is the best cook in the world, but I knew I was going to be on the road all day, so I just wanted to slip out. When I got dressed and went down the hall with my pack, he was in the kitchen with the coffee going. We had a small cup, and I said my goodbye's. My Uncle Gerald is quite possibly one of the greatest human beings on the planet. Other than the fact that he watches Fox News all the time, and believes what they say..... He has a pure heart, full of generosity, and love. I aspire to love my children like he loves his, and his grand kids! In addition to being a great father, cook, and grandfather..... He is one of the most hilarious people in the world. We had a few emotional moments when we talked about my Uncle Gene who has been gone for several years now..... It seems to help when he tells me stories.... Uncle Gene, and Uncle Gerald were best friends, in addition to being inseparable brothers. They worked together at the saw mill from the time Uncle Gerald was nine, until after they were married and moved off to follow careers. I love that man like he is my own father! Sooooo back to the day! I left Uncle Gerald's house at 5:50am.... Had to stop at the Shell station and get gas, snacks and two cups of coffee. I know my buddy Wolf wants me to cut back, but really it is my only vice. I left the Shell station at 6:03 and hit the road! I pushed hard on Highway 64 to Memphis, where I had to stop and go to the bathroom, then on I-40 for another 490 miles. The truck ran great and I got awesome gas mileage. I did stop in Little Rock to fill up and go to the bathroom, but no time to eat.... Back on I-40 and I started getting tired so I called and text everyone I could to keep my mind busy! I made it from Uncle Gerald's to mom's house in 8 hours and 50 minutes. I know if anyone was with me they would have been miserable. I don't eat, keep the air on full blast, and the radio cranked up! Since the truck was loaded with clothes for mom, Sherrie and Trey were at mom's to help me unload it. Then on to the house. I took a shower and laid down for an hour. Sherrie wanted to go to Saturday night church at Life Church. They are doing a series called "At the movies!" They show parts of a movie and how biblical principles are used. The movie was "The Blindside!" Great movie..... We made a stop at Home Depot, and then went to BJ's for dinner. We shared a appetizer plate, then came home and relaxed! I went to bed at 10:00 and do not remember putting my head on the pillow! Picture is of Uncle Gerald, and him watching me head out yesterday! It is tradition to honk as you head down the big hill in front of his house! It was very foggy, especially in the valleys in South Central Tennessee.

Love you all!

Mat

Friday, July 9th, 2010

Namaste,

Well.... After five long weeks it is time to go to Tennessee to get the expedition, but first I had to stop by Starbucks! I have priority's! Sherrie and Trey rode with me to the airport. They dropped me off, and when I looked at the check-in line I said "Holy Crap!" I was flying Southwest, which I have not done in probably 12 years due to their open discrimination of overweight people. I will get into that later! I saw a kiosk, that said electronic check in, so I went to it and typed in my confirmation number.... It shot out my boarding passes, and I went to the security line. It moved along very quickly, and found a cup of coffee, and a banana! I started reading a new book. Tenzing Norgay and the Sherpa's of Everest. I sat down and read for about 45 minutes and then it was time to board. I found a seat in the fourth row.... I like to be near the front, that way if the plane crashes I know I will go first! :-) The flight was very quick! I had a lay over in Kansas City.... I found a cup of coffee, and started reading again. 45 minutes later time to board again! The flight to Nashville was quick as well... Just over an hour. I actually closed my eye's for a bit. Since I didn't check any bags, as soon as I landed, I called my cousin Brenda, she was right outside the doors, and I jumped in the car with her and Uncle Gerald. We chit-chatted a bit, and he mentioned that he had not eaten, and really wanted to go to Cracker Barrel! God works in mysterious ways, because I was starving!!!! We found one and went in. I told our waitress that if she gave the ticket to anyone but me, I would break her arm! We had a nice lunch, then hit the road for the two hour ride back to Waynesboro. The expedition was at Uncle Juniors house. Brenda dropped me off there, and I went in for a good visit. Belinda, and Sonya, had packed all of Aunt Jeannette's clothes in the truck for me to bring home for mom. I am not kidding. The WHOLE expedition was full from floor to roof. If i had taken a bag, with me I would have had to tie it to the top. I only took a big back pack thank god! I sat with Uncle Junior for a while, and we started looking at pictures of him and Aunt Jeannette. He is still so heartbroken that it brought tears to both of our eye's. He was driving his 56 Chevy to a car show, so I left and went up the hill to Uncle Gerald's house. We decided to go to Benny and Deloris's house to see them. Aunt Deloris has been in the hospital for a couple of weeks. She had surgery after a hole in her bowel was found. She looked OK.... But I could tell she was in pain. We only stayed for 30 minutes, then back to the house. Uncle Gerald made me eat dinner.... He had made some spaghetti, and roasted some fresh corn on the cobb! We hung out and talked for a couple of hours, then Doug, Tina, Garrett, and Wes came by. Doug really went out of his way, to help get the truck fixed. He works at the dealership, where it was fixed and did all of the work, as well as, getting us a $700 discount! After they left I told Uncle Gerald I had to crash..... The pictures are of the expedition, and my airplane!

Thursday, July 8th, 2010

Namaste,

You ever have one of those days where you know you should just stay in bed? I knew this morning was gonna be a day like that! Left early and hit Starbucks.... I kicked everything in high gear at work, since I will not be there tomorrow. I could get use to a three day work week. I did all of the weekend prep, and did some air testing in the clean room. I met my friends Joy Brown, and Stacy Phillips at Louies for lunch. We had a good chat, and talked about the good old times at work. The afternoon was painfully boring.... I kept thinking about all of the things I needed to get done before I leave town, and there was nothing going on at work. I left and came home, got the lawn trailer, but since it was so late and the weather was closing in on me, I decided to get Edmond done, and leave Midwest City for Sunday when I get back. I did the whole property in under 4 hours.... Now I took the liberty of a few short cuts, but I am the only one who knows. I came home showered and had a bite to eat. I am going to crash. The next 48 hours will be a whirlwind! The pictures are Sadhu's I met in Kathmandu!

Love you all!

Mat