Mat's Quest

Monday, January 30th, 2012

2012-01-30T06:09:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

Well it's Monday morning and I sure could use a couple extra days off..... Unfortunately that s not gonna happen anytime soon. I was kinda bummed out Saturday that I didn't end up climbing anything, but I did get some things accomplished. I got the house cleaned and then decided I would go walk around the zoo and see if anything was moving. Most of the animals were inside their hides, and so I walked the entire zoo at a very brisk pace. What was cool was the fact that I was the only non-employee at the zoo. Usually there are 10,000 people, but it was just me and a million geese! I left the zoo and headed to the camera shop to see if they could help me with a couple little screws that were missing from my big lens. They fixed it in about 2 minutes. I left there and headed out I-40 to the outlet mall. I found some sexy new jeans, a new sweater and a fleece jacket. I headed back here to the house and fixed a bite to eat. Stephanie came in and was jealous that I had gone without her. I told her we could go back on Saturday. For those of you who don't know, Sherrie's best friend Stephanie has been staying with us for about six months now.... She has really been helpful getting Trey where he needs to be each day since I have been working more than usual. I laid down for a bit and my phone just rang and rang. I got up and decided I would cook stew for dinner.... I made the biggest mess of vegetables in the world! It turned out pretty good! Sherrie came home from work and after dinner we were sitting on the couch and passed out!

Sunday morning I woke up at 4:00am and started thinking about how much I needed to exercise. I got up, put my riding gear on and went out to the garage to put my bike rack on the truck. I thought to myself.... "Dang it's cold!" I came back in and put on some extra clothes. I left and started out towards the south and the first mile I was heading into a wind straight out of the south, it took me 6 minutes and 10 seconds. I couldn't feel my fingers and had some breathing issues. My lungs were burning but I kept going. I ended up doing 11 miles in 45 minutes. Not a record by any stretch of the imagination! I came home cleaned up and Trey and I headed to church. We worked the parking lot and then in for service. Sherrie had to work 8 to 5, so when we got home Steph and I loaded up and went "Shopping!" We went back to the outlet mall, and I ended up getting Sherrie a new purse, and I got some shoes, two new sweaters, and got a couple new shirts for Trey. We went by Teners, and the Whole Foods. We got home and I cleaned the floors. (That's what I get for having a 200 pound Mastiff) Sherrie came home from work and we had some turkey wraps. I worked on reports for several hours before calling it a weekend. My buddy Riccardo had me look at a Tough Mudder event in Dallas the last weekend of March. It is a 10 mile race through water and mud. I agreed to do it. It is going to give me something to focus on! I'm excited! 47 days to France!

Love you all!

Mat

Saturday, January 28th, 2012

2012-01-28T05:37:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

So it has been 10 or 11 days since I have blogged.... Honestly, I have been very busy and something had to give. I have completely removed myself from "MatsQuest.com" for now and I have been focusing on family, work, work, oh yeah.... work! I am down a liaison, an admission coordinator, and my existing coordinator is leaving on February 7th. I have been in the office trying to learn everything that she knows (Which is a lot!". I have also been trying to keep up with my reports, taking care of my liaisons, and keeping our 137 bed facility full. We moved offices, and some of the things I found blew my mind. I have been looking at doing a climb in May. I want to double Mt. Ranier and Mt Hood all in 96 hours. They are not technical, but it would make for a great fund raiser to get Mats Quest going again. The last couple of fund raisers were kinda disappointing. I was going to get up early this morning and go to Mt Scott in Lawton. The south west side of the mountain is a big boulder field, and it can be quite challenging to maneuver through it without breaking any bones. I decided that it may be better to stay around the city and get some things accomplished here. I need to find some shoes, and get this house cleaned. I am going to do a long ride this afternoon... The weather is suppose to be cool, but winds really low! We only have 49 days until we leave for Paris. Sherrie sends me a text everyday reminding me!

Love you all!

Mat

Tuesday, January 17th, 2012

2012-01-18T05:59:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

Up and back to work... It never stops! I had to get the minutes ready for my marketing meeting. I took Trey to school, hit Vintage Coffee and then off to work. I had an admission coming in early so I was inundated immediately. Flash, Post-Flash, Leadership, Marketing and then I was able to get some work done. I had lunch with my Admission Coordinator and Nursing Center Administrator. As soon as I got back I had a Length of Stay meeting that lasted for an hour then I had to go straight to one of my facilities to do an evaluation. I was done by 4:30 and came straight home. This was the first day in several weeks I have been home around 5:00. Unfortunately I had more work to do. Sherrie made a wonderful healthy dinner of Salmon, and Salad. We watched the movie "Money Ball" it was awesome. I have to be honest.... I dozed off a couple times. Paris is only 64 days away!

Love you all!

Mat

Monday, January 16th, 2012

2012-01-17T05:44:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! Trey was out of school so I left early. I got to the office at 7:00am and started working on the census report, my weekly conference call report, and an in-house eval. We had flash, Post-Flash, Leadership and then I had to hit a few hospitals to do some evals. I came back to the facility and finished getting ready for my call. I text my boss to see if I could go first on the call. I did my thing and then went to a Nursing Center way down on the south side of the city to do an evaluation. All the way back to Midwest City, and then had to go to a house to do a home eval. All I am going to say about that is..... "OMG!" Back to the facility to finish up, and then come home where Sherrie and Stephanie had cooked Chinese food. It was really yummy! I sat on the couch worked on spreadsheet and watched the Thunder beat the Celtics.... I went to bed too late and I am going to pay for it today!

Love you all!

Mat

Sunday, January 15th, 2012

2012-01-15T21:47:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

I stayed in bed until 6:00am and then jumped up to get ready for church. I edited pictures from the Thunder game while waiting on Sherrie and Trey. We went to church and then straight home. Sherrie made me a wrap to eat before I went out to start working on the car. I had to change the thermostat and it is on the bottom of the car. I had one heck of a time getting the hose reattached. Once I got it done and the antifreeze refilled I took the car for a drive. When I got back I left the car running for about an hour while finishing the last few missing pieces of the game room floor. It took me several hours due to the intricate cuts that had to be made. WHAT A PAIN IN THE BUTT! I only have one more room to do, and I will hire someone to do it! I steam cleaned all of the floors and did some laundry, before cleaning up and Trey and I went to Whole Foods, and then grabbed a pizza at Upper Crust. Busy weekend!

Love you all!

Mat

Friday & Saturday, January 13th & 14th, 2012

2012-01-15T06:30:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

What a crappy day Friday was.... It started early and went late. We are now down two employees and my department of eight is six! I started working at 5:00am and was on the phone working until well after 10:00pm. In the mean time.... I came home at 6:00 and Trey had a scrimmage at school.... He went up for a rebound and landed on someones foot. We brought him home and put him on the couch with ice and ibuprofen. Sherrie and I ran to Louie's to get a bite, and then we had our typical date night of Wal-Mart Crest. We came home unpacked the groceries and Trey was already asleep. We put a movie on and I passed out!

Saturday started at 5:00am as well. The car has been overheating so I had ordered a new thermostat. I started disassembling the car and discovered that I may need to be a little more skilled at mechanicing than I am even to reach the thermostat. I got pissed came in the house and started working on my PI numbers for next week. I took Sherrie to work and then came home to get Trey around for his game. His ankle was three times it's normal size and purple. I put him in one of my immobilizers and then we went to the Edmond Memorial Gym... We watched the Summit white team get murdered by Cheyenne and then Trey got to be the assistant coach for Summit blue (His Team). He was disappointed that he did not get to play, but he was part of the win! We came home and my phone started blowing up! I started working and had to admit two patients. It took most of the day to coordinate everything! Mike was not able to go to the Thunder game, and Sherrie's friend Stephanie had two tickets she was not going to use so I picked Sherrie up and we went to the game. I dropped Sherrie and Trey off at the door and he hobbled in. I had to park a long way away.... The game was pretty bad. We were winning by 30 points most of the game. We left after the third period and came home to crash!

Love you all!

Mat

Thursday, January 12th, 2012

2012-01-13T06:27:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

Sherrie was on her way to work and the dang car overheated so I had to go get some anti-freeze and put it in the car. I took the car to work and she took the truck. Got to work a little after seven and right to work.... It never stops! I worked through lunch only to take a minute to run to the bank. Trey called me at 3:45 and ask me who was picking him up from scholar squad... I said...."Ummmmm!" Thank goodness Stephanie was getting off work and coming home! I left work at 4:30 and the dang car overheated as I was passing Wal-Mart so I stopped and got the truck. I came home to straighten up, before heading over to OCS to see my friend Diane's son Cody play basketball. He plays for Bethel and they got beat by 10 points but it was fun! Sherrie had a very long day of school, and then she worked until 9:00pm. It's 45 and sunny in Paris today!

Love you all!

Mat

Sunday January 8th through Wednesday January 11th, 2012

2012-01-12T06:13:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

Well Sunday was a good day all in all... I went and worked in the lot at church and then had a lot of work to do here at the house. Trey and I worked on the game room floor until late in the afternoon, and then we headed downtown to have a bite of dinner before heading to the Thunder game. Trey sat with my buddy Bobby and I sat up in the rafters. We came home and got ready for the week.

As for Monday through Wednesday.... It has been a blur! I have worked from 5:00am until 10:00pm everyday, and have not had a chance to exercise and have not been eating very well. I am changing that today, and need each of you to hold me accountable. We let Jordan take the treadmill to her apartment so I either have to go get it or buy a new one. I also have to move my punching bag back into the house because my arms are turning into flab!

Love you all!

Mat

Friday & Saturday, January 6th & 7th, 2012

2012-01-08T16:02:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

Well up and off to work after taking Trey to school. Originally I had planned on taking Sherrie to a nice dinner and then we were going to Remington Park, but I ended up working until 6:30 pm, and then had to get Trey to basketball practice. Sherrie and I ended up going to Louie's while he was at practice and getting him a sandwich to go. It was and exhausting day!

Saturday I got up at 6:00 and did a few things around the house before waking Trey up and getting him ready for his basketball game. They played at 9:00am and North High School. Trey did awesome. He only had two points but he had several rebounds and a couple blocks. We left the game and went to the grocery store to get some food. I got called and had to bring Trey home and head to a nursing center on the south east side of OKC. I got halfway there and they called me and told me not to bother the patient was going on hospice. I came back by Crest to buy some meat, and got called again to go do an assessment in downtown OKC. I headed that way..... While on my way I got called to do another eval on the west side of the city.... I had to run to Midwest City to do the admissions and then headed to Moore to drop off the pictures to Nick & Lisa.... I came home and Boomer has the game room floors so messed up I moved the pool table and started laying hardwood. I got 1/2 way done before my back was about to give out so I cleaned up and then Sherrie made a great dinner. We watched a little Thunder Basketball, before my buddy Mike called and needed me to take him to work. His girlfriend needed to borrow his car.... I took him to Deaconess and then came home and passd out! I just looked at the Paris webcam..... AMAZING!

Love you all!

Thursday, January 5th, 2012

2012-01-06T06:35:00.001-06:00

Namaste,

I could not get up and I actually did not get out of bed until 7:00. I didn't write it but I hit my head on Wednesday and think I had a slight concussion! I got dressed went to work and it was unbelievably crazy! I was in meetings all morning, then had to come to the new Integris hospital to do an eval and then back to Midwest City. I needed to go to a hospital downtown and get some information, but Diane called me and my buddy Dr. Raju needed to see me so I ran over to his office to see him. I ran back to the office and got caught by a family that wanted to talk. I was there until 6:30 and then had to stop at Wal-Mart to get my baby boy some ice cream. I came home and the house looked like a crime scene. Boomer is still bleeding BAD! Trey really helped me clean the house and then I worked on the slideshow before Sherrie got home from work and we crashed out! Paris looks beautiful this morning!

Love you all!

Mat

Wednesday. January 4th, 2012

2012-01-06T06:20:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

Well it was my birthday, but no different than any other day of the year! Up worked on pictures and then off to work after dropping Trey off at school. Work pretty much was work! Since we lost a member of our team this week we have been overwhelmed. I came home to find Sherrie and Stephanie in the kitchen cooking me a wonderful dinner, and a birthday cake. I cant tell you how much that meant to me! Looked at the Paris webcam today... It was beautiful!

Love you all!

Mat

Monday, January 3rd, 2012

2012-01-04T05:46:00.001-06:00

Namaste,

AAArrrrrrrggggg! Did not want to get outta bed! I got up worked on Lisa and Nick's pictures. I left for work a little early to go back to Edge Water and see if I could find the big buck, but he eluded me again. There were plenty of doe's and fawns, but it was a touch early. I went to work where it was a very difficult day. We are going through some budgetary cuts and I lost an employee in the cuts. It was very difficult, because I work so closely with these people. She will be fine.... She has a degree in finance and is very bright. I worked through lunch and then had my conference call. It usually takes 45 minutes to an hour, but yesterday we went for an hour and a half! I was mentally exhausted. I left work at 4:40 and headed home. I ask Trey if he wanted to go to the Thunder game, but he said no... I stopped at Wal-Mart and got him some chicken. When I got home he ate and I had to clean up after Boomer... His is still having some serious issues. After I cleaned up his mess I really didn't have an appetite. I continued working on Lisa and Nick's slide show while watching the Sugar Bowl, and the Thunder game. The Thunder played like crap. I am really glad we didn't go! I would have been really angry if I would have dropped a bunch of money, and they gave an effort like that! By the time Sherrie got home from work I was half asleep! Long day! 46 and sunny in Paris today!

Love you all!

Mat

Monday, January 2nd, 2012

2012-01-03T05:49:00.001-06:00

Namaste,

For the record... As far as I know I have not written 2011 on anything yet this year! I over slept this morning. I just could not get motivated to get up and get in the shower. I left for work a little early so I could grab a cup of coffee and go to Edge Water to see the massive heard of deer that run wild in that exclusive neighborhood. I even found a place where one of the millionaires has set up a feeder for the deer. I saw 30 or 40 deer, but the big buck I have been seeing was not out. I went on to work, and it was a mess! Imagine a typical Monday morning times three! Yeah.... It was a mess! I had a lunch meeting with Chad, and then the afternoon just kinda drug on.... Trina and Cindy bugged out about 2:30 and I finished up some projects before heading out. All of the doctor offices, and all of the case managers were celebrating the holiday so the hospitals were empty. When I got home I started getting called from work and had several issues to solve. Trey and I were going to go to the lake and ride but by the time I got everything taken care of the shadows were getting low so Trey and I decided to play basketball instead. He beat me bad! I came in and made a wonderful dinner or cheese and crackers.... Boomer passed a stone yesterday, so the house looked like a crime scene... Sherrie took him to the vet and he didn't see anything he could do other than put him on antibiotics... I made a diaper for him and he really hated it, but I was tired of following him around with a mop! Poor fella, he looks like he is in pain! 50 and cloudy in Paris today.

Love you all!

Mat

Sunday, January 1st, 2011

2012-01-02T06:46:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

Up way to early for a Sunday morning in a hotel out of town. We laid there until 7:00am and figured we should go ahead and come on home to be productive.... We left Tulsa and headed home, funny thing is we called the kids from the turnpike exit and they freaked! I guess the house was a disaster because when we got home it was still a mess. We cleaned and Sherrie cooked a big breakfast. I laid down for an hour and then Sherrie decided we should go see a move. We were going to see Mission Impossible 4.... As soon as we got into the mall I got a call, and had to go to work. Sherrie went with me and I got my patient admitted... We decided to come home and make a fancy dinner... Well Sherrie made me a fancy dinner and I sat my big butt on the couch and watched some football. She made orange talipia like she had at Sonoma and I think it was better than the restaurant! We went to the Video store and rented a move... "Midnight in Paris!" It is not typically the kind of movie that I watch, but it was pretty good! I'm not going to spoil it for you but I would say it's a good movie to watch. I watched the second half of the Dallas Cowboys Vs. New York Giants game and then crashed out!

Love you all!

Mat

Saturday, December 31st, 2011

2012-01-02T06:34:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

Well I made us get up and get on the road at 6:45.... I had big plans for the day which included a stop at Starbucks, and then a drive through Edge water to show Sherrie the massive heard of deer. We made Starbucks but the gates at Edge water we locked so we drove through a couple other neighborhoods. We took Highway 66 all the way out to Stroud before getting on the highway and arriving in Tulsa at 10:00. We went straight to Woodland Hills Mall, and got our shop on. It was awesome.... We didn't buy anything but tried on a bunch of clothes and looked at shoes! We went to Sherrie's favorite hamburger restaurant at noon... Fuddruckers! I have no idea why we don't have one here? We went and checked into our hotel and then laid down for a couple of hours. We got up and dressed then headed down to Utica Square to walk around. We had dinner at Sonoma Wine Bar and Bistro. It was wonderful! Sherrie had this orange talapia and I had a oven fired pizza. We left there and headed to the Hard Rock in Catoosa. We stayed there until 11:00pm. The smoke at that point was overwhelming and there were so many people in there you couldn't move. We went back to the hotel and watched the New Years Celebration on TV! Great Day! I did look at the Paris Webcam several times and it looked very nice!

Love you all!

Mat

Friday, December 30th, 2011

2011-12-30T20:29:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

Up and working... Emails, pictures.... I woke Trey up at 6:30 and we took off for the Golf Course. When I called the other day they told me we could tee off at 7:30 and then when we got there they said we could not hit until 8:00 so we went in and had breakfast. Trey and I hit like crap but we had fun. The weather was beautiful for December 30th... It was 50 degrees when we started. When we were done we stopped at Whole Foods and got some cheese. We went to Louie's and got some chicken and then home to clean house. Sherrie and I are going to Tulsa for a couple of days and so there was laundry and stuff to do! When she got off work we went and had the oil changed on the truck and then went to Crest and Wal-Mart. We are waiting on the OU game to start and then off to bed. I have a lot of shopping planned for Tulsa! 52 and rainy in Paris tonight! I looked at the webcam earlier and it was wrapped in clouds! Just beautiful!

Love you all!

Mat

Thursday, December 29th, 2011

2011-12-30T06:06:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

Well I woke up at 2:30 and never really got back to sleep... I had a lot on my mind. Work has been a real challenge this week, and I just couldn't stop thinking about it! I got up and worked on some stuff before heading out to get some coffee and then drive out by the lake. There was a huge bobcat and I got a couple of pictures but it was still pretty dark. Then as I kept driving there was a huge 8 point buck and a 4 point buck. I didn't get any pictures because they decided they didn't like me and ran off. Work was very difficult today. We are going through some budgetary issues and it was meeting after meeting after meeting. As soon as I was done at work, I met Mike and Trey at Hooters in Bricktown. I was going to shoot the Thunder game but had some issues and so we just went to the game and enjoyed it as a fan. It was one of the best games I have ever been to! Kevin Durant drained a three pointer at the buzzer to beat the World Championship Mav's! We came home and I freaking died! 46 and cloudy in Paris tonight! only 78 days to go!

Love you all!

Mat

Wednesday, December 28th, 2011

2011-12-28T21:02:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

As usual up at the butt crack of dawn. I put on a movie and started working on a slide show of Nick & Lisa \'s wedding. It was going pretty well when I had to leave for team. I was requested to bring bagels to team so I stopped and got them on my way. Team, then Flash, Post-Flash, Leadership and the Medical Executive Meeting and the Executive Counsel. OMG! It was 3:00 before I saw my office. I had a ton to catch up on before looking up and it was well after 5:30! I came home and Sherrie had made some tortilla soup, and I had some cheese and crackers. We have been looking at some places in Tulsa for New Years Eve and a very nice restaurant for dinner. I am taking Friday off from work and Trey and I are playing golf. I use to play every January 1st, but due to the fact that I am going to be out of town we will have to do it on Friday. It's 39 and partly cloudy in Paris tonight!

Love you all!

Mat

Tuesday, December 27th, 2011

2011-12-27T21:25:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

Up and straight to work. I had several meetings and my conference call, so there was plenty to do! I left the house a little before 7:00, hit Starbucks the dry cleaners and then took my new video camera to the lake to see what was moving. I shot some birds and then went to Edge Water to see what was moving in there. There were deer everywhere! I messed around in there for thirty minutes and then decided I better get to work. My new bestie in the world Ivy brought my a Venti Skinny Caramel.... I had to do her job for her last week when she went out of town! ;-) It was very much appreciated but not necessary! Anyway.... The morning was a buzz, with Flash, Post-Flash, Leadership, Marketing Meeting, and then preparing for my marketing conference call. I had a meeting with Chad and Tony to discuss length of stay and then my call. before I knew it, it was 3:00 and I had an evaluation from Texas to do. Sherrie called me and the battery on the car door opener wasn't working so I had to head to Edmond to rescue her. She stopped by and picked Nanny up and they made chicken tortilla soup for dinner. Sherrie and I cleaned up and then I started working on a presentation for Chad and Joe. I was suppose to fight Mike Giroux again tonight but last weekend I partially tore my Achilles on my left foot. Well what had happened was.... trey ran over my heel with a shopping cart! It is swollen 3 times larger than normal and black as midnight! I'm crashin! I looked at the Eiffel Tower Webcam and the whole tower was shrouded in fog..... It was 46 and froggy!

Love you all!

Mat

Monday, December 26th, 2011

2011-12-26T21:10:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

Up at 5:00 and in the shower.... Sherrie and I had some Khol's bucks we needed to spend so we went and got out early morning shop on. I got a sweater, Trey got a new polo, Sherrie got some pajama's, we got some new sheets, and a few gifts and it only cost us $31.00. We came home and brought the stuff in then stopped at Starbucks before going our separate ways. I got to work and in typical fashion it was a friggin mess. I have all of my reports due on Monday mornings, and then Chad scheduled a budget meeting for my department at 2:00. He later changed it to 12:30 so I skipped lunch to get ready for it.... I sat outside his office for well over an hour while he was finishing with Nicole. When I got in I found out a bunch of interesting information.... OH MY! I went back to the office and worked on minutes and agenda for my marketing meeting. I left a little after 4:00... All of my case managers and physicians were off today for the recognized holiday so no one was moving. I went to Wal-Mart and Sherrie helped me get the things we needed. I came home and Boomer had made a heck of a mess. I started taking down the Christmas trees, and then Sherrie came home and after she fixed me a wonderful dinner she helped me finish taking down the Christmas stuff, and clean the house up. I have been working on a project for Chad and watching the Thunder game on TV. I am suppose to spar Mike Giroux again tomorrow night. I hope he brings his "A" Game! 32 and Cloudy in Paris tonight!

Love you all!

Mat

Sunday, December 25th, 2011

2011-12-25T20:53:00.001-06:00

Namaste,

What can I say... First Christmas without mom! Sucked big time! Not a very joyous occasion, but we decided to try and make the best of it. I woke up at 4:00 and never really got back to sleep. Sherrie was awake at 5:00 and we just kinda laid there until 6:00. We got our showers and started cleaning house. With a giant dog and a muddy back yard it is a never ending cleaning project! Trey came through at about 7:00 and the we let him wake up Jordan and Josh. We did our presents. Sherrie got me an awesome JVC HD Video Camera.... Trey and I got her a Ruby and Diamond necklace. Trey got some Soul by Ludacris headphones, Jordan got a bunch of gift cards, and we got Josh a new pair of Vans and a couple of ties for work. Sherrie and I cooked a big breakfast, and then I worked on some pictures for Diane. Sherrie and I took a nap for a couple of hours and then I started watching basketball. I kinda just vegged out for most of the afternoon! Josh and Jordan went to his family's for most of the day but when the got back we all went over to Nanny's. We came back and the Thunder game was coming on. Joshes truck broke down so we had to got tow it back home. Merry Christmas to everyone. I looked at the webcam in Paris about 10 times today. It was nice.... 52 and broken clouds. Wish I was there now!

Love you all!

Mat

Saturday, December 24th, 2011

2011-12-25T07:19:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

I jumped up and started working on Diane's collage. I made about 15 different samples before making one I really liked. I got a call from Work and had to admit a patient so that threw me off my schedule. I wanted to be at Quail Springs at 8:00am to avoid the madness.... I woke Trey up with some Diddy and Kanye "Hello.... Good Morning!" He got dressed, we hit Vintage Coffee and then to the mall. We got our shop on! We left the mall went to Wal-Mart, and then Crest! When we got home I saw my bike hanging in the garage and even though it was only 38 degrees I decided to make Trey go with me to the lake and ride.... Well I rode and Trey sat in Louie's eating chips and salsa and I rode! ;-) I have not ridden in a couple of months and I could tell. I told Sherrie I was going to do 20 or 30 miles, but I got 2 miles into the ride and was in pain already! My lungs were burning! I was also 40 seconds per minute off my pace. I made it back around and went into Louie's to have a bite with Trey. We came back home and I had to close my eyes for a bit! I tried to lay down but got 20 calls from work. I got up and cleaned up a little, before Sherrie got here. Trey and I also made some cookies... Trey made snickerdoodles and I made Cranberry, Walnut, Oatmeal. Trey's cookies came out wonderful; however, mine came out like crap! I used the wrong kind of butter and my cookies turned into one cookie and then fell apart! When Jordan and Josh got here we loaded up and headed out to Mike and Marylin Isbell's house for their annual Christmas Eve party. We always have such a great time with the Isbell's... Josh is home from LA, and Matt and Lindsey and their girls, Matt's family.... The Tiptons were there.... There was so much food, and it was all soooooo good! We came home and waited for the kids to go to bed before we could finish some Christmas stuff. It was a very busy but great day. I got to spend it with my family, and friends! 48 and cloudy in Paris!

Love you all!

Mat

Friday, December 23rd, 2011

2011-12-24T06:13:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

Well it was a crazy day as everyone expected it would be. We had an employee appreciation breakfast at work, so several of the department heads came in early and cooked breakfast for the line staff. I made the eggs and of course they were all eaten. After meetings I went out into the field to see my patients I had working and saw several of my doc's. Everyone had pretty much discharged yesterday so it was fairly quiet in the facility. I met several of my co-workers at Applebee's for lunch and tried the new Chicken Bruchetta Salad. It was off the hook! I went back to work and started working through some emails... We had several families come through and about 4:00 we decided it would be safe to head out. I went by Wal-Mart and it was so crazy that I came straight home and cleaned a little. Curtis and Lisa came by and then when Sherrie got home we had to go to church. Trey and I got selected to work the Friday night service and it was really chilly, but everyone was in a great mood. Service was good and then we went to pick up the Jag at Firestone. It needed new tires.... Sherrie and Trey went by Johnnie's and I came home. One of my employees ask me to put together a collage for her, so I started working on that. I had a lot to get accomplished Saturday. I need to get several gifts, make cookies and clean the house a little. Jordan and Josh are coming to spend the night, and we have the Isbell's Christmas party tonight! Better get busy! 46 and sunny in Paris!

Love you all!

Mat

Thursday, December 22nd, 2011

2011-12-23T06:03:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

Up and working on pictures for Nick and Lisa.... I had to do an evaluation at the Midwest City at 6:30 so I left early. I stopped and got my coffee and then on to work. It took me an hour and a half to get the eval done, then on to flash, post flash and leadership before heading back into the field.... I had to be back at noon for my marketing meeting and then back into the field to do more evaluations. It was a crazy day with a lot of drama. I left at 5:00 and came home to change clothes. We were going to meet with Nick and Lisa so they could see their wedding pictures. They were running late so we went to Whole Foods and walked around. It was pretty cool. We bought a stuffed pork loin and some cheese. We went on to Bricktown and met Lisa and Nick.... They seemed to be really pleased with their wedding pictures. They are a really great couple! We came home to find a gift basket of cheese and crackers from Whole Foods on our front porch. Thanks Mike! I worked on some pictures for one of my employees before crashing!

Love you all!

Mat

Tuesda & Wednesday, December 20th & 21st, 2011

2011-12-22T05:49:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

Well as I have mentioned we have been very short handed at work and we have had end of year reviews and projections for next year so I have literally been working 20 hours a day for the last several days. I did take a couple hours for myself Tuesday night and meet my good friend and trainer Mike Giroux at a new gym in the middle of the hood. It is called "The Fight Factory!" It is in a old warehouse in the worst part of town, but the guy who opened it up is trying to reach inner-city kids which is kinda how 805 started. We warmed up and then a couple other guys that trained with us at 805 showed up. I went Three five minute rounds, and was pretty happy with my performance. I went 1 - 1 - 1! I submitted a young buck, got submitted by a buddy Justin, and had a draw with Mike Giroux... I am sore as crap!

Wednesday, was crazy... I had team, flash, post flash, leadership and then get ready for End of Year Performance Improvement. PI lasted for over two hours... I had two vent evals to do on the south side of the city.... I came straight home got Trey, Sherrie and Steph and we went to Longhorn for dinner. We ate like pigs then went to the mall. Probably a bad idea to take two women shopping after a bottle of wine. They tried on some really cute dresses and we got a few gifts... We came home and I had to prepare for my marketing meeting in the morning. It was a good night! 54 and cloudy in Paris!

Love you all!

Mat

Monday, December 19th, 2011

2011-12-19T21:23:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

Up at the crack of dawn and working till it was time to take Trey to school, hit Vintage and then on to work. I got there and all hell broke loose.... State showed up in our building for their annual survey and everyone was on edge, With Diane out this week I had to have everything uploaded and ready for my conference call before I could leave the building to see the 14 patients I needed to see. I got to the facility and got busy... I went back to my office at 2:00 and was on my call until three then had two in house evaluations to do. I worked until 5:30 and then drove straight home picked up Trey, my Smokin Hot Wife and Nanny to go to Trey's Christmas orchestra program. It was the same music they play every year, but it was not as long as usual. We came home and Sherrie made me some awesome stuffed mushrooms, and heated some pork roast from last night.... I am stuffed like a hog in slop! I am sparring one of my instructors and good friend Mike Giroux tomorrow night. I am really excited! 45 and partly cloudy in Paris tonight!

Love you all!

Mat

Friday, Saturday and Sunday December 16th, 17th and 18th 2011

2011-12-19T06:38:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

As you can prolly tell with three days rolled into one I have been swamped. I have had two employees out and more bull crap than one person should have to deal with so I will hit the highlights...

Friday was a blur of activity at work. I was at one of our Acute Care Facilities all day, and then home to clean up for the leadership Christmas Party... I got dressed and then had major drama at work so I had to go back before the party and straighten some stuff out.... To the party where I won the movie Planet of the Apes. Sherrie looked HOTTTTT! By far the hottest chick at the party.

Saturday morning I did an evaluation at 6:00am and then processed it. I had to jet back to Edmond to get to Trey's basketball game and then home to clean until Sherrie got off work. We then shopped, shopped, and shopped some more! We put the movie on and I fell asleep on the couch.

Sunday morning I got up had work to do, and then Trey and I went to church. From church I went straight to work to evaluate a patient and ended up doing three.... Trey was very angry with me! We came home and I cleaned, cleaned, cleaned until Sherrie came home. We loaded the bikes and went for a ride. When we got home we finished dinner. I had put a pork loin in the crock pot.... It was yummy! I worked some more, and then crashed hard! 39 and Sunny in Paris!

There you have it! My life is a whirlwind!

Love you all!

Mat

Thursday, December 15th, 2011

2011-12-16T05:39:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

Well what a whirl wind day... I was up at the butt crack of dawn, and busy following up on yesterdays activities at work. My AC Trina is in California so I have been overwhelmed this week. I took Trey to school, hit Vintage and then Jordan and I went to Midwest City. I got very busy, very early and it stayed that way all the way through the end of the day. I did break away to take Cindy and Amber to lunch. The afternoon was a blur... Cindy had to leave early and that's when it got fun! I had two more admissions on the hospital side and one to get moved to the Nursing Center. I did not leave until after six. Luckily Jordan was running late so she wasn't to mad at me. We came home and when Sherrie got home at 8:00 we ran to Khol's to find something for me to wear to the leadership Christmas dinner tonight. I found a couple of new sweaters and Sherrie found a few things for Jordan. We came home and I went straight to bed! 47 and Cloudy in Paris tonight!

Love you all!

Mat

Wednesday, December 14th, 2011

2011-12-14T21:02:00.001-06:00

Namaste,

Jordan slept in the bed with Sherrie so I slept or didn't sleep on the couch! I tossed and turned and then the dang alarm clock went off! I got up edited some pictures and then got Trey and Jordan up. We left early so I stopped at Vintage and then took Trey to school. Since I had team, Jordan drove my truck to the training center and then after flash, post-flash and leadership I had Cindy drop me off to get it and we all went to Venizia for Charles Miller's birthday lunch. Back to the office where I had two giant reports due and then an evaluation at Midwest City, and off to get Jordan and on to do another eval in the city. We came home and I had a little house work to do, before finishing the evals and getting ready for tomorrow! Not a very exciting day, but it was busy! 43 and broken clouds in Paris tonight! Like 97 days until we leave!

Love you all!

Mat

Tuesday, December 13th, 2011

2011-12-13T20:41:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

Up at 5:00 with every intention of finishing the wedding pictures I have been working on for a couple of weeks. I started working on reports for my meeting and then before I knew it I was running late for work. I took Trey to school, dropped my dry cleaning off and then headed to Midwest City.... I got busy immediately and then took Jordan to the Super Cuts training center. I ran back to work for my Flash, Post Flash, Leadership, and then my Marketing Meeting. By that time it was 11:30 and I was ready for lunch.... Unfortunately I had an eval to do and then there were several reports due. I had to do some internal marketing and a couple of family tours. I had some numbers to assemble for the Administrator and then I had to pick Jordan up at training. By the time we got to Edmond it was time to take Trey to basketball practice. I came home and heated up some left overs, then got started looking at emails. I had several from work that needed attention.... Before I knew it Trey was calling saying he was ready to be picked up from practice.... Oooops! I am going to work on pictures for a while and turn in early! 45 and scattered showers in Paris!

Love you all!

Mat

Monday, December 12th, 2011

2011-12-13T05:42:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

I got up and immediately started working on reports.... Monday is meeting day.... Well honestly everyday is meeting day! Jordan spent the night because she is in training at Super Cuts right next to my work, so I got her up and essentially we had five people trying to get ready at the same time. I took Trey to school, then Jordan and I went to Vintage and then off to Midwest City. Jordan hung out in the office while I got my day started then I took her to the training center at 8:30. I got busy at work we had the three morning meetings, and then I started getting ready for my conference call. It was kinda brutal.... We are discussing budgets for next year, and my budget numbers are increasing to almost unrealistic numbers. Oh well.... What are you going to do? I took Cindy to Pizza Inn at lunch for a salad bar. It is across the parking lot from Jordan's training center. She came in and had lunch with us. You could tell she didn't feel well.... I went back to work, and the afternoon was quite busy! I left at five picked Jordan up and then had to go to Gaillardia to pay rent for a friend of mine. We came home and Sherrie took Jordan to the evening clinic. They said she has an upper respiratory infection and gave her some antibiotics. I worked on budget numbers for several hours before crashing out! It was a long stressful day! 52 and rain in Paris!

Love you all!

Mat

Saturday & Sunday, December 10th, and 11th 2011

2011-12-11T23:08:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

Well after a late night I got up kinda early and edited pictures before heading to Wal-Mart to pick up some prints. I went by Hobby Lobby and then I was called to admit two patients. It took me a little while but I got it done. Trey's first game of the year was at noon, but his friends were playing at 11:00 so we went to watch them. Trey did so well at his game. He scored two points, had three rebounds, a block and a steal. His reward was Johnnie's. We came home and I had to lay down... I jumped up and did the floors, and then cooked Sherrie and Steph dinner. I made Asian salad with homemade dressing, grilled chicken and then cleaned up the mess. We all loaded up in the truck and drove through Nichols Hills, Chesapeake, and Thornbrooke looking at Christmas lights... Good day!

I got up at 5:00 and started editing pictures. I heard Sherrie in the bathroom and she was very ill... I told her to go back to bed. I got cleaned up and went on to church to work in the parking lot. I went by mom's and got the lawn trailer. My lawn was pretty shabby.... I wrapped an old T-Shirt around the exhaust to try to muffle the sound and when I looked behind me it was on fire.... I laughed my butt off! It took me a couple of hours to do everything I wanted to do with the lawn. I put all of my equipment except the big mower in storage and then took the trailer back to moms. I put the big mower in her garage, and then took the wheels and tires off the trailer. I need to have the tires replaced so I though I would drop them off tomorrow. I came in showered and helped Sherrie for a bit. I made her get up and move around a little.... She wanted to lay back down so we took a little nap, before getting up to edit some more pictures, and then Jordan and Josh showed up. Jordan is staying with us this week. She is working at the Super Cuts training center in Midwest City so she is just going to ride with me. Josh's truck was making a horrible noise so I took the left front tire off and it needed brakes. It took me a couple of hours to get it put together, and then I came in for shower number three and to do some reports for tomorrow. I am beat! 46 and rainy in Paris tonight!

Love you all!

Mat

Friday, December 10th, 2011

2011-12-10T08:21:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

Good grief, what a crazy day! I was editing pictures when one of my liaisons emailed me. She had her wisdom teeth pulled Thursday afternoon and was not feeling well so I took Trey to school and headed to work. Diane had 10 patients for me to see, but first I had to get my stuff in order. I got it going and headed into the field to get things going. I broke off at 11:30 and picked up Cindy and Trina and took the to Venezia for lunch. Trina was flying out to California for the next 9 days so I wanted to take them to the Christmas lunch before she left. I took them back to work and headed back out into the field. My afternoon was a blur.... I saw my patients and arranged several transports and then back to the office to organize. I left the office at 5:00 and hit traffic. Sherrie and I were having some friends over for a little Christmas party and she had her friend Sam come over to help cook. I got home changed clothes and headed out to take Boomer to mom's. We didn't want a bunch of kid's chasing him around.... I dropped Trey off at practice and then back to the house. We had a house full. I had friends from work, friends from Sherrie's school, and our best friends.... We had a great time with everyone. When the party ended about midnight, Sherrie and I still had to go back to mom's and get Boomer. He was so happy to see us that he jumped right in the truck. We came home and I cleaned up a bit before calling it a night! It's 41 and partly cloudy in Paris right now.... Looks chilly but BEAUTIFUL!

Love you all!

Mat

Thursday, December 8th, 2011

2011-12-08T21:33:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

Oh my.... My dang dog woke me up at 12:33 and I was only able to doze off and on for the rest of the night. Sherrie says that when I get up she cant sleep so I just laid there thinking about all the things I needed to be doing. I got up at 5:00 and started editing pictures. I left at 6:45 took Trey to school and then hit Vintage. I then had to run by the bank for Jordan and go by the post office to mail Christmas cards. I headed to work and it was non stop from the time I walked in the door until I left at 11:15 to go to a meeting downtown. The meeting went excellent and then I had to go check on seven patients for one of my girls who was having oral surgery. I wrapped that up and had one more eval to do at this nasty nursing home on the north east side of the city. I couldn't stay there very long it had an odor that was..... Well, let's just say not pleasant! I came home and Sherrie had been cleaning for several hours and the house looked great! I took Trey and Sherrie to Louie's for a bite and then off to Wal-Mart to pick up some essentials..... We came home and I cleaned the laundry room while Sherrie finished the cleaning the rest house! We have been finishing the Christmas cards. It is about time for bed... 41 and cloudy in Paris!

Love you all!

Mat

Wednesday, December 7th, 2011

2011-12-08T06:12:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

Up and editing pictures... This is gonna take a while due to the fact that the lighting in the church was bad and I have several shadows to remove from each image. I took Trey to school a little bit early hit Vintage and then off to work. We were having team, when my employee Amber called and she had a flat tire. I jumped up drove to the west side of Moore to change her tire and then back to Midwest City to meet with some family's.... Amber and I had a lunch appointment in Norman so I took off at 11:00. Our meeting went well... We got two referrals out of the meeting so I consider that a success! I made it back to Midwest City just after 1:00 and had nothing but DRAMA! We had a couple of patients that were borderline. They are really sick, and very expensive so I have to justify why we should take these patients. Then I had to caress a doctor that we brought on staff, and he was not real clear on how the system works. Then there was a patient in the ER that we had to make arrangements on through her insurance.... Just really busy! I was suppose to leave at 2:30 so I could make it to Deer Creek at 3:30 for Trey's scholar squad competition. Sherrie was on her way home from clinicals so I came to the house and waited on her. We drove out to Deer Creek and got to watch the last two rounds of the meet. Trey kicked butt, and his team won! We left there and stopped at Cafe 7, for a bite to eat then off to Sams, and Target. We came home and started working on Christmas cards. I do not ever want a duplication of yesterday.... Too Crazy! 48 and pouring rain in Paris today!

Love you all!

Mat

Tuesday, December 6th, 2011

2011-12-06T21:54:00.001-06:00

Namaste,

Up and ready for work... I edited pictures for a while and then worked on the agenda for my morning meeting. I took Trey to school and then hit Vintage. I made my way to Midwest City to continue getting ready for my morning meeting. Chad, and Bobby were out so Paula and I ran Post Flash, and Leadership. I had my marketing meeting and then did two evaluations..... I was suppose to have a luncheon with a big hospitalist group at noon, but they called and had double booked, so we are going Thursday. I took Trina to Arby's and to get a sandwich and back to the office. I got the doctors Christmas presents ordered and then did a couple family tours. I had a Marketing plus Christmas party at McNeillys pub at 4:30. My buddy Riccardo was there and we had a good talk. My girl Patty came in and I took off to get Trey. He had basketball practice at 7:00... I came home did some laundry and mopped the floor. I finished the first rounds of edits on the wedding pictures. That was the easy part! Now for final edits. Sherrie just got home from work and we are headed to bed! 48 and pouring rain in Paris right now!

Love you all!

Mat

Monday, December 5th, 2011

2011-12-05T21:50:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

Holy cow it was cold this morning... I have decided to start running again; However, number one I have turf toe on my left big toe, and number two it was 5 degrees with the wind chill this morning, so number one I stayed in bed 10 extra minutes, and number two I took a long hot shower! I worked on pictures for an hour before taking Trey to school hitting Vintage and then off to work. I got to work and it was a typical Monday. All of my Liaison reports due by 9:00 and all of my reports due by 10:00 in addition to flash, post, lleadership and then a couple of evaluations. Sherrie had an instructor that was not feeling well so she let them out at 11:30 so she went to lunch with me and my girls. We had Chinese.... It was YUMMY! Sherrie came home and I went back to work. I got the doctors Christmas presents ordered and worked on my information for my conference call. My call was great our numbers for last month were off the charts, so they had nothing for me. I left a few minutes before 5:00 so I could return the Santa suit that we rented for the Christmas party. It took me more than an hour to get home. I made Trey a deal that if he would help me straighten the house I would take him to get a bite at Louie's. We got there ate and were home before Monday Night Football started. I made my agenda for my marketing meeting and did my expense reports.... I am beat! I found a live video stream of the Eiffel Tower http://www.earthcam.com/france/paris/ In the top right it tells you the weather... In the bottom left it tells you the date and time of day. I have found myself watching this live stream of an inanimate object for hours.... I cant wait to get there!

Love you all!

Mat

Sunday, December 5th, 2011

2011-12-05T05:57:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

Up and editing pictures... I woke everyone up and got ready for church. We had an orchestra playing before and after the service so I made Trey stay inside with Sherrie. It was really cold out! I was so thankful that the wind was not blowing. The service was good... We left and went to Crest to get so essentials, then home to unload. Sherrie had to be at work at 11:00 so Trey and I cleaned out the fridge, and then we watched a little football. I was not interested so I made him get dressed and we went to the mall, then Best Buy. It is just crazy out there this time of year. When we got home I went into OCD mode and started cleaning. I made a fabulous dinner and then cleaned up.... I got busy editing pictures before getting a head start on my weekly reports.

Love you all!

Mat

Saturday, December 3rd, 2011

2011-12-04T11:23:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

It was a short night... I had a wedding to shoot and I hate shooting weddings so I laid in bed thinking about what I needed to get accomplished. I usually have Sherrie's help with big shoots but she had to work... I got up and made my list and then set out at 10:00 in the pouring rain to meet Lisa the bride at MAC in Penn Square to do the make-up pictures. I got there right at 10:30 and she was very ill, so she was an hour late. I walked around the mall, and then found a place to sit for an hour. Once she got there and we got into the flow everything was great. We went straight from the mall to the church to do the hair pictures and then the ceremony. Everything went really fast and it was very hectic due to the fact that we were a full hour behind schedule. The reception was suppose to be over at 6:30 but the couple were ready to leave at 5:30 so they made their get away, and I headed home. I was excited to get home and watch the bedlam game, but OU never made it to the game so some Jr. High team put on OU's uniforms and played like pee-wee players. I went to bed a 1/2 time. It's 54 and raining in Paris. I forgot to post the weather yesterday... I was focused on getting the wedding stuff done!

Love you all!

Mat

Friday, December 2nd, 2011

2011-12-03T07:33:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

It was a cold, cold morning... I got up and had to get gas, so Trey and I went to fill-up. I went in and got him a fritter... He put it in my glove box, and said "Thanks, but I'm not hungry!" I took him to school, hit Vintage and then took off to pick-up Chad. We were having our company Christmas party and, Chad's wife Shannon was picking up Sherrie so I took Chad to work so we would each only have one car at the party. We got to the office and I remembered that I had promised my girls I would bring them breakfast. We had several meetings and then we went to an early lunch. When we got back there were a few of us that loaded up my truck and went over to the community center to set-up for our Christmas party. We made several trips back and forth to the hospital, and then Veronica and I went to Wal-Mart to get flowers.... I got several calls and had to go work out an admission, then Brandy and I had to run and get table cloths. I got another call at 5:30 and had to go back to the office and work out another admit.... I got back to the party at 6:30. We had a little dinner and then Sherrie and I got busy taking pictures. It was great to see all the kid's having such a good time, but it made it very clear that I am really glad my kid's are in their teens and I will never have to deal with the craziness again! The leadership team had to stay and clean the community center... Thank God Sherrie helped me mop the whole building. We did not get home until 11:00.

Love you all!

Mat

Thursday, December 1st, 2011

2011-12-01T21:10:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

I stayed in bed until 5:20 and then got my shower. I returned emails and did some writing.... I had the Oklahoma Hospital Association Trade Show at the Cox center today. I was suppose to be there at 7:30 but ended up driving around downtown with my camera. I only took a few pictures but they are awesome. I would download them and post them here but I just put my camera batteries on the chargers. The show was very weird... It was very slow until 11:00 and when the classes out out we had a crazy rush then it died again around 1:00 when the classes started back up. I did have to leave for a little while and run to one of the downtown hospitals and do an evaluation then back to the show. We could not break down until 3:30... The minute I got loaded up I headed home and the minute I got home Sherrie was standing in the door wearing her spandex running pants. I put my running gear on and we took off through the Valley. I don't think she knew how cold it was outside! ;-) We ran to the bridge and back..... When we got home we cooked dinner and then ran to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things. $82.00 later we came home and I have been organizing for the next couple of days. I have a Christmas Party to shoot tomorrow night, then a wedding to shoot Saturday. Maybe one day I will slow down for a minute? 52 and cloudy in Paris right now!

Love you all!

Mat

Wednesday, November 30th, 2011

2011-11-30T21:21:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

I let Boomer out at 4:30 and then just laid in bed. Jordan stayed again last night and was up with Trey all night.She would come in the bed room every couple of hours and give us an update on how he was doing. Today was Sherrie's first day at Deaconess and she had never been there before so I told her I would drive over there and she could follow me. I was going that way anyway.... I had to pick one of my employee's up this morning. We went to work and there was a lot of clean up work from yesterday. We had several meeting today including Medical Executive Committee. As soon as that was done I had two evaluations to do, and then load up and head to the Cox convention center to set up for the Oklahoma Hospital Association trade show. Amber and I got set up and realised we left 1/2 of our stuff back at the hospital so I went back to get it, then stopped at Lowe's to get caution tape and hard hats. I went back to the Cox Center and we finished setting up then I came home. Sherrie cooked a great dinner of Talipia, stuffed mushrooms and salad. As soon as the mess was cleaned up Sherrie and I took Jordan back to Norman.... We put Elf in the DVD player and then drove by Chesapeake on the way home. They spend thousands of hours each year on lights. Sherrie has to finish her outline so I am going to let her use my computer. 46 and clear in Paris right now!

Love you all!

Mat

Tuesday, November 29th, 2011

2011-11-30T05:56:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

What a morning... I got up early and took Steph to work. Since Jordan and Trey were asleep in the living room I worked from the bedroom. I left early because Dr. Soter needed to have team today.... Jamie told me it was my turn to bring bagels so I stopped at Panera and then got to work.... Team went really long, and that lead right into Flash, Post-Flash, Leadership, then I had to go to a facility on the west side of town to do two evaluations. I ran back to the facility to make arrangements for these people to come in. On the way back I stopped at Steak and hake and got a grilled chicken sandwich.... When I got back to the office I had to do a family tour and then I ate the chicken off my sandwich. The reason I am telling you that is because the chicken was really good. I had four more evaluations to do in the facility so I was running crazy for a couple of hours. I finished up around six and headed home. Jordan took Trey to the doctor and he has an upper respiratory infection, so I ran by Wal-Mart to get his meds, and then home. He had a 105.1 degree temp so I called Sherrie at work and she came right home. I let her take care of the baby while I cleaned the house.... Remember Jordan was here so the house was not necessarily clean! :-) I came to bed early.... The rest of the week is going to be super busy! It's 50 and sunny in Paris today!

Love you all!

Mat

Monday, November 28th, 2011

2011-11-28T21:26:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

Up at the butt crack of dawn.... I did some work and got my reports ready for the morning. I took Trey to school went to Vintage Coffee, Comet Cleaners, MidFirst Bank and then went to work. I needed to get my reports uploaded and then flash, post flash, leadership, and then get ready for my 2:00pm conference call. I had to run to Sherrie's school at 1:00 and then straight back to work. I was crazy busy all afternoon, and as I was leaving work I called Trey and could barely understand him. He has a sore throat, headache and painful joints. I went by Wal-Mart and got him some NyQuil and Chloraseptic. I was going to TRX, but the baby boy needed his papa! I came home and made him some dinner and put him on the couch. I called Jordan and she came to Edmond to help take care of him. Sherrie has class tomorrow and I have a bunch of meetings so it will be awesome that Jordan will be here to help him get to the doctor. Sherrie came home early to be with the family. We are having a good family night even though Trey is sick as a dog! 43 and Dark in Paris. They are seven hours ahead of us. 108 days to go!

Love you all!

Mat

Sunday, November 27th, 2011

2011-11-28T05:41:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

I stayed in the warm bed until 6:30 and then got up and got ready for church. Trey and I worked the parking lot at Peoples Church then went in for service. It was awesome. We flew home as quickly as the law would allow, then Sherrie, Stephanie and I went to Life Church. I saw a couple old friends of mine. It was a good service too, but I spent most of my time in the lobby working. I brought them home and then Trey and I went to Ross, Micheal's, Old Navy, Arby's, Sam's, Best Buy, Super Target, and Radio Shack! We were home by 2:30 and I was beat! I laid down for an hour before getting up washing the car and putting it on Ebay. About an hour later I had an offer.... I was so excited until I got an Email that said I needed to Western Union $600 so they could arrange shipping then they would pay the balance on Paypal.... I used some choice words to let them know I am not as stupid as the average dummy! I wrapped some Christmas presents, made a big bowl of guacamole, cleaned up some dishes, mopped the floors, and vacuumed the floors. When Sherrie got home from work we talked about France for a while, then went to bed. I bought a black canvas at Micheal's and drew a picture of the Eiffel tower.... It's kind cheesy but I tried! 46 and cloudy in Paris today!

Love you all!

Mat

Saturday, November 26th, 2011

2011-11-26T21:52:00.002-06:00

Namaste,

Another busy day. I got up had my coffee and then cleaned up. Trey and I were given tickets to the OU Vs. Iowa State football game by my buddy Clark Mitchell. Clark has a friend who owns an apartment complex just north of campus corner and he said we could park there as long as I was there by 9:00. We got there a few minutes before 9:00 and parked. We walked over to campus corner and Teddy Lehman was over signing autographs so Trey and I went to the Apothem and bought an autograph football. We had Teddy sign it and then took it back to the truck. We walked over to New York Pizza... Trey had a slice of pepperoni and I had a salad. We walked out to Starbucks and Barry Switzer was doing a radio broadcast. I introduced Trey to him and told Barry that that was Treys first OU game. I also told him that his OU Vs. Iowa State game in 1983 was my first OU game that my dad took me too. He smile real big. We met Christopher Mitchell and walked over to the stadium. He and Trey have so much in common. The like the same sports, the same teams, and GIRLS! We got into the stadium and before Christopher went to his seat I took a picture of him and Trey. We went to our seats and we were only 5 rows off the field. It was raining, and about 20 degrees with a sustained winds at 40 miles per hour. We stayed until the middle of the fourth period and Trey was an ice cube so we headed to the truck. Jordan wanted us to come to her apartment and see her so we went by for a couple minutes, then headed back to Edmond. We went by Wal-Mart so Trey could tell his mom about the game. She was sorry she could not have gone with us, but she would have been miserable. Trey and I came home and I started dinner. I made a veggie lasagna, and a regular lasagna. It took forever to make them, and then when they were done I wasn't even hungry. We ate a little and then I made Trey go to Hobby Lobby with me. I had a painting I needed to have framed and then picked up a football, and a basketball case. We came home and I wrapped a few Christmas presents, cleaned the kitchen and have been on the couch being lazy! It's 45 and broken clouds in Paris right now. 109 days to go!

Love you all!

Mat

Friday, November 25th, 2011

2011-11-26T07:21:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

Sherrie and I decided not to get up and go Black Friday shopping. We stayed in bed until seven and then got up got dressed and stopped at Wal-Mart before heading to Midwest City. I had a patient coming in at 1:00 and needed to do an update so we would have all of the current vent settings. We waited for two hours before the case managers faxed me the information. Sherrie and I went to Golden Palace for lunch and then came back to Edmond. We went to Bob Moore and tried to make a deal on a Jeep Liberty. They didn't want to give us anything for the Jag so we decided to try and sell it outright and buy something later. I brought Sherrie home so she could go to work and I got called back to Midwest City. I had to do an eval at Midwest Regional and then headed back to Edmond. I tricked Trey into going to Wal-Mart with me. I needed to get my prescription and ended up spending $85.00 on that Turd Monkey. We were starving and I had just bought everything to make lasagna but we decided to go to Louie's instead! My sister Lindsey was working and took great care of us as usual! Sherrie came home at 7:30 and she bought me a movie. We sat in the living room and watched Faster before going to bed. We laid in bed and talked until way after midnight. Saturday is going to be a busy day. Thanks to my good friend Clark, Trey and I are going to the OU game today. They are playing Iowa State.... Ironically, Iowa Sate Vs. OU was the first college football game my dad took me to. It is suppose to be freezing cold and raining, so I laid out our clothes. After the game we are going by Jordan's apartment to see her. It's 45 and cloudy in Paris today. only 110 days!

Love you all!

Mat

Thursday, November 24th, 2011

2011-11-25T07:41:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

Happy Thanksgiving! Kinda lazy morning... Sherrie and I got up got dressed and then went for a ride looking for some fall picture opportunities.... We ended up over at Holmstead and took a few pictures and then went to Wal-Mart to get breakfast stuff. Sherrie cooked breakfast and then we got ready to go to Midwest City to serve lunch to the employees at Specialty Hospital. We were there for three hours and then home to chill for a bit before heading out to Chad and Shannon Lovett's house for Thanksgiving with their family. Chad's mom and sister were in town so we enjoyed getting to know them and hanging out a bit. We brought Trey home and then Sherrie and I went to moms to get the mail and pick up a pair of ear rings that Jordan had given her. We came home and Sherrie started working on an outline for a paper she is writing and I edited some pictures! It is 46 and cloudy in Paris today!

Love you all!

Mat

Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011

2011-11-24T06:25:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

Happy Thanksgiving eve! I was the only person in the family that had to be at work or school, so I got up and headed to Vintage before heading on to work. My Sherrie missed me so much, that she called me and talked to me all the way to work. She is the sweetest thing in the world! Work was unbelievably crazy.... I had two liaisons out and both of my admission coordinators were leaving early. Good thing my building is full! I had to go to Midwest City Regional and talk to a patient about his insurance. I headed home and Sherrie and I decided to go look at cars. We both need a new ride! We went to the Lincoln dealership and drove a Ford Escape. It was pretty nice....We went to Bob Moore Cadillac and drove a Jeep Liberty and a Ford Mustang.... We had a great time just driving cars. I was pretty darn hungry, so we went to Lottinvilles and shared a chicken sandwich. We rented "The Change-up!" It was great! I was draggin so we went to bed to watch part of Star-Trek.... I don't remember starting the movie! It's 48 and cloudy in Paris right now... The weather is very similar to us here!

Love you all!

Mat

Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011

2011-11-23T05:55:00.001-06:00

Namaste,

Slept like a log! Got up and worked on some numbers for my Monthly Operational Review conference call. I played with some pictures and then got ready for work. I had Sherrie take Trey to school so I could get to team. Our doc that attends team needed to move it to Tuesday because she was heading out of town. Team went long.... We skipped flash, and post, but I met with Chad and then back to the office for more number crunching. I helped the girls in the office for a while. I was suppose to help serve the patients and their families Thanksgiving lunch but got caught with a family. I went to the conference room at 1:00 and they had just finished P&T so I had a bit of salad, and some cookies! Our call lasted forever, but it was OK.... I went back to the office and got report from Patty. Patty and Diane will both be off the rest of the week so that leaves me and Amber to cover the whole city. I left work at 4:45 and went straight to TRX. Coach Raphael tried to kill us again, but it was a good workout! I had made arrangements to meet a couple in Bricktown. I am shooting their wedding on December 3rd, and wanted to meet them face to face. There are awesome and we are going to have a blast shooting their wedding! I came home and made a bite to eat, and then Sherrie made it home from work. We hung out for a bit before going to bed. We were both exhausted. It's sunny and 50 degrees in Paris right now. ;-)

Love you all!

Mat

Monday, November 21st, 2011

2011-11-22T06:03:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

Been sleeping much better....It was really chilly in the house and I did not want to get outta bed; However, there is this place I have to go everyday called work! I had several reports due at 9:00am so I started working on them. I took Trey to school, hit Vintage and then went out Memorial to Midwest Boulevard.... I try and take a different route everyday for a couple different reasons. The first is I-35 is a mad house, Broadway Extension is ridiculous, and I-40 is gridlock. I also look for things to take pictures of. I got to the office and got busy immediately. I had most of my reports done by 9:00 which was good since I had flash, post flash, leadership and then took my girls to lunch. When we got back I had to get ready for my Monday conference call.... I rocked the call due to the fact that we are so jam packed on both sides of our building. The afternoon got hairy due to some room change issues. I needed a guy to move so we could move two patients into the room he was in and then bring two over from the Specialty Hospital, and then bring two in from an outside facility. The guy didn't want to move, and my blood pressure started climbing! I finely got it to happen and then bugged out to get to TRX. I got onto I-35 and it turned into gridlock. It took me an hour to go 6 miles. When I got to the I-35 - I-40 interchange there was a truck that had flipped over and was on northbound and southbound lanes. I was meeting my brother and sister at moms to discuss what to do next... I got there a few minutes before six and walked through the house. We have decided to put the house on the market and let it go. I took some of the pictures from around the house. Pictures of the kids, and Sherrie and I. We cleaned out the fridge and freezer.... I came home and Sherrie was on her way home from work. I made a bite to eat and then we cleaned up Boomers mess. It had rained all day and he tracked mud in everywhere. We watched a little football before bed. I can't stop thinking about France.... I looked over my guide for a few minutes and it has sooooo much "stuff" that no one would ever care about. It is going to take a bit to get it edited. I might get to a little of it tonight. I am meeting a couple tonight that hired me to shoot their wedding on December 3rd.

Love you all!

Mat

Sunday, November 21st, 2011

2011-11-21T05:52:00.001-06:00

Namaste,

I did not want to get up.... It was cold and drizzling and my bed was so warm and cozy! I got cleaned up and ready for church, but couldn't get Trey up so I went ahead and went and worked the parking lot. I stopped at a couple of car dealers on the way to see if they had anything I wanted.... I left after working the lot and came home. I was going to sneak attack everyone and have breakfast made before they got up, but by the time I had it ready everyone was up... I made eggs, sausage, toast, and fresh sliced fruit. I cleaned up my mess and then went to Crest to get a few things before heading down to guitar center. The cymbals that go with Joshes drum set are crap so I wanted to go look at some used cymbals. It was cheaper to buy a 3 pack of Zildjian cymbals. I came home put them on the set and plugged my Ipod in. I played for a couple hours! ;-) Trey made me some lunch, then I laid on the couch and watched football and napped for the rest of the afternoon. All three of my photoshoots were cancelled due to the weather. It was cold and nasty, so that was OK! Sherrie got off work at 4:30 and made me a wonderful dinner. She made Salmon, Asian vegetables, stuffed mushrooms and sweet potatoes. It was the best meal I have had in a long time. I finished Joy Pierson's daughters pictures so Sherrie and I met her and gave her a disk and the went to Home Depot to get a switch for the ceiling fan in our room. Trey and I fixed the fan and then I had to fix the shower head in the kid's bathroom.... Pretty lazy day! I loved it! 117 days to Paris!

Love you all!

Mat

Saturday, November 19th, 2011

2011-11-19T20:34:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

I did not sleep very well, but I woke up at the butt crack of dawn anyway! I came in the living room and printed some pictures for Trey's English project. I headed out to Home Depot at 7:00 and then picked up the lawn trailer at moms and headed to the Edmond property... The wonderful Mrs. Jones met me there and picked up limbs and trash for a couple of hours to help me out, and then came home to get ready for work. I finished up about 12:30 took the trailer back to mom's and came home. I grabbed a shower and then made a few nacho's. I ate and watched a little football before dozing off for an hour. Jordan and Josh came by to borrow the Wii. When I took it off the shelf there was two inches of dust around it.... You know my OCD kicked in and that made me dust the whole house. I mopped the whole house cleaned the bathrooms and did the laundry, before sitting down to watch the OU game and edit some pictures. I am taking tomorrow off except for a couple of photoshoots tomorrow evening! 119 days to Paris!

Love you all!

Mat

Friday, November 18th, 2011

2011-11-19T05:56:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

I was up before the alarm clock and working on Joy Pierson's, daughter Catalina's pictures. They are pretty good..... I wanted to get them finished before I do my shoots this weekend. I have three shoots Sunday afternoon. I took Trey to school and then headed to Vintage before work. I keep snacks in my office for myself and the girls so I stopped at the new neighborhood market and got some pop-tarts and trail mix. I had promised the girls I would help them get caught-up on their paperwork so I stayed in the office most of the day. We did have a baby shower for Jennifer Whitehead at noon... My boss emailed me and needed an update as to where we were census wise. I continued to help the girls and had an opportunity to duck out about 2:45.... I came home and Sherrie was on her way home from clinicals at Baptist. It was her last day at Baptist and she was in ER... It was also Trauma day at Baptist so she got to see some crazy stuff! When she got home she looked exhausted so we laid down for an hour. I was up and down with these dang pets, but I got up got dressed and then took Trey to basketball practice. I came home and picked Sherrie up and we went downtown Edmond to Italian Jim's. It is a new restaurant that is attached to a glass blowing place. So while you are waiting on your table they are creating art next door and you sit in there and watch. It was awesome. The food was wonderful and one of the waitresses was one of Jordan's friends from school, Kat Flippo. I recognized her and told Sherrie. Sherrie said hi to her, and she knew who she was but couldn't place her.When Sherrie told her she was Jordan's mom, she couldn't believe how great she looked. She kept looking at me but never spoke to me. When we were leaving we were saying bye to her and she finely figured out who I was.... She told Sherrie that she though she had remarried and just had a thing for bald guys! That was funny and made me feel pretty good. We left the restaurant and headed to Wal-Mart, then hit Academy, Khol's and then one more Wal-Mart. Sherrie got a couple new sweaters, some new thermals for under her scrubs, a cute little furry hooded vest, and then a SMOKING HOT new dress for our executive Christmas party. I need a fourth job now!!!!! We came home and my sister had picked Trey up from practice and then took him to dinner. They had come back to the house to watch osu Vs. ISU. Febe left and Sherrie and I watched the end of the game. ISU beat #2 osu in overtime and that made me really happy! I am tired of hearing how great osu is and how they were going to the National Championship game.... HAHA! Not gonna happen stunned aggies!

Love you all!

Mat

Thursday, November 17th, 2011

2011-11-17T20:53:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

I did not sleep well, so when I let Boomer out at 4:45 I went ahead and got my shower then laid back down for a few minutes. I got up and started working on Catalina's pictures before dropping Trey off at school, hitting Vintage and then on to work. Work was good... We are so full that we are sending patients to our competitors. My girls have been working so hard that I promised them a good lunch, so I took them to Pelican's. We all had salad bar and I had some oysters. We went back to the office and I met with a few patients, and then met with our Medical Director Dr. Amin. I left a little after 4:00 and headed home, but stopped at Bob Moore to look at a truck before coming on home. I had planned on going to TRX but there was too much to do here at the house so I elected to do that stuff instead. I needed a day off. My arms are really sore and my back hurts.... I know poor me. I wanted to have the house nice and clean since Sherrie had school all day and had to work tonight. FYI... It is 41 degrees and cloudy in Paris right now. They are seven hours ahead of us, so it is 4:00am there! I am so excited.... 120 days until we leave!

Love you all!

Mat

Wednesday, November 16th, 2011

2011-11-17T05:39:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

I was up early and working on pictures for a young lady that I did on Sunday afternoon. I had to be at work early for team.... I hit Vintage, dropped Trey off and then straight to work. Team lasted three hours and then I had some things to do in the office before heading to Macaroni Grill to meet some case managers with Patty and Nicole my director of case management. I had a wild mushroom and goat cheese flatbread and it was wonderful! I brought 1/2 of it home.... Back to work, where I had one of the biggest meetings I have ever been a part of. That information is classified ;However, if we land this deal my job will be so much easier! I left work at 4:45 and came home. Sherrie and I had some time together last night. Trey was locked up in his room listening to his new Drake album he downloaded and playing video games. The weather has turned cold and windy.... It's ironic that the weather in Paris is exactly like it is here today!

Love you all!

Mat

Tuesday, November 15th, 2011

2011-11-16T05:47:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

No sleep = No bueno.... I finished the Erkenbrack pictures and then got ready for work. We had probate court this morning.... It was just setting a date for the hearing to dissolve all of moms assets. I was a little off when I left because although I was headed to work, I was going North instead of East to work. I got to work and started helping the girls get things in order. We have been slammed the last week and it seems that when we have a bed open, we have four patients to put in it.... I am not going to complain about it at all! This is a great month to bonus! I had my weekly department meeting at noon and had lunch brought in for it. The meeting went a little long. We went right back to work and the afternoon was just as busy! I left at 4:30 and thank God I made it to the gym again for TRX. I am soooo sore that I can barely lift my arms but it was awesome. Stephanie took Trey to basketball for me.... I came home and did my chores. I called in an order at Louie's, because Lindsey was working and I needed to drop off her disk of pictures. I got to Treys school to get him a few minutes late and then we came home ate dinner and I got him in the shower. My friend Trina had her Gastric Sleeve procedure yesterday. Sherrie and I went to see her at 8:45 and to my surprise she was sitting up in her chair with make-up on and watching TV. I know I did not look that good after my surgery so I have high hopes for Trina. She is driven, and motivated. Trina is one of my hero's! Trina ask me about my guide to France and I promise I will get it finished soon. It was 287 pages and I need to find a way to get it down to a couple hundred pages!

Love you all!

Mat

Monday, November 14th, 2011

2011-11-15T06:00:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

Worked on pictures and escaped reality... It was after all Monday Morning. I worked on Jodi's pictures first.... I know she is using them as a gift so I wanted to get them done quickly. I took Trey to school, hit Vintage and then off to work. I took the back roads to see if there was anything to take pictures of. Not much moving. The sun rise was beautiful but no great spots to get a shot. Work was unbelievable... Non-stop from the time I walked in the door until the time I left at 4:30. Not even time for lunch! Thank God I had some pop-tarts stashed in my desk. I had my gear for TRX so I went to the gym, and it was amazing! Coach Jessica taught and she is intense! When I left my arms were jello. Sherrie had to work until 10:00pm so Trey and I met Mike and Jason at Buffalo Wild Wings for a couple of hours and then came home. Boomer had tracked mud in all over the house so I had to do the floors. Sherrie got home at 10:30 and we went straight to bed. I have my clothes laid out for TRX tomorrow. Only problem is Trey has basketball at 6:15 so it's gonna be hard to make everything work! only 120 more days until Paris! Wish it were sooner!

Love you all!

Sunday, November 13th, 2011

2011-11-14T05:30:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

I got up at 5:30 and worked on the Erkenbrack family pictures.... I got my shower and Trey and I headed off to church. Sherrie brought the Ray family with her and after Trey and I were done in the parking lot we went in for service. We came home and Sherrie made a huge breakfast before the Ray's hit the road to go home. They left and Sherrie went to work, so I had two choices.... Clean the house or go shopping! I went shopping! I got Trey some new school shoes, and then I found four new sweaters and then went to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things. I came home and put together a casserole and made guacamole before heading down to Bricktown for a double photoshoot. I was taking senior pictures of Joy Pierson's daughter, as well as, the whole Peters family. It was crazy.... The wind was brutal, but I got it done. I came home and put dinner in the oven, made some queso, and then we ate like pigs. Sherrie and I went for a run through the Valley and then home to edit pictures. We went to bed a little after 10:00... It is going to be a very busy week!

Love you all!

Mat

Sunday, November 112th, 2011

2011-11-13T06:09:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

I stayed in bed until 6:30am, and then jumped in the shower. Sherrie got up and made a giant breakfast and I cleaned the floors. We woke everyone up and had a great breakfast before Bruce and I ran to the flea market so I could get some cheap sunglasses and then we came home to start cooking our Thanksgiving Lunch. Bruce and I fry the turkey and the girls cook everything else. Sherrie's Nanny came, her mom and her boyfriend A.L. came, and then the whole Ray family so we had a house full. We had Turkey, and dressing, a big ham, mashed sweet taters, regular taters, green bean casserole, rolls, apple pie, pumpkin pie, and everything else you could ever imagine. I was exhausted after eating but it was time to clean everything up.As is tradition.... Courtney and Georgia help me decorate for Christmas, and even though we are still two weeks away from Thanksgiving we put up two Trees, and all of the other decorations. I had a photoshoot withe the Erkenbrack family at 3:30 and thank goodness Sherrie went to help because the wind was crazy, and she had to be on point to help with the girls hair. We came home and I started working on pictures. I had stopped at Wal-Mart and got a chicken to put in the fryer, just because so Bruce and I cooked it up. We had dinner and then I worked on pictures some more. We just kinda hung out and visited.... Watched football. It was a great day! I'm gonna make Trey earn some of his France money tomorrow. We have two photoshoots to do and then some clean up around the house.

Friday, November 11th, 2011

2011-11-11T21:35:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

Happy 11-11-11.... Up at 5:00 so everyone else could get their showers and get off to work and clinicals. I took Trey to school, hit Vintage for my skinny Carmel latte, and then took the back roads to work. Work was non stop, as usual... Meeting, meeting, meeting eval, eval, eval.... I had planned on having a solid lunch and then leaving right after my meeting at 2:00. Well my meeting at 2:00 went 30 minutes long and then I ended up having three more evals to do. One of our competitors is having staffing trouble and so they were sending most of their patients out, so I worked well into the night from home. Sherrie made her famous Gnocchi soup and of course everyone ate until they were stuffed! Bruce and I took the turkey fryer pot to the car wash and cleaned it up, then we came home and boiled some soapy water in it.... We came in and injected the turkey with spices and butter then sat down for a bit to visit and watch Superman (Braylon) play. It has been a long week! I will finish the guide to France in the next couple of days and post it.

Love you all!

Mat

Thursday, November 10th, 2011

2011-11-10T22:04:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

Jordan slept in the bed with Sherrie and I last night.... Kinda reminded me of the days when she was three only she's a little bigger and she mumbles in her sleep. I had to let Boomer out at 4:00 and never went back to sleep. I got up cleaned up and then came in the living room to do some work. Sherrie took Trey to school and I stopped at Vintage! I drove to work and did an eval, then Flash, Post, and leadership. I had three evals to do at Edmond LTACH. I had promised Elisa the case manager that I would bring her lunch so I stopped at Louie's before going in. We ate and then I started copying charts. I was there for three hours. I headed back to Midwest City to write up the evals. My head was bobbing so I grabbed a cup of coffee and then headed home. Our company was on their way so I mopped the floors while Sherrie cooked a wonderful dinner. We ran to Sam's and picked up the last few items. We came home and cleaned out some cabinets before sitting down to look at some stuff on the computer. I showed Sherrie some video from Nepal, and then part of my guide to France. My phone has been doing some weird things so I re-set it and re-synced it. We are exhausted and getting ready to head off to bed!

Love you all!

Mat

Wednesday, November 9th, 2011

2011-11-10T05:44:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

What a day... Typical morning. Up, coffee, emails, and watching the news. Stopped at Vintage and then dropped Trey off. I headed straight to work for Team. My buddy Daniel stopped by to pick up some pictures I did of his family, and then on to flash, Post-flash, leadership and then met with a couple of my liaisons. We were pushing real hard for a charity patient, and I had to fight everyone in our building to get him in, but in the end it will pay off! I left work at 12:30 to get home to get Jordan to Baptist for her EGD. She had called Sherrie earlier in the day while she was at clinicals and begged her to come home after she threw-up all over my bed. Sherrie came home and played doctor until I got here to take her to Baptist. All of the nurses that took care of Jordan were awesome. They knew how to handle Jordan and the nurse that started her IV was great. He nailed her on the first try. We were there until almost 6:00pm. Stephanie took Trey, and picked him up from Basketball or he would never have made it. Sherrie called in a couple of pizza's and after I dropped Sherrie and Jordan off I went and got them. We ate real quick and then Sherrie and I went to Wal-Mart, Crest, and then Wal-Mart (again) to get Thanksgiving stuff. Bruce and Tracy are coming in tonight and we needed groceries. We came home and Jordan was sick to her stomach.... Steph helped put the stuff away. We laid down at 9:30, and I don't remember hitting the pillow.

Love you all!

Mat

Tuesday, November 8th, 2011

2011-11-08T21:08:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

Boomer woke me up at 2:12 and I did not go back to sleep until after 4:30..... The alarm went off at 5:00! I got my shower and laid back down until 5:30. I did my thing.... Worked on the guide to France and then read a little about Paris, and the Lorie Valley. Believe it or not, but Sherrie has expressed an interest in going to France with Trey and I. She does not know if her professors will allow her to be gone for nine days, but she wants to share that with Trey. I took Trey to school, stopped at Vintage to see Molly and then off to work. I stopped at Home Depot in Midwest City to get some caulk for the trim around the fireplace. Work was crazy busy! I was on the go from the time I walked in the door until the time I walked out! I did however take a lunch break. Seven girls and me at Golden Palace! When I left work I ran to the Car dealer to talk to a sales man about a jeep I saw. I ran home got the Yukon, went to Trey's basketball parents meeting and then dropped Trey off at the house before going back to the dealership. I was there for a couple of hours.... I am playing hard to get so I left at 8:00 and came home. They have tried to call a couple of times. I will call them back tomorrow!

Love you all!

Mat

Sunday, November 6th, 2011

2011-11-07T06:00:00.001-06:00

Namaste,

Ok.... So we had that crazy earthquake at 11:00pm last night. Sherrie said what is going on and I said it;s an earthquake. She started yelling at Trey to get in the doorway, and he freaked out! We rode it out and it was insane to actually experience it. I have been in at least five tornado's and been in wildfires, but that was our first earthquake. It was some what unsettling. I stayed in bed until six and then worked on my guide to France for a little while before getting Trey up and heading to church. Trey and I worked in the parking lot and then went in for an awesome service. It was miracle Sunday and God knows I need a miracle! We went straight to moms and I put Trey in the backyard with the push mower, and I jumped on the Yazoo.... I mower the front and side in about three minutes, and then weed ate, and edged before he finished mowing the back yard. Trey was laughing at me because when I am on the job things move very quickly. We put the equipment away and headed to the house. I got started on finishing the floor. I had a three inch strip along the walls that needed to be finished. I had borrowed my brothers table saw so I would be able to cut the strips straight. It was a very slow process. I ran to Home Depot and picked up 8 more cases of flooring and some trim for the area around the fire place. That took forever to cut and place. I cleaned up my mess and then started on dinner. I grilled turkey burgers, veggies, and made some chunky guacamole. Sherrie got home at 5:30 and Stephanie was here.... I was exhausted but Sherrie want to go for a walk so we went and did two miles before I came home to shower and get ready for Monday. I worked on my France guide some more.... It is 287 pages long! Oh My Goodness!

Love you all!

Mat

Saturday, November 5th, 2011

2011-11-05T21:11:00.000-05:00

Namaste,

I wanted to sleep in but it didn't happen. I made some coffee and mopped floors for an hour before cleaning up. I ran to the gas station and then the Neighborhood Market. I acme home and then got dressed to go speak at Weight Wise. We had a full group and I think it went really well. I usually only speak for 20 to 30 minutes but I was on a roll and spoke for 45 minutes. Trey and I were suppose to be at a Paintball game at 10:00 so I drove like crazy to get there by 10:30. My company was having a family day and we had a blast. For some reason in every game I got shot in the head! Chad's wife Shannon made sandwiches and brought drinks for everyone. Trey and I left at 1:20 and drove to my brothers house in El Reno to get his table saw and then back up I-40 to buy a couple of rugs at Garden Ridge. My goal was to have all of that done and be home by 2:30 for the OU Vs. Texas aTm game. We were about 15 minutes late but that was OK. I sent Trey to the shower and I passed out on the couch. I woke up and it was 1/2 time! I ran and got a shower and then when OU extended the lead Trey and I went and picked Sherrie up at Wal-Mart and took her to dinner at Los Arcos. We took her back and Trey and I ran in and picked up a few things before coming home to do some laundry and watch the LSU Vs. Alabama game. Trey had been so excited to watch this game until the little hoochies down the street called him and wanted him to come hangout! I have been sitting here watching football by myself.... Poor me! ;-( I think I'll live. Did not work on the France guide today, and probably won't tomorrow. I am going to do a few more home improvement projects tomorrow and need to get moms lawn mowed!

Love you all!

Mat

Friday, November 4th, 2011

2011-11-05T06:37:00.000-05:00

Namaste,

Up at 5:00 and immediately started working. Trey did not have school, but since the Yukon was in the shop getting some tire work done I had to take Stephanie to work. I dropped her off, hit the dry cleaners, and then took the back roads to work. I had my camera with me but didn't really find anything to shoot. I went to work and we are so full that every time I have a patient go out I have to churn and burn to bring one in. Today was my dietitian Amber Guest's last day. We had made arrangements to go to this little Italian restaurant Venezia for lunch. Some of the team had been there before and loved it and my friend Brandy has been there everyday this week. We had a good lunch and then headed back to work. Cindy had not been feeling well so Trina took her home at 2:00 and that's when I got busy. I got things wrapped up and headed home around 4:30. I came home and got Sherrie then we headed straight to Big O to get the truck. We dropped it off at Wal-Mart so Stephanie would have a ride home, and then one of my doctors called and needed a patient evaluated for admission. Sherrie and I had plans to go to Pearls for dinner and then we were going to Penn Square to look for some new dress shoes. Well that plan went out the window. I got to the office and had forgotten my key so I had to do everything remotely. It took me a solid hour! We were starving so I took her to Venezia for dinner and it was better last night than it was at lunch! My friend Jason Farris and his wife came in with his wife as we were leaving. This place is seriously good food. Sherrie and I were both really tired so we stopped at Wal-Mart to pick up few things and then came home. I took a shower and laid down in the bed. I did a few more things on the France guide... It is coming along. I am now to the Lorie Valley and can't wait to actually get there!

Love you all!

Mat

Thursday, November 3rd, 2011

All my love!

Mat

Saturday, December 18th, 2010

2010-12-19T18:53:00.004-06:00

Namaste,

Just for the newbies.... Namaste (Nam-A-Stay) means bless the spirit within. It is a greeting used all over Asia, and it is non-denominational, and not specific to any one religion of belief. I wrote in my last book, that I don't care who you pray to... What is important to me is that you believe in something larger than us.... We need something to believe in or we fall for everything!

I got up at 5:00 and ran on the treadmill.... My upper body is in bad shape. Neck, shoulders, elbows, occipital orbit... After getting our team ready for NAGA this weekend, I am really sore. I still have a pretty good black eye, and recurrent headaches.

I finished the book I was reading... Anyone want to guess what it was called? Yep!!!!! Everest. It is actually a fiction book, about an energy drink company putting together an expedition, and all of the training. Obviously the writer has a pretty good knowledge about the physical requirements of a 90 day expedition in the most inhospitable place on earth.

2010-12-12T21:31:00.004-06:00

2010-12-02T20:43:00.003-06:00

Namaste,

I jumped up at 5:00 and got my shower... It was awesome. Since I put the new valve stem on it I have so much better water pressure. The pressure is so high that it could hurt if you wanted it to. I started downloading programs and files to my laptop. Slowly it is getting back to how it was previously. It is still taking a very long time to boot up, but once it is up it runs like a champ. I dropped Trey off then hit Starbucks. I drove out to the lake to see if anything was moving, and right when I passed through the gates there was a heard of deer. I took 100 pictures of them.... There was a Sandhill Crane out on Arrowhead Point and then a big Red Tailed Hawk up by the Golf Course. I drove over to Edgewater and there was a crew framing a giant house, and 10 deer just came walking right up to the house. There was a big eight point buck that was following all of the does. Work was pretty slow.... Ran at lunch and got a few things from Hobby Lobby. I got my shrink wrap bags, and impulse sealer today. I have some chip board being cut today and when I get it tomorrow I can finish shrink wrapping everything for the show. I went to the gym at 5:00 and rolled for two solid hours. I was sooo tired I could barley hold my arms up! I guess I better get things together for tomorrow. I have the day off. I am taking mom to have a procedure tomorrow morning at 6:15am in Norman. If I get her back at a decent time I am going to work at Midwest City for a few hours...

Love you all!

Mat