Place To Go

I was sitting around on a beautiful rainy Abilene day. Yes, I know it is hard to believe, but it is raining in Abilene. It has rained more in the last month than it has the past 7 years I have lived here. It is crazy, but I love it. I love to hear the rain hit against the roof. It is beautiful to see the lighting in the sky (as long as it is not close to me)! There is nothing wrong with Abilene at all, but I have been thinking about place that I would love to go. Not just me by myself, but as a family. These are in no particular order.....



Toronto, Canada- I have no earthly idea, but how awesome would it be just to travel north and see a beautiful creation in another country that is still connected to the country you live in. I mean it cant get any better. You don't have to fly over any ocean to get there, in fact, it would be a great road trip to take. One heck of a long one, but a great time to see tons of interesting things.




Alaska- I have heard so much about this place from my grandparents, but the pictures alone are breath taking. I love cold weather and I think this would be a great place to see God's work. All of the mountains, rivers, streams, and all of the wildlife that roams the land. I am not much of a fisherman, but I do like to fish. I have always thought how cool it would be to stay in an igloo and fish through a hole cut through ice. Now, I am not a big fan of falling into that cold water and getting hypothermia, but I guess I would have to be extra careful!! ha ha!




Hawaii- Who does not want to go to the "Great Island?" It looks amazing! The beautiful clear beaches, clean sand to run in, colorful mountains in the background, flowers and trees of every color....the list goes on.

Just for a comparison here is Galveston...

Now, don't get me wrong, I love to visit Galveston, because it is the only beach that we are really able to travel to. It just amazes me how much pride Hawaiians take in their beaches. I am sure that they have trash, but I bet it doesn't stay there for years. The seaweed is also something crazy at Galveston. My wife and I went on a cruise and not once did I get attacked by a pile of seaweed. The scariest thing in Galveston is that you don't know what it is because you cant see more than 2 inches into the water. In Hawaii, I bet you can see 12 feet deep easy.

Sydney, Australia- I would love to go to the "Great Down Under." I would love to see the kangaroo and kola bears around the country side. I would also love to spend some time walking around Australia, especially during New Years. My wife played softball in Australia and she rants and raves about its beauty all the time. She said the fireworks on New Years went on for hours and their colors sparkled in the air and mirrored off the water.


Paris, France....Well, really Europe in general (Germany, Greece, Switzerland, all of the other.....) The lights go on for miles and the old stories are everywhere. All the old painting from hundreds and thousands of years ago. All the stories you have heard about DaVinci and other artists. There beautiful architectural work is all around each city. In Greece, I love the rocks are placed perfectly all around the country side. The rocks that God paced are still where they have been since the beginning. Another beautiful place where the beaches are crystal clear and the pride is easily seen among the cities.


BASEBALL FEVER- This is a dream that my wife and I have talked about for years. We would love to travel and see every Major League ballpark that is being played in today. We have a list of those we want first, because they are on the verge of being tore down and rebuilt because they are so old. I mean games have been played in these ballparks since the late 1800's. People like Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Jackie Robinson, Ty Cobb, Mickey Mantle, and hundreds of others have played in these facilities. To think it is possible to sit among the grass that those cleats ran on is amazing. Wrigley Field (pictured first), Fenway Park (pictured second) and Yankee Stadium pictured last are where we would like to start. This dream can be obtained easier than the others, but is still going to be a hard stretch. But until then......We will just be thankful for the beauty that God has placed around us. Or wait until I buy an RV.......

What A Summer

Well, as many of you know, I recently accepted a new job. This job was a job that I was very excited to receive. I have always dreamed about coaching in a school with such a great tradition and staff as this school does. When I first took the job, I was going to coach the Freshman football team. I got a call today from the Head Coach asking if I would be interested in coaching on the Varsity. I mean what was I suppose to say? This school has become one of the best football schools around and I could be a part of it. What a blessing!! I am so thankful that God has placed this before me. I mean, I have always been a basketball guy.... I wasn't a star football player by any means, but I am a great student of the game. I have learned more football the last few years than I ever thought I would....Funny thing is I have soooo much more that I have to learn. In fact I don't think you can ever learn to much. A coach is a lot more than a person who was successful in high school or someone who played college ball. In my opinion to be a coach, you have to love what you do, be able to help kids improve on techniques, be a great teacher, and most of all someone they can count on and look up to. Yeah, I wasn't a great football player. I played a few years, but I consider myself someone who loves sports. I know football! I know basketball! I know baseball! I know track! But I consider myself a great coach because I want to be a great coach. I have the desire and determination to teach kids about the fundamentals and overall objective of each sport. Most of all, I am a great coach, because I try to be a great role model and give those athletes 100 percent of my heart. Please keep myself and my family in your prayers as this dream to be a successful high school coach is in full effect.

Avery Naomi

This is beautiful Avery Naomi. She is the newest blessing to our family. I love to see pictures of her as she grows up. It is amazing to me (in my opinion) how much she looks like my sister. I thank God everyday for giving my sister and brother-in-law such a sweet gift. Ashley is going to be one of the most loving and caring mothers. I hope that one day God places all of us closer together and that we can all raise our families on the same street.

I recently took up drawing and these are a few pieces of my work.

This is Avery with a little smile on her face.













Man this girl loves to sleep!!

Jaxon's Room

Jaxon's closet...
By the chaos in here you can't tell, but the girl has got some clothes, in every shape, color, and size!! She already has some books and some toys as well, thanks to her Neena, she will be able to read when she is 2.










This is obviously her bed...her beautiful bed, and I haven't taken a picture of her bedding yet, but it is this beautiful quilt made up of lavenders, sage greens, and the dark green that the wall is painted...I absolutely love it. And that gray T-shirt you see in the background...definitely was worn by her father...just about every day he says. It has a gorilla on it lifting weights with the word "BEAST" printed on it.


Another wall of her room. Neena made her a little vanity for her when she get's older...









And this is her changing table. It was originally a door...turned into a shelf...now turned into a changing table.

The Doty Dogs

Well, if you have never had the opportunity to meet the Doty Dogs than here they are!!

Meet Texas

-Texas loves his older brother. Though they have tough moments from time to time, their bond will stand forever solid. Texas loves to play games and hide and seek is one of his favorites. Well, really he just like to be covered up. He is a new father of 11 puppies. WOW!! He is not to sure what to think of his mother with a big tummy, but I think he is ready to finally become a big brother.

Meet Petey

-This is the first born of our family. He is definitely a jealous dog, he is not quite ready for someone else to be sleeping next to his mama. Petey loves the winter time. He like to be able to blend in to the snow. This picture was taken around Christmas while Petey was waiting for Santa.

Becoming a Blogger

Well, I guess we are going to try this out. I love to keep up with my families blogs and read about what is going on their lives. It is great seeing pictures of nieces, nephews ad projects that are going on. I miss being around my family and I feel that this is one way I can become closer. Just to catch you up to speed on our lives. J.D. is about ready to pop!! The doctor said that no matter what we will be having the baby in the next 12 days. She is ready for July because she gets the whole month off. I currently took a job at Abilene High and I am very excited. The school board meeting is tonight so I will feel alot better about the situation once a contract has been offered. I do not have a summer job, because I have a ton of things to do around the house. I am working at ACU doing intramural football and I am opening the weight room every chance I get to make a little extra money. We just finished putting in laminate wood flooring in our living room and one of the hallways. We have a few pieces left and it will finally be over!! The dogs are both growing like weeds. They eat a ton and sleep even more! Well......I hope this blogging adventure works out, but I have a feeling JD will have to blog some, because she is a better typer than I am. Love ya....