Livin it up with Joe and MJ

Day Two on Gainey Ranch

2009-10-30T17:45:00.001-07:00

This morning was nicer than yesterday, a little warmer and lots of sunshine. We teed off at around 10:00 am at Gainey Ranch Golf Club. This is the same club that we are staying at. Our gracious host, John Dimetra, has not only allowed us to stay in his condo, but invited us to play at his course. It was a great day to play golf. Here are three pictures of today's round.

I must say, as far as scores go, I personally did better today than yesterday. Tomorrow we are playing at the Golf Club of Scottsdale, so things could turn for the worst. That course is supposed to be the toughest one of our three day stay. An added bonus is that we will be playing with our childhood neighbors, John and Kurt Peterson. Wish us luck.

Well Day one is over

2009-10-29T20:36:00.000-07:00

It was a long day but a good one. My Dad, Patrick and myself are staying in a condo on a golf course at Gainey Ranch in Scottsdale, Arizona. This morning we went to the Gainey Ranch Pro Shop and my brother and I took a half an hour lesson from a pro named Randy. He helped Partick and I a lot. It was a great half and hour lesson. We left straight from there and drove about 30 miles up to the mountains to a golf club called Desert Mountain. Pictures are below, but let me just tell you we lost many golf balls, and enjoyed spectacular views. After golf we had dinner with some friends from Chicago, and now we are about to relax for the evening. More to come.

Our First Day in Phoenix

2009-10-29T08:22:00.000-07:00

Well my brother, Patrick along with my Dad, Ed, and myself arrived in Phoenix Arizona Last night and it began. It was like we were kids again. Just laughing and being boys. We went to bed late and got up early. Day one of golf is today at Desert Mountain, it should be fun. I will post more as we go. Here is our Morning Picture.

An Interesting Weekend

2009-09-08T09:17:00.000-07:00

Well it has been awhile, but I thought I would send out an update. Life with Joe and MJ is great. We have spent every evening for the past two weeks tying grape vines to the posts they will grow up for the next thirty years. We both got to work and come home around 5:30 or so and tie vines until we finished a row. Each row takes about two hours to tie the 125 vines. Then we eat dinner and fall over.

Well this weekend we finished the vines, but not before a four foot surprise on Saturday morning. MJ and I were in the garage about to get in my car and head to the bank to clear up a mistake, and IT happened. The sound that most Texans know and never forget rang out in the garage. It was loud. The distinct vibration of a rattlesnake's tail caused MJ, who was about six feet from it, to stop and turn right around. I proceeded to ask her to get the dogs, who were also in the garage, and take everyone into the backyard. I went and got a hoe and drug that four foot long snake into the driveway and decapitated it. Below are some pretty good pictures of it post injury. It had been nearly a year since the last rattlesnake murder, so it came as quite a shock. On top of that, Monday morning while tying vines we came across another little rattlesnake curled up under a vine that I happened to be kneeling down to work on. This was just a baby, but it also fell victim to the hoe and is no longer with us.

Here are just a few pictures of the vineyard taken this Labor Day weekend. You can see just how much they have grown.

This is MJ and our yellow Lab, Zoey, entering the vineyard.

Here is the view from the Master bedroom window. I do not know about you, but to me that seems like a lot of grape vines.

Christmas in August

2009-08-10T13:38:00.000-07:00

Well MJ and I got the opportunity to go on a Christmas vacation in August. Marilyn, MJ's mother, decided a while ago to take a vacation for Christmas this year. So we went to The Sandals Royal Carribean in Jamaica the first week of August. My parents, Ed and Arlene, went along with MJ's brother and sister in law, Jammie and Britain Brewer, and her parents J.E. and Marilyn Benham. We had a great time in the sun with great weather. Highlights included, great food, a trip to Dunn's River Falls, some magic, a plantation tour, and two rounds of golf. Overall we had a great time and here are a few pictures of the trip.

MJ and Joe one night before Dinner

One of the Holes on the Half Moon Golf Course, an awesome view.

Ed and Arlene Waldron, Joe's Parents

Joe and MJ, then J.E. Benham and Britain Brewer

Ed Waldron teeing off at White Witch Golf Course.

All of us on the plane going to Jamaica.

All of us once we arrived at Sandals on Sat August 1st.

We have a WInner

2009-07-25T15:40:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to show everyone the growth we have had at JMJ Vineyards. As you know in the end of May we had some damage to all our plants from Thrip bugs that looked like this:

In June the Vineyard looked like this:

Today it looks like this:

The Winner is one particular plant that has grown so well that it has reached the 51" wire and is now growing along it to its right. I know this sounds confusing, but each plant needs to get to the 51" wire for optimum fruit growth and this plant has already done this in just under 3 months, and I am as proud as a new born baby's daddy. Well not really, but you understand.

Hope you enjoy these.

Chicago Update

2009-07-17T09:12:00.001-07:00

Wow what a difference 990 miles makes.... Low 60's at night, and highs in the low 80's. No air conditioning and fun by Mom and Dad's pool. Marijon arrived on July 10th and we have had a great time visiting our Illinois friends. We have had a great time visiting with the Janeks, Swaffords including baby Eli who is awesome, LaMores, and visiting our old Church River Valley Christian Fellowship. Life has been good. Mike Janek and I have had a great time riding bikes until he was forced into a crash last Saturday and here is a picture of that result.

He actually was very lucky for someone who crashed a road bike at 20 miles an hour because the guy in front of him got caught up in a set of railroad tracks they were crossing. He gets his stitches out Tuesday and we are going to ride again before I leave to come home to Texas.
We have had some fun in the pool. Shown here...

The dogs wanted in the pool really bad, but my mom was very against that.

Then my dad secretly made a plan to get them in the pool and we were successful, and my mom was very upset. This is Zoey swimming. Both our labs love to swim.

And here are a few vineyard pictures from late June when my parents, Ed and Arlene, were in Childress. I put them to work in the vineyard and they did great.

Me and my Momma in JMJ Vineyards getting rid of weeds, fun right?

In Chicago

2009-07-05T16:43:00.000-07:00

Well after a very long drive I made it to Chicago, my parents house, yesterday at around 1:30 in the afternoon. The 4th was great. My sister and her entire neighborhood was busted by the cops for illegal fireworks last year so they moved the celebration to my parents house this year. They live in an area that would ensure no police interruption. It rained most of the day but around 6:30 pm it stopped and we had a great fireworks show after dark. Immediately after the show I got a very good nights sleep. Today was very nice, a day by the pool, and hanging two ceiling fans for my momma.

MJ has been in Santa Fe all weekend and seen a spectacle called the Wine Festival. MJ and her mom, Marilyn traveled to Santa Fe, New Mexico and have been going non-stop all weekend. They have seen some great art, a lot of different Wine Tastings and good food. MJ tells me she had the best guacamole ever, they made it right in front of her at the restaurant.

Well I will be in Chicago for a while with the rents, I miss my wife and Childress already, but I am looking forward to visiting with old friends and time with mom and dad. Until next time.....Have fun in the heat, in Chicago I can sit outside and not sweat, who would have thunk?

Update

2009-06-20T20:17:00.000-07:00

Well here is a little update without any pictures. MJ and I are back in the same town. For the past two weeks we have been in Austin, and then this past week I have stayed in Amarillo for a leadership training. Here is a run down of things happening in our lives:

Marriage is great, our four day trip to Austin two weeks ago was so fun
House is great, showers will be finished on Tuesday, plumbing done Monday, we move in at some point Tuesday or Wed.
Vineyard is growing, despite the damage noted below, they are growing and some are growing fast!!
Work is uncertain. Toby Tucker our Assist. Sup is leaving us and that may mean a change for the administration of CISD. I have no idea if this will trickle down to me or not, but one thing is for sure, change is often not welcome, but is often good. We shall see.
Parents, My, Joe's, parents are coming on Thursday, and I cannot wait. It should be fun to hang out with my parents in Childress, TX considering they spend most of their time in the small town of Chicago. Should be interesting.

That's all for now, I will post some pictures of our vines growing soon.

How are your summers going?

Pictures of Damage

2009-06-05T09:02:00.000-07:00

Here are photos of the damage in the vineyard after one week of recovery. Looks as if some will be fine. In the photos there are some new leaves that look healthy. But as you can see there are many plants in the vineyard that are very damaged. At the bottom I included some of the star vines that are actually putting out little fruit clusters.

Stress

2009-06-03T05:45:00.000-07:00

This is something I have never experienced before, crop damage caused by a crop duster. In our vineyard on Sunday I was casually walking through doing weed control and began to notice plants with leaf damage. Some plants were entirely torched while others were just a leaf or two. It is the opinion of the experts that the vineyard was hit by a vapor cloud of 24d, a nasty chemical, that was not concentrated very high so the damage is not as bad as it could have been. Either way I have a hard time with some farmer spraying their field and it damaging mine. If you cannot keep your stuff in your field, wait for a better time to spray and leave my stuff alone. Some people will say, "That's just farming," but this is not cotton, these plants are planted once and will grow for 30 years, so this stuff effects growth for years. Frustrating.

My hope is that these very tough plants pull through and continue to grow. It will take about two weeks to really see if any need to be dug up and replaced, so we shall wait and keep our fingers crossed.

Here is the damage.......

This picture shows damage on the leaves to the left and healthy leaves on the right.

This one shows the damage on the top of the plant where the newest buds have come out.

And this picture shows a plant that is almost completely damaged

Growth

2009-05-21T12:35:00.000-07:00

Growth is something I try to achieve daily and lately I have found growth in a few areas that truly needed it.

#1 My marriage, although a relatively newly married couple, MJ and I have grown thanks to the attention of our Church, pastor, friends and family. If you have not heard Trey is preaching on Marriage the entire month of May. So come on by at 10:20am on Sunday and hear some truly impacting stuff.

#2 My faith. Thanks to a new friend, Jenkins, I was introduced to a book that has made me think more than I ever thought it would. It is called "Blue Like Jazz." Besides making me think and clarifying many issues I have always struggled with, it has sparked conversations with my wife on our spirituality. This is a gift since we have not shared much about this since our dating days.

#3 My move. Moving to Childress has allowed MJ and I to invest in something that could truly change our lives, a vineyard. We have jumped in with both feet starting in March and continuing on to planting the week of May 2nd. Now twenty or so days later we are looking at something that inspires me, growth. Growth of a plant, 2000 of them. It is so hard for me to explain the impact this has made on my life, but to produce something simple but profound, makes me feel like a man. I know we have a long road to go with this endeavor, but the growth is invigorating.

Here are a few pictures.....of the growth in the vineyard.....

Planting

2009-05-06T13:03:00.000-07:00

Well it is finally done, well except for 29 plants. We planted on Saturday and Monday and all 2000 Sangiovese vines are planted. As we were finished we figured out that there were 29 plants missing and the nursery in Washington State is sending them as fast as possible. A special thanks should go out to all who helped, it was quite an experience. Here are a few pictures.

This is Joe planting the first vine..

MJ got a little dirty too, we were both sore.

The boys post hole diggin'

The crew that helped on Saturday. They are from Left to right: Curtis and Nancy Simpson, Quade Brewer, Taylor Morgan, Chance Cozart, Sawyer Bocanegra, Joe and MJ Waldron, Seth Simpson, and Parker Morgan.

Something Great

2009-04-27T06:40:00.000-07:00

Well this weekend MJ and I were a part of something great.

First we spent the night at the Kirkpatricks, enjoying company and new friends. That was fantastic. We all laughed a lot.

Saturday morning I was invited to golf with my brother in law Britain. It was a little more sunny than expected and I got burnt to a crisp. Shot a good round of golf for the first of the year, and actually witnessed a snake killing on the 16th hole. That was the highlight of the day, good job Ray.

Immediately following the round of golf MJ and drove to Oklahoma City to participate in the OKC Memorial Marathon. Nine runners from Childress participated and they all did awesome. Three ran a half marathon, Randy Allen ran a full marathon (amazing), and MJ and I participated in a marathon relay. We each ran a leg of the relay. Each leg was of various lengths and in the end, the five of us completed a marathon together. Our Team included Joe and MJ Waldron, Haley Allen, Lindsey Keys, and Lee Ann Dean. Our time was somewhere in the neighborhood of four and a half hours. But that is not what we ended up talking about.

During the race we all just could not help but be touched by the spirit of the event. The wheelchair participants, the runners running for a cause or to tribute someone lost, were all so inspiring. As hard as it is to explain, it is a feeling I will never forget.

Lastly, my hat goes off to Randy for doing what so few in the world would even consider. He completed a 26.2 mile marathon in a little over 5 and a half hours with the last 13 or so miles into a 20 mile an hour head wind which in his words "ate my lunch" and was "ridiculous." Pushing him through the last half was a relay member. Lee Ann Dean ran her leg of the relay then waited for Randy to get to her station and ran the remainder of the race with him. That means she ended up running nearly 17 miles or so to help a friend who could have used a little company.

This is the whole group

This is our relay team

And this is the relay crossing the finish line, minus Lee Ann who was still running with Randy Allen.

It was awesome and now we have state testing at school and the vines are being delivered on Wed. the 29th. So the vineyard will be in full swing this weekend. Planting 2000 vines as quickly as possible. anyone want to help?????

Carpet

2009-04-06T05:24:00.001-07:00

Well we have made some progress on both the vineyard and the house. In the vineyard the long process of getting all the structure in is about done. What was going to take about 10 days has taken over a month. Don't get me started. I do not have a picture to show, but the irrigation is hooked up and running, and all that remains is the fence that goes around the whole vineyard. That should be started today.

The house has changed dramatically. The carpet was installed on Thursday. Two guys from Carpet world in Lubbock came Thursday morning at 9:00 am and left Friday morning at 6:00 am. That's right they stayed all night until it was done. I guess they finished at one in the morning and slept a bit before they drove back to Lubbock. Anyway it looks amazing. Val Podea and his brother Chris started the stair railing, and Joe Stalcup finished the stain and lacquer on the cabinets.

So here are a few pictures, one is an up close of the carpet so you can have an idea what it really looks like.

More to come....

p.s. Anyone want to help plant vines on April 25th? We need around 15 people to really make it work fast and effective. Let me know.

Spring Break

2009-03-23T10:54:00.000-07:00

Here is how my Spring Break went. A little paint, a little sanding, a little covering of wallpaper, a little plowing in the vineyard.

Here are some pictures with some before and after shots of a few rooms.

Before the kitchen looked like this,

Today it looks like this.

The master bedroom once looked like this...

And now looks like this....

Our orange room which once was covered in this orange velvet wallpaper and looked like this....

Now is a smooth textured room with a slight green paint job and looks like this.....

And here is one picture of how the vineyard is coming along. The people installing the framework for the vineyard are amazing. The posts are so straight it just blows me away. Today the vineyard looks like this....

Cabinets

2009-03-13T11:50:00.000-07:00

I know they are bear wood, but here are the kitchen cabinets, made of Red Oak by Joe Salcup from Lubbock Texas. We are going to stain them dark with no pull knobs.

This side of the kitchen will have no appliances, just the small peninsula as an eating area.

This is the other side. You are looking at where the sink will be under the window and to the left the Microwave above the range oven.

This is a good view of the doors with the crown molding on top to create a castle top look.

And that is it for now, lights, paint, carpet, and a staircase are left. Some people say we will be in by Easter.

We shall see....

A little Progress

2009-03-11T07:19:00.000-07:00

Just a few pics of the progress of the vineyard at Tell. These are all as of 3/10/09. More work to be done this week with fence, wires and drip irrigation.

This is a pic of the water lines for all 16 rows coming out of the ground at the north end of each row. It was rough but this is connected to our new well in that small white house in the background. Thanks Chad Detwiler and WP Drilling out of Quannah, Texas.

This is the view looking south from the driveway that goes to the house. The rows are 500 feet long and have a T-Post every 16 feet. The accuracy of the placement of each post is astounding. Thanks Mendoza Fencing.

The view from the south end of the vineyard looking north at the house.

A close up of the row so you can get an idea of how straight the Mendozas set the posts.

It is all too exciting.

Tile and a Fan

2009-03-06T06:28:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to post some pictures of the tile in our new bathrooms and the new ceiling fan we got for a steal at Home Depot in Amarillo. It never ceases to amaze me that small changes can make a huge difference.

On all our upstairs windows there are gaps behind the window casing. These gaps are so big you can see outside so they have now been filled with Good Stuff expandable foam. That stuff rocks. Of course I had to scrape out all the wasp nests that were in there before the foam, but that is the fun part.

I am not a pro, but it looks pretty good for a slacker like me.

We like this fan so much there will be four of them in the house.

Update for the Vineyard

2009-03-04T18:52:00.001-08:00

Alot will change over the next several weeks. We are turning a 3.52 acre wheat field into a vineyard. Today Chad Detwiler (apologies for the spelling) set the posts for the structure that will hold the vines as they grow. It is very exciting. We have a water well that is functioning, and the fence will go up this weekend. Amazing and scary all at once.

Couple Things

2009-02-19T09:46:00.003-08:00

This is the picture I promised of Zoey's leg. She is doing good. Walking well. In two weeks or so we will start short walks outside.

As for MJ and I we are very excited as today starts the first day for us as business owners. We sign today for the vineyard and begin work to prepare for planting next week with the water well install. So this is scary and exciting, but we have done a lot of planning and things look great from here.

Funny story that not everyone will know, but you will understand if you know me. About two weeks ago MJ and I bought a Sequoia, signed and drove it home. An awesome car, fully loaded with all the toys and I just loved it and so did MJ. We could travel with room and style. By the next day I was feeling the guilt and we called to return it. The dealer ended up taking it back, and that may be the best thing that has happened to me in the last 6 months. I have a sickness with cars, and maybe I am finally over this because MJ and I are now investing rather than spending. It feels great.

I guess I will also include a few pictures of the Tell house. Cabinets are being started, bathrooms are framed and drywalled, and texturing continues. I start tile work this weekend. Here are a few pics. Maybe we will move in in May or June.

The bathroom did look like this

And now it looks like this..

Have a great week.

Dog Surgery

2009-02-03T12:37:00.001-08:00

Well I just thought I would share that Zoey, our Yellow Lab, had ACL surgery on Sunday morning. She is doing great, already walking, and very happy. She looks kind of funny with all the hair on her right hind limb shaved off, but that has not broken her spirit. Another interesting note is that after 6 months of exercise and smaller dinner portions, not only did she tear her ACL but she has lost 25 pounds, from 107 in July to 82 yesterday. She is still big, but now you can actually see her hips. Sienna, Zoey's sister was lost without her best buddy, and was so excited to see her when we got home yesterday. That was kind of cool. Anyway I will try and post a picture of her soon. MJ and I wanted to thank Critter Care in Childress for the fine care of our little girl, especially, Connie and Mary, you girls rock.

Wee Chi Tah

2009-01-26T12:55:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe that we did it, well I guess harder to believe that I did it. Running 13.1 miles that is. MJ and Wendi Stephens ran together and finished 3rd, their picture is included above. She is awesome, fast, inspirational and my wife and I love her for motivating me to get this done.

About two weeks ago we did a long run of 11 miles and for some reason at mile 8 of that run my left knee began to bother me right in the joint space. It worried me, but with some rest I continued to run and train. On Sat. for the half marathon I kind of figured it would hurt, but in reality it hurt a lot. All the ups and downs, mainly the downs, took their tole and I had to walk a little. But to be honest it was the struggle that made that two and a half hours great. The last .1 mile was the best. I turned off the last bridge and I could hear the group yelling for me, and I got really emotional. Just to know that this major challenge of running 13.1 miles on a morning with 20 mph winds and a wind chill in the teens made me tear up. What and accomplishment. Everyone in the group did well and I am so proud to have been a part of it.

Just a few examples of a 13 mile distance:
From the Waldron's house in Lemont to interstate 80 is about 13 miles
From the 315 exit in Bourbonnais, IL to a little past Peotone if you ran on I-57
From Childress, TX to Estelline, TX

Christmas In Illinois

2008-12-28T20:10:00.000-08:00

I do not know where to begin, but our trip to Illinois was filled many memorable moments. We arrived on December 20th at around 9:30 am. We made it in 15 hours, a new record. That day we stayed at our good friend's house, the Janeks, Mike and Kara. Did I mention it was -2 that day. More of our friends came over and we played "What if..." It was good to see Mike, Kara, Tony and Katie. Sunday morning we went back to our old church and Sunday School class. That was awesome, great praise and worship and incredible teachings. Sunday afternoon we saw Amanda and Sean Fierce. Amanda and I spent last year teaching together and now thay have a brand new baby girl named Arlene. She was very cute and Marijon really enjoyed holding her.

Sunday Night we went to my parents house for the remainder of the week. Mom made her home made spaghetti sauce and we ate like kings. It was so great to see my mom and dad. Christmas Eve was great. Marijon and I joined my parents at a family gathering at my cousins house. I got to see all of my relatives and then upon arriving home that craziness began.

Sienna, our brown lab, had chewed into 20 ounces of dark chocolate and looked like she had a balloon in her belly. She was so fat. Well after reading some very scary stories about the toxicity of dark chocolate in dogs including death, we called Lix Jones in Texas for some advise. We found out after Mary, from Critter Care, called me that we had to make Sienna throw up. And that we did. Hydrogen Peroxide will make dogs throw up, did you know that? Well she threw up all over my parents garage, all 20 ounces, and the garage smelled like a chocolate factory. Needless to say, she survived and a huge thank you should go to Liz and Mary, you helped save our Sienna.

Then we had Christmas, which was great. Mom's stuffing, turkey, and sweet potatoes were all just amazing. Probably the best part of christmas was teaching my mom to use that lap top. She learned email, Skype, and how to use the track pad. It was great to see her suceed and it will be great to communicate using these skills as time goes by.

We arrived back in Childress at 10 am Sunday morning. As always it was hard to say bye to family and that will never change, but Marijon and I really loved the time we had in Illinois and hope everyone has a great remember of the Holiday season.
Joe and Marijon opening on Christmas Day

Joe and Ed (Joe's Dad) on Christmas Day

The Three Kids: Kim (Oldest), Pat (youngest), and Joe (Middle Kid)

Dylan (Kim's son), Arlene (Joe's Mom), Joe and front and center is Stephanie (Kim's Daughter)

New meaning to cold!!

2008-12-22T06:53:00.001-08:00

When I was in college I can remember this kind of cold, but today and yesterday give new meaning to cold. Today it is Bone chilling, freeze the snot in your nose, take your breath away, frost bite your face cold. Last night in 40 mile an hour winds and temperature of -2 degrees MJ and I drove from our old home town of Bourbonnais, to my parents house. This is normally an hour drive, but it took us an hour and a half due to the wind and blowing snow. On the way I had to get gas, because it is bad to leave small amounts of gas in your tank with weather this cold, so we filled up. When I got out at the gas station I could not believe it. With no hat and no gloves the wind just went right through your clothes to the core. It was crazy. Then we drove to my parents house and pulled my car into the garage to unload all of our stuff. That was the easy part. We figured it would be best to keep my car in the garage, but it would be a tight squeeze length wise for my car to fit and the garage door to shut properly. This is when I screwed up. I went to the back of my car to remove the receiver hitch because it sticks out and we needed all the room we could get. So I knelt down and pulled the pin off the hitch and removed the receiver thinking nothing of it. About that time my Dad says, "you should have gloves on to do that." And as I am saying, "Why it is no big deal?" I can feel my fingers that are touching the metal receiver begin to burn. I threw the receiver into the back of my car, thank the good Lord the back door was open, and could not believe the burning in my fingers. Imagine holding a hot curling iron with your first three fingers and your thumb, and the burning feeling that would follow your reckless actions. Well I had that for a good 45 minutes after recklessly grabbing a metal object that had a temperature below zero.

Anyway, we made record time to chicago, 15 hours. We left Childress at 6:30pm Friday and arrived at our destination in Illinois at 9:30 am the next morning. It was a good trip overall. The pictures are of the ice left behind from the Storm Thursday night and Friday morning here, pretty awesome.

It is good to be home, MJ and I are about to go enjoy having every store imaginable within 15 minutes of here. In other words we going out. Unfortunately, the temperature is still -2, but the wind has gone down a bit.

Take care and have a Merry CHRISTmas.

What more can I say?

2008-12-16T20:04:00.001-08:00

It snowed today. Or as they would say where I come from, "We had some Flurries this morning." Can you believe that some people actually asked if we were going to get out early due to the weather. Our friends in Chicago are laughing, but they do not understand that salt does not exist in Childress. They throw dirt on the road, or gravel to make the roads safe. Do you think that works very well? So this morning I got to hear rocks clinking against my car the entire drive in to work. I digress.

Tomorrow we will make a trip to our second Christmas party of the year with MJ's work buddies. I cannot express how happy MJ and I are to have been blessed with great job opportunities in Texas. Last night we were at my work Christmas party. Which brings me to the point I have been trying to say. All you folks in Texas probably take this for granted, but one thing we love about this small town is that the people here seem to be resistant to the many changes in society to remove CHRIST from everything. On the main road going through the middle of town a bank has a light up Chirstmas sign that actually says "Merry Christmas." Not Happy Holidays or Seasons Greetings. In Chicago or a bigger town like WF, you probably will not see that in front of a business. And this for the sole purpose of not offending anyone and being PC. It makes a great impression to see something like that. Shoot, last night we prayed over our meal at my "School" function. Lead by our AD, and everyone participated. Maybe more comforting, everyone took it as completely normal, and even standard protocol prior to eating. At School, in the Library!!! It is nice. Very Nice.

A Milestone

2008-12-14T09:04:00.000-08:00

Well Mj and I are in training to run in the Wee Chi Tah half marathon. Do you know how far that is. 13.1 miles. That is the distance from the Bishop ranch to the United Supermartket in Childress Texas. You cannot even see the United from our house. That is super far. I am scared. Today was a milesonte for us, but more for me. We ran 8.2 miles this morning. I made it, but it hurt. At least when I finished I could say, #1 I have never ran that far before in my life, #2 I accomplished something great, #3 my wife is proud of me and I of her, and #4 Thank the good Lord we finished before the 40 mile an hour winds hit this morning. I am sure I will be very sore and MJ will not, but we are making progress and hopefully training stays on schedule.

In response to the post from Donna Smith, I am very proud of our students and think that this Thursday and Friday we should dismiss early. How does that sound.

Have a good one, MJ and I leave for Chicago in five days, isn't that exciting.

A trip to Chicago

2008-12-07T19:57:00.000-08:00

I cannot wait to get to Chicago two weeks from today. MJ and I first get to visit our good friends in Bourbonnais and then it will be on to my home town Lemont Illinois. If you do not know where Lemont is, our claim to fame is the movie, "Save the Last Dance." The beginning of the movie is in Lemont High School and the opening scene is various shots of the Landscape of the town. Anyway, my family is there and we cannot wait to visit with them and eat their food. As an added bonus we will get to go to our old church and hear some awesome praise and worship along with Dereck our old Pastor. He did such an awesome job making everyone feel welcome, a lot like Trey Morgan at C of C. I cannot wait to see Katie prego. To visit with Mike, Kara, Tony, Katie, Sean and Amanda. Marijon is really looking forward to holding Arlene, Sean and Amanda's newborn who is named after my Mother, Arlene Waldron. I must have made a great impression on Amanda during that year of co-teaching we did at Manteno High School. Anyway I am rambling, so I will go, just wanted to share the excitement and let you all know Marijon and I will be really cold in about two weeks.

Bishop Ranch, Click on pic to view photobucket page

2008-11-26T06:23:00.001-08:00

Photobucket Album

A weekend away

2008-11-24T08:02:00.000-08:00

The view from the 9th floor at the Gaylord.

MJ and Joe in the Atrium of the Gaylord.

Well, MJ and I went on a weekend away for the first time since our honeymoon. It was a great time. Thanks to a hook up from a family friend we were able to stay at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine, TX. This place was awesome. Our room was on the 9th floor, and the view from the balcony was impressive to say the least. On Saturday we did 80% of our Christmas shopping and then went to the Cheesecake factory for dinner. MJ had the Cobb salad, which she just loves to death, and I tried the Navajo Sandwich which was awesome. For dessert we shared chocolate peanutbutter cookie dough cheesecake, and I hurt myself. Sunday morning we ran in the fitness center and went to Whole Foods in Arlington. For lunch we happened to run across a Panera Bread and just had to have it. I miss that food choices are so large in Illinois where we lived and now it is all I talk about when we leave Childress. Did I forget to mention we also found Chipolte in Southlake. Man, I love food. Anyway the time away from home with my wife was awesome. We had fun.

Mommer's and Walter's B-Day

2008-11-17T11:21:00.000-08:00

MJ, Mommer, and Joe at Main Event 11/16/08

Walter Lambert and MJ at Main Event on 11/16/08

Sunday we celebrated a mile stone for two of my wife's favorite people. Edna Mae Lambert is my wife's mother's mother, or in short my wife's grandmother on her mom's side of the family. I guess that is not really short. She turned 90 on Saturday November 15th. Walter Lambert is my wife's mother's brother, or MJ's Uncle, and he turns 70 in just a few days. Both are special people to both of us and we were honored to celebrate with them on this special occasion. With MJ's side of the family mainly working in the farming world, at the celebrati0n I got to talking to Trey Lambert, Walter's son, about how much has changed in farming over the lifetime of Walter and Edna Mae. We talked about horse drawn plows that worked only one row at a time and all the manual labor involved that is now done with diesel powered motorized equipment, John Deere equipment. It amazes me what they have seen change and how the Lambert family has been so instrumental in the development of so much cotton farming equipment. Amazing people. I reminds me of how proud I was of my Dad when he used to tell us stories about the software he used and modified in the CPA firm where he worked. I think it was called Symphony. It was ahead of his time for the accountant world and the Lamberts were ahead of their time in farming cotton. MJ and I, as kids in two great families, have enjoyed talking about how proud we are of where we came from and we both hope we represent our families well in our daily lives.

Tell House

2008-11-09T11:26:00.001-08:00

Photobucket Album

Change is Good

2008-11-05T06:44:00.000-08:00

Marijon and I have been here in Childress for a couple of months, and life could not be any busier. It seems as if we leave our house at 7:00 in the morning and return at 9:00 in the evening everyday. Hard to believe. Thank the good Lord for the "Doggie Door."

Here are just a few things that have changed in our life over the past month.

Joe has now touched and feed cows and horses
MJ started a new job
Joe started a new job
MJ learned how to make glasses
Joe learned how to administer corporal punishment
MJ learned how to change a flat tire
Joe learned how to kill rattle snakes, 5 total and black widows, too many to count.
Joe learned how to back a trailer without jacknifing it into his own car
Zoey has developed a bad knee that seems to not be getting any better
Joe and MJ have started to remodel a house for us to live in starting this spring
We have learned how to blog
Joe learned what a turn row is, what a wheat drill is, what grain sorgum is, and various other farming lingo
Joe learned to resopnd to being refered to as Marijon's husband, and Marilyn's son-in-law
MJ learned that a gas stove is way different than a electric stove

Overall MJ and I have learned to love each other more and more and with all that is changing, things are great. The future is exciting and we cannot wait for what is over the horizon.

A little work

2008-10-27T13:44:00.000-07:00

I thought I would show you all the wonderful demolition work I have done over the weekend. The two pictures below are of the same space. Basically, it is the view looking from our family room into the kitchen. I have removed all the cabinets and taken down one of the soffit but not the other. The top picture is the most recent and the bottom is the start of the project with only the carpet removed. A true work in progress.

A Dirty House

2008-10-21T13:05:00.000-07:00

No not our house, but the house we hope to live in soon. This new house is located in Tell, Texas, and is a gem. Unfortunately, the house needs many updates and they are long over due. None the less I thought I would share. It is a two story house with five bedrooms and two baths, it will become a four bedroom with three baths and a master suite. I have included some pictures. Some great features include the open space, and front and back porch that can be screened in, two car garage, and tons of storage. We are excited. I will keep you posted as we update. As of today we have begun to make one bathroom upstairs into two baths, a master and a guest bath. We have also started to remove the carpet. This is one gross job with dirt and urine and bugs all over this very old carpet. Well, I will let you know more as time goes on.

Parenting

2008-10-15T08:53:00.000-07:00

As the days go on MJ and I get closer and closer to the day when we may actually consider being parents, and to be honest it scares both of us. We find reasons not to take the plunge. Things like money, or will we be good parents, or will we be strong enough to make the hard decisions when needed. We both also know that each of these concerns are petty and if we were "gut level honest" with ourselves, no parent is ever really ready to be a parent. Just today I was approached for the millionth time about when MJ and I would be putting together a nursery, and I always respond with "NEVER." But the truth is that maybe someday it will happen. Honestly, I want it to happen because I think my wife will be the greatest mother, and I know that my mom and her mom will make sure that our children are treated properly as spoiled little grandbabies. It also does not help that our good friends Tony and Katie in Bourbonnais, IL are expecting and I am just a little jealous.

Is anyboody really ready for kids? How do you deal with the pressure that comes with raising a life that you are competely responsible for?

I guess in my job I see how parents act. I see all kinds. The scary ones are the ones who truly try hard and their kids are still bad. I guess I need to focus on the posiitve, and know that with a good solid Christian home kids have the best chance and that is what is important.

Your Thoughts?????

My WIfe

2008-10-06T04:23:00.000-07:00

With all the bad relationships I have been through in my life, God must have been watching over me on August 4th 2004. This is the day I first laid eyes on my wife. I was visiting a friend's house for the first time in my life and Marijon walked into that house after a long walk with her friend Beverly. You see Marijon lived there also, and to my surprise she was the roommate to the 62 year old lady who I was visiting. Who would have thunk! A 62 year old lady with a HOT 20 something roomate. I was floored. Looking back I know it was God. You see Marijon and I were both in bad relationships and we had many people in our lives praying for us to find a solid christian partner, and on that day in August, God delivered.

I did not sit down to write this to tell you that, but I did intend to tell you all how lucky I am to have such a wonderful spouse.

On June 7th 2006 we were married and since that day my love for Marijon has grown by leaps and bounds. She is the perfect woman for me. She allows me to be the man I have always wanted to be. She is supportive, loving, encouraging, and committed to making our marraige work for the remainder of our lives. She constantly prays for me and our marraige. She makes me happy and I wanted everyone to know how much I love my wife. I am so thankful God placed me in that house to see that HOT 20 something walk through that door. That was the very best thing to happen in my life.

Joe's Top Ten Movies

2008-10-01T19:27:00.000-07:00

Some of my favorites in no particular order

Bull Durham ("You won't hit me meat!" "Don't think, it is bad for the ball club!" "Lolly Gagers." The speech about what Crash "believes in." So many great lines. Maybe the best sports movie!!!!)

Remember the Titans (THis movie shows how the struggle is what makes us great. I think it is the coach in me.)

Braveheart (blood and guts, pass the testosterone)

Troy - this had to replace Pulp Fiction, I could watch this movie all day long

Ferris Bueller's Day Off (Irony considering my current job)

As Good as it Gets

Major League

Saving Private Ryan

All the Star Wars Movies

Cars (I have a secret desire to be a race car)

Great post Mills, this was fun.

How about a top five best sports movies!

Here are mine

Bull Durham
Remember the Titans
Major League
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
The Rookie

Our Recipe (Oatmeal Carmelitas)

2008-09-28T19:51:00.000-07:00

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups uncooked quick-cook oats
1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup butter, melted
1 (12oz) pkg semisweet chocolate chips
1 (14oz) pkg caramels
1/2 cup half and half

Stir together first 5 ingredients in large mixing bowl. Add butter, stirring until mixture is crumbly. Reserve half of mixture. Press remaining half of mixture into bottom of lightly greased 13x9 inch pan. Sprinkle evenly with chocolate chips.

Microwave caramels and half and half at medium (50% less power) for 3 minutes. Stir and microwave at medium 1-2 more minutes or until mixture is smooth. Let stand 1 minute. Pour evenly over chocolate chips. Sprinkle evenly with reserved crumb mix.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until light brown. Enjoy : ) : ) Yummy Yum
Thanks Kara Janek, we love these.

Last Week in September

2008-09-28T19:08:00.000-07:00

What a difference a year makes. In 2007 MJ and I were in Bourbonnais Illinois, I had just finished coaching the Manteno Invitational, and spent the day with my Mom and Dad. In 2008 we spent the day today with MJ's Mom and Dad along with her oldest brothers family that came in from Amarillo. My Mom and Dad are busy in the Mediteranian Sea on a Cruise.

This week was crazy, I had the High School to myself on Thrusday and Friday due to the Principal being at a conference in Dallas, and that was fun. On both days we ended up having to call 911 and have an ambulance respond to the high school for different reasons. Not to mention all the other exciting things that happened, the list is too long to mention. I can tell you that I love every second of each day, but I wish it was not so exhausting.

MJ is great. She had a great week at work and ran a whole bunch in the evenings.

Things in Texas are warm and the allergens are in the air. MJ and I are both suffering and that is unusual. Normally it is just me. The nights are cool and clear and the days are warm and sunny. One thing that is definately a little crazy is the intensity of the mosquitos at all times of the day and night. You cannot go outside without being attacked.

Well enough about that, I want to wish my White Sox the best during the next two days as they fight to get into the playoffs. To all my Cubbie fan friends congrats to you, I will always be a Chicago fan, so I will be cheering on the Cubbies as long as they are not playing the pale hose. How about them Bears. As of right now the Bears are up by a touchdown in the third quarter, we shall see if they can hold on to this lead.

Talk to ya all later.

Cowboy Weekend

2008-09-21T19:54:00.000-07:00

Well it was one of those busy weekends with football on Friday, a Tri-State Fair on Saturday and Church on Sunday. It was great and exhausting. MJ and I were apart on Friday as I traveled two and a half hours away to the Bobcat football game in Fritch, Texas the home of Ron White. We did not run into him while we were in Fritch. The Bobcats played hard and won. Arriving home at two in the morning MJ and I got up early Saturday and met Marilyn, MJ's mom, and Brooklin and Gage our niece and nephew to travel to the Tri-State fair in Amarillo, Texas. A good time capped off by the Rodeo that evening. The rodeo was impressive for me, a city boy. I now feel the need to get me some boots and a cowboy hat. It was great to spend time with our relatives and enjoy some new experiences. Sunday was church where MJ and I were convicted by our preacher, Trey Morgan at Childress Church of Christ, to use, read, open and share our bibles. We just got done cooking Sunday dinner for J.E., MJ's dad, and Marilyn, MJ's mom, and now we are watching the Cowboys destroy Green Bay. Myself being a Chicago native this is the perfect outcome as all Chicagoians, dislike Green Bay.

One final note to all the Cubbie fans, especially Tony and Chris, here come the playoffs, I wish you all the best until they meet the Soxs and then we will have to stop our friendship temporarily. Have a good one Swaff.

Well, it is time to start a new week, wish me luck, in my position you never know what is going to walk through my door.

No Longer a Bloggin Virgin

2008-09-17T14:10:00.000-07:00

Well after starting at Childress High School it has come to my attention that blogging is something all the cool kids are doing so I thought I would give it a shot.

I am sure I will add more later but as of today this is a good start.