Quinny Turns 3

Quinn Seong Wook turns three! Our little tyke is hitting true "boy stage" at this point - eating everything in sight, breaking tons of stuff and playing rough and tough....that is when he isn't playing "dress up" with his older sisters.

Happy birthday son! You are loved!

Life is good!

Galveston - Recovered from Ike, Spared from the Oil

Since I grew up just 20 minutes from the coast, I have to admit I am a little biased in my assessments. But considering the damage done by Hurricane Ike in 2008 and the fear of the BP oil disaster making its way to the Texas Coast, Galveston is alive and well!

All should take advantage and visit the Island soon!

This year we started a new tradition by staying at the Galvestonian Condominiums on the East Beach. For decades we have rented a beach house on the West Beach but it was time for a change. http://www.galvestonian.com/

The Galvestonian was incredible. We loved it and already have the same condos booked for our visit next summer. It's just 1 minute from Broadway, the Sewall, the Strand, the Ferry Landing and most importantly Marios Pizza. And with the new Pleasure Pier opening sometime in 2011 we will be just a few minutes away from even more fun.

Nothing is more enjoyable than fun time in the sand and surf surrounded by your kids and family. We ended each day with a clean swim in the huge pool and then rounded out the night with some movies, snacks and drinks.

If you haven't been to the Texas coast in while, get yourself down there and keep the Galvestonian in mind...just don't take our new spot!

What a Difference God Can Make In a Year

From our company blog:

One Year Later....a New Business with a New Plan

Last June began a trip to business hell we hope to never revisit. Actually, things started going south in the spring, but all hell broke lose in late May, early June, when we learned that key employees, friends and others were in the process of stealing our business ideas from under neath us in setting up a company called United Health & Life.

A year later UHL appears to be dead and out of busienss and EHL is in the process of a full recovery. All because of the grace of God and His favor and blessings. Period.

Twelve months ago we were wondering how to survive the next week. We were focused on trying to salvage what was left of a 9 year business that blew up in our faces. Today, our 10th year, we in a full recovery with a new exciting business plan that we believe can set us free.

God is good.

After our short stint trying to sell Google ads with AdzZoo, we decided to get back into healthcare sales and in February we connected with a huge brokerage firm out of Fort Worth. Our bond was almost instantaneous and since then we have become a powerful team with a big vision for the future.

Needless to say, summer of 2010 is already night and day from last year. Last year on my vacation these bad people did this to us ruining our family trip to the coast. Next week we go again this time with fun plans in hand! Though cash is still real tight, things are fun again, business is exciting and we can really see God's hand in it all. It has almost been too easy just letting Him lead us.

We have a future we would have never dreamed possible this time a year ago. We have a lot of work to do but with God's help all things are possible and we can't wait see what the next 12 months bring us.

Summer Time Brings Busy Fun

The reality is life is just ALWAYS busy. Any parent will tell you. Just when you think, "oh good. Summer is here!" life just keeps on trucking along at full speed.

Last summer my business was nearly taken out from under me by some former friends and close employees. It was NOT a good summer. Stress, worry, fear and lots of anger and confusion filled our minds.

But God has been beyond good the last 12 months as He has restored things, brought us new plans and visions and given us a total new focus on life, His work and His nature. The future could not look better! The return to a sense of normalcy being the biggest of all blessings for sure. So I welcome a packed calendar this go around!

This summer for us looks packed nearly each week from here until school starts back up too. VBS, family vacation (hopefully two), friends coming in town, trips to the zoo, church volunteering each Wed, soccer practice for Quinn, Hawaiian Falls trips, grandparent visits, gymnastics for the girls, various church events, 4th of July family fun, Tyler trips, home group meetings, our own summer party, business summer bash and other business activities.

At the same time, this is what makes life fun. In between all of those things there will be plenty of time for a few Rangers games, some small cookouts, swimming in the pool and spontaneous fun that should include some movies, Six Flags, shopping, time with friends, etc.

Summer is fun. But, it sure is busy. Hope yours is as good as ours looks to be!

The Floor Cracked Us Up

This will take some explaining, but it sure was funny.

Let me set the stage. In our home we have wood floors that run from the front door, down the hallway completely covering the kitchen and dining room ending at our bedroom. Over the last 8 years water from the dog bowl has basically ruined an area about the size of a door mat. It was only a natural move for us to cover this area with a rug in order to hide the ugliness until we redo the floors completely.

However, after Julie removed the mat the other day she immediately realized that was a “bad idea jeans” move; the floor looks way worse. It was wet, moldy looking in some spots and boards were sticking up or pealing back. It was an ugly, scary looking sight. In a last ditch effort we placed a box fan in the area to dry up the wetness with hopes we could avoid having to do major repair work right now. We will see.

Now, for the other part of this story.

Both of our 5 year old twin daughters have started having these “night terror” dreams. Not fun for anyone. They awaken in the middle of the night screaming bloody murder causing the entire southern region of Mansfield to bolt up out of their beds with personal protection devices armed and ready for action. Seriously. When I say scream I don’t mean a little “ahhhh!” We are talking Nightmare on Elm Street levels of fear bursting out of their throats.

Hearts pounding we both usually leap out of bed (and I do mean leap!) and run to the stairs where they are usually standing at the top screaming and crying saying “I had a bad dream!” Honestly it is kind of sad because we all have had those “bad dreams” but it’s just such a violent way to wake the family at 3am nearly every night.

But last night topped them all.

About 3am our night of deep sleep came to a crashing halt. Screaming was taking place within our very room! Hearts in throats we scrambled out of bed thinking we had just been raided by 3 foot curly blond home-invasion criminals. I was reeling with thoughts of getting my gun, or a knife, whatever thinking I was about to have to go into my powerful, much practiced, terminate the enemy, defend-the-family mode.

I had been in the middle of my own amazing dream - running on the beach with rock hard abs while bikini babes chased me, yelling my name, wanting me bad – when my mind made the realization that the screaming I was hearing was coming from the mouths of babes, just not on the beach! Julie’s intense dream of cooking me the best homemade pizza ever was interrupted too as the screaming filled our ears from just a few feet away.

Within seconds our arms were around them both. Chloe was the most upset.

“What is wrong!” I asked.

“I had a bad dream,” Chloe said sobbing and shaking like a leaf.

"You did?" I said. (Julie was consoling Sidney)

"It's ok baby. Calm down." Her intense shaking and crying continued. "It's gonna be alright."

"We all have bad dreams honey," I said. "It's ok. Mommy and daddy are right here."

We carried them into the living room, making our way to the couches, both still sobbing. It was obvious it was a bad one. This was going to take some time to get the place back in order. My own dream was on hold for at least another hour.

Wondering what her dream was about, I pressed her for details. It surely had to include some scary scene from a show we had watched, or a monster from one of their Disney DVDs. It was bad whatever it was. Might even include some Bigfoot fears passed down via my DNA.

"Chloe, what was your bad dream about," I asked.

She mumbled something between a sob.

"What?" I asked again.

"I had dreamed about (mumble)," she said unintelligibly.

Not wanting to get her fear activated again I gave it a few minutes.

Then finally I asked again and her answer was more clear though I was confused as to what it sounded like. I thought I heard what she said but I just had to clarify that I heard her right.

"Did you say you had a bad dream about the floor!?"

Shaking and sobbing still, she replied as serious as her little self could.

"Yea."

Need I say more. I am still laughing now.

*sigh* Another Great Show Is Gone

Sadly another one of our favorite shows came to an end tonight as "24" closed out with a bang. Sure the show had it's quirks and such, but it was a great series based on a cool, creative concept.

Few characters rise to the occasion like Jack Bauer did and we will surely miss his grit and ability to withstand torture, stabbings, gun shot wounds, poison, bombs and the likes all in a days work.

Let's face it, TV shows bite these days. Few make you laugh and it is reality and drama show overload.

I wish we could get one more season at out of Jack and CTU.....*sigh*.

Finally - a GetAway

The last time Julie and I snuck off for a few days was in the fall of 2008 with our visit to the Ozarks in Arkansas.

Yesterday we finally started another one in the great city of San Antonio. It's a whole new world down here without the kids too. We enjoyed some Hard Rock Cafe burgers for lunch yesterday on the River Walk. Then we checked in at the amazing Hyatt HillCountry Resort, and spent the evening at the Alamo Quarry Market - dinner at Canyon Cafe, a 7pm flick ("Date Night" - VERY funny!) and then some dessert at Amy's Ice Cream and ending the night with some wine here at Charlie's Long Bar.

Today we will bask in the sun around the pool, get a massage and I will work on my Club J story. We don't really plan to leave until maybe tonight. Who knows. We have no agenda and THAT is what we need.

Jealous?

You should be.

Boy how we needed this...sorry kiddos, see you Sunday.

Six Flags Then & Now

Tonight we randomly decided to make a family run to Six Flags. Sitting right across the street from my office I see the place all day long. Yet something is still magical about entering the park mid-afternoon on a sunny day and enjoying the sights, sounds, smells and rides.

Of course this time I wasn't 15 chasing 15 year old girls around either.

Rather, I'm 40 with a wife and three kiddos.

Walking around the place it really was weird. In all the years since those pimple-faced days of old the park really hasn't changed that much. Last time Julie and I went was 2001 when we were DATING. Yet, back in the 80s this was THE place to be. Such fun times.

Tonight was a blast too. Quinny fell in love with speed and his little Loony Toons land coaster. The girls jumped right in with most of their rides too. Julie and I could do nothing more than just look at our "adult" rides in the distance of course.

Maybe one day we'll go back, just the two of us, and finally ride Superman.

If not, until then we're happy taking the kids. It's just a fun place to go.

Three Under the Age of Five

For those of you without kids and for those of you beyond these days, enjoy.

This is our life:

"stop it...put that down...don't do that...what's in your mouth...where did you get that?!...what are you doing!?...stop running with that...wipe your own butt!....are you poopy or did you just tootoot?...get down...sit down...turn around...move...be quiet... please just...obey me now...really?!?!...oh my gosh!...tell me...put that away...let it go... give it to me... NO.... NOW!... one! two!.... I said yes... don't ask me again... get back in bed... what now!?...shut that door...yes I will put cream on it in a second!... get out of that...spit that out, don't eat that...eat another bite....where did you get that gum?... why are you crying...you don't need a bandaid...you don't need medicine... stop whining... can you whine a little more please...Quinn get your hand out of your pants!...stop fighting...we don't talk about our butts/poop/boobies or bobo...don't hit...say excuse me...can you whine a litle more?...apologize now...what do you say?... get in time out now...lay down!... stop singing Christmas songs... there's no need to yell... you already asked me that... where did he/she go?...where is he/she?...put down my phone...no, more Dora/Mickey/Handy Manny/etc..in a minute...where did you learn that?!"

(to ourselves and between us) "no more kids...kill me now...why did we want kids again?...it's gonna cost HOW MUCH?!...yes one day we will get to go on a trip alone again....you're lucky so-and-so is still alive...shoot me now...where's the wine?...go get more wine...we are out of wine...call your parents...who's crying?...when did he/she start doing that!?!?!"

End of the day:

"The kids are so funny!" I say smiling.

"Yes, they are...." Julie replies.

"What do you think about four?" I ask.

"Good night."

"Good night."

UPDATED REGULARLY

Sports Duldrum Begins

Thanks to my lame Mavs and Stars, the 2010 sports summer started early and is going to be ONE LONG BORING PHASE.

Let's face it...between NASCAR, golf and baseball, it's really a dead time for exciting sports activity. To top that off what shows during the summer really get your juices flowing? Yea, exactly,...nada.

I've been fortunate that usually I have someone to cheer on well into May and even early June shortening the time between then and August when football gets cranking. This year....oh man is it gonna be a bore.

Too bad I can't depend on my Astros or Rangers to do much for me.

Guess I'll just have to enjoy the sun, work my butt off and make some money and spend more time with the kiddos and wifey.

Seven Year Itch

Never have understood this "7 year itch" myth. I've had an itch since I was 3. Just ask my wife as I lay in bed scratching and driving her to new levels of insanity few have experienced.

Seven years ago had she known this realty, she just might have gotten an itch to say "c ya". But lucky for me, I got her locked in, haze-grey and under-way.

Hard to believe this weekend we will have been married for 7 years and known each other for close to a decade. Without getting t0o graphic, those early days sure were fun in the sun - if you get my drift - wink, wink. After all, we did produce identical twins...

This weekend we planned a little excursion of sorts to the W Hotel in Dallas. Been FOUR-EV-ER since we have had a real adult, party night out on the town. I was pumped. Even had a sexy new lingerie outfit picked out that I felt confident and sexy in. It was gonna be one fun evening....

Then Sidney vomited.

"Hello, W Hotel in Dallas? Hi....I need to cancel our reservations for tomorrow. My child just barfed and it looks like we are going to have yet another planned hot night at home. Yes....right...yes she will likely be wearing her baby blue M&M long t-shirt and I will be in boxers. The dogs? Yea, correct....they will either be in the bed or by it....one snoring louder than me."

Married with Children continues...

Drive-Thru Terror - Village Idiots Are On the Lose

Apparently even more villages than is usual have lost their idiots this week in the DFW area. And for me, they apparently find drive-thru lines a good place to accentuate their ignorance.

Case in point 1- we have a Chick Fi Lay right on the way from my home to my office. They know me by name. I visit nearly daily for tea or breakfast and sometimes lunch. They, like all fast food establishments, have a drive-thru line for autos.

They, like most fast food places we all frequent, have a parking lot with CLEARLY defined parking spaces at a obvious angle the place of business intends for cars to travel through said parking lot. In many cases they have separate entrance and exit points that also coincide with the direction of the parking space stripes I just mentioned. Usually these places also have at least one very visible NO ENTRANCE/EXIT ONLY sign sometimes accompanied with "guidance cones" helping out those that just can't figure it out. Anyone with a brain can easily see that entering the parking lot going the wrong way in a feeble attempt to circumvent the drive-thru line ahead of others or for the sake of being a lazy butt is simply not going to work with cars coming head on trying to leave through the EXIT!

So here I am pulling into the parking lot heading towards the drive thru while listening to "Fake Jerry" (Jerry Jones) on my favorite AM morning show. Coming at me is a lady GOING THE WRONG WAY via the EXIT ONLY entrance. On top of that guess what.....you guessed it....our little Missy is playing Chatty Katty on the flippin' phone.

I am forced to stop in my tracks and a quick game of chicken ensues. I just sit there and stare here down with my hands lifted off the steering wheel as if to say, "Really!? I mean seriously? Are we that stupid as a society now?"

Feeling four of my five of my fingers desperately wanting to curl up leaving one standing rigid for her view I fought back the flesh and just held my ground feeling my look of exasperation was enough for her this bright, glorious Monday morning.

Her response?

She stopped her car, looked at me angrily, raised her hands at me and mouthed a few choice words that I am sure included the likes of "Lord I pray this man is truly blessed today...may his children succeed in all they do and may his business flourish like no other in the future...Amen."

I refused to budge as I waited in line. So she spent the next 60 seconds slowly maneuvering her car between mine and the rest with just inches to spare. I have to admit I laughed out loud watching her respond to the other two cars that honked at her behind me and further relished her hilarious attempt at having to make an eight-point u-turn that took her forever and backed up the line even more.

Oh yea, she did all of this without ever putting down her phone.

Guess she was letting her village know just exactly where she was.

(case in point 2 coming soon)

Old Friend Is About to Be Blown to Shreds

Of course, most Texans all agree Texas Stadium is an icon most of us are likely to never forget. But the sad truth is she has been in a state of death and decay since the late 90's and throughout the first decade of the new millennium she degraded beyond salvation.

Small, cramped, dirty, stinky, cold and damp. It's over.

Bring on the dynamite. It's time she blows.

For me personally I am going to take it hard.

Growing up a huge Cowboys fan I got my first personal Texas Stadium experience in 1983 when dad took me to a Thanksgiving Day game against the St. Louis Cardinals. I was 14 and loved every second of the Cowboys victory that day. To see the Boys for real in that loud, fan crazed place was incredible. Not to mention how awestruck I was at seeing the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders in person too!

Just seven years later in 1990 I became an actual employee of the Dallas Cowboys as I landed a part time gig working Cowboys games as a stands attendant. (bet you didn't know that!). Yep, I had to help people find their seats and keep them out of the isles, but at halftime I got to sit wherever I wanted and watch the rest of the game. I made $25 a game and was allowed to bring my 35mm camera to the game too. It was fun watching Emmitt, Troy and Michael just getting their grove on. The playoff game against the Eagles that year was a highlight for sure!

In the 2000s, being much older and little more financially sound, I was fortunate enough to start attending more games. I was there when Troy Aikman played his last game in 1999 against the Redskins. He was pulled because of a huge hit to the head. I even told my girlfriend at the time he would never play again. I was right.

With the likes of Ebay and StubHub I found myself at many games from 2000 to 2003, many times alone, until 2004 when my business partner and I decided to buy season tickets and rent a suite to entertain our sales staff. What an experience! Friends, family, and business contacts alike shared in the fun too! Tailgating became the craze and we literally would hang out for hours before the game. Certainly more fun than watching the likes of Joey Galloway, Ryan Leaf, or Quincy Carter. Geez.

Our lease ended in 2006 and I returned to my personal season tickets for most home games. The company continued to buy seats for most home games too and the fun continued for the most part, though, until 2007, the team was terrible.

My last memory of Texas Stadium ended just like my first. With my dad at my side. The game was a cold one and the Cowboys finished the season with a terrible loss to the Baltimore Ravens, ending what should have been a promising year. It was an ironic twist of fate seeing the death of a season run along side the death of our beloved Texas Stadium.

Dad and I stood in the frozen wind and rain that night as we watched a parade of Cowboys stars take the field one last time. Dandy Don then sang "turn out the lights" and the Texas Stadium era came to an end.

The lights turned off and we headed home.

Thanks for all the memories Texas Stadium.

Boom goes the dynamite.

Breast Bombs

It's really no secret that this world would simply not be the same if not for breasts. Come on. Be real. Admit it. God knew what he was doing when he added that special feature to the woman's body. Large or small, they are special. Even David in Song of Solomon spoke of their precious beauty...

But now a new twist on these attributes is down right scary and appaling all in one.

Apparently terrorists are now training women to use explosive breast implants in order to avoid detection and blow up planes and the like.

Jesus please return soon.

I know the line of men will likely be out the door for the new security jobs certainly to become available to check for such explosive devises, but in all seriousness, is there any end to these maniacs?

I just wish they would leave our breasts and our planes alone.

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=123758

Hope & Change is Just Turning Into Change

It is no secret after more than a year in office that President Obama is no different than all of those before him when it comes to breaking campaign promises and pursing his own agenda. He is a liar like most before him and he could careless what the majority think.

The problem is he makes Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter look like the founders of the conservative movement. Barack Obama is spending us into oblivion and it appears he will stop at nothing until every drop of ink is spent at the mints.

Yea, I know. We are the morons that fell for his "Hope & Change" campaign spin when in reality all he had in mind was "change". And boy, do we have change.

I fear for the society, values and debt Quinn, Chloe and Sidney will face when they are sitting here reading this entry in 25-30 years. Will America remain? Will "conservatism" be dead and gone? Will this be the time in which they will look back on as the date America turned into all the rest?

We have to work and pray to save our land between now and November. We can't stop him, but we can slow him down.

He now runs the banks, he runs student loans, he runs the auto industry, he runs the housing market, he controls the insurance companies, and he wants to run immigration and Wall Street next. Anyone out there think of some countries that run everything? You laugh, but are we any different now?

Let's just hope we can return the change.

Quinn Tries out Big Boy Bed

It's a sad yet exciting moment for the family. Our little Quinny has graduated (we think) from his crib to a "big boy" Tommy the Train bed.

After Julie put it together (yea, I was a slacker), he proudly took his first nap in it yesterday. Then that night he excitedly laid down and slept without a peep until 8am!

It's weird that all three of our kids are already no longer "babies". We are excited about it, yet somewhat scared about how fast it all is going.

Now, all we need to do is figure out how to get him to pee and poop in the "big boy potty".

Once in a Lifetime DFW Snow Storm

I am not sure how many times the word "unreal" was spoken either by me or Julie on Thursday and Friday when over 12inches of snow fell in the Dallas area, a record for the most snow to fall in one day in the entire state of Texas!

For just a few days it felt like we were transported to the mountains of Colorado or the fields of Wyoming as a soft, gentle snow storm wrapped its arms around the DFW area and covered us with a peaceful blanket of the good white stuff. It started snowing around midnight and did not let up or finish for over 24 hours. In the end we were left feeling somewhat like our national leaders in the DC area who have been snowed in for weeks now.

So much for "global warming" Al Gore. I think God himself had tired of your "science" and scheme. Apparently another record was set last week when snow was recorded on the ground in all 50 states at the same time.

The kids and the dogs loved playing out front with our neighbors, though most of us were fighting off colds and ear infections. I never thought I would have to get a ladder out and brush the snow off our satellite TV dish - much less three times in a day! Not to mention getting out the big shovel to clear off the 8 inches that had built up on the driveway. Truth be told, my neighbors and I did that mostly just to say we did and to empathize with our northern American comrades!

It was truly a once in a lifetime Valentine's weekend event. Not in my 40 years had I seen this kind of snow in Texas. It was a sight to behold; so soothing, beautiful and white.

Watch slideshow here:

Q-ster Peeing in Potty - Working on the Poopin'

Quinny is so proud of his new Buzz LightYear underwear. He won't even poop in them he is so excited.

Potty training a 2 year old boy is surely WAY different than the girls was. "Hold it down!" is often something heard broadcast throughout the house these days.

He is a peeing machine.

Now all we have to do is get him unafraid to poop!

Diapers, you are on the final count down! PRAISE GOD!

New Year Starting Well

Yea, it's way early, but still.

Business wise 2010 is looking good already!

Can't really breath easy just yet (never really can when you are in business for yourself) BUT if anything, I have learned over the last year to truly keep my faith in tact and trust God.

Things are looking up.

Now, all I have to do is keep it rolling...

Football Offseason Begins....a sad day

I love football. Specifically I love Dallas Cowboys football. Today I had the kids wave by to the animated Cowboys man we leave on the fireplace daily starting each August. Their Romo jerseys will be hung up. The tailgating gear was put away in the garage and most of my Cowboys hats will be put to rest until July.

It's a sad, sad day in the life of the Speers family.

Cowboys 3, Vikings 34. Not good. Not good at all.

Here are my thoughts:

1. Wade should come back - not because I like him, but because there are no other good ones to replace him with and any change now will set things back for 1-2 years.
2. We DID improve and we have a "team" now. It has been 13 years since we have had that chemistry.
3. We have young players to build around.
4. Our defense is much improved.
5. Romo looks like he can be a winner.
6. We need to focus on a kick returner, a kicker, secondary help (Newman is totally over-rated) and offensive line help.

Next year I at least wanna get to the NFC Championship!

For now, go Saints!