Fear of Public Speaking

I'm researching information on people's fear of public speaking. Some of the information is amazing! Click on the link below to read some of the interesting facts!

FEAR OF SPEAKING WEBSITE

Company Recommendation

It's always good business to share information about businesses that work with you. Especially if they do great work and treat you like family.

I work with a local printer here in Arizona who take care of all of my printing and marketing needs.

I thought I would share their information with all of you. If you ever need flyers, posters, banners, books, brochures, pamphlets and more; click on the link below!

Arizona's Fastest Printshop

What is your vision?

I was talking with a group of students last week and we talked about having a vision. We talked about having the best dream ever and then waking up. For most of us, we do what ever we can to get back into that dream as quickly as possible.

The funny thing is, when we wake up the next morning, we want to tell everyone about our dream, but we have a hard time remembering it! You know how you felt, but you try as hard as you can to remember what you saw and experienced. You want to experience it again! And again! And again!

Life is the same way.

I was looking at some of the quotes I write down from time to time and I read one from a friend/mentor of mine. His name is Delatorro McNeal. His quote is

"You pursue what you see!"

It's great quote, because it's so true. When you see something that you really want or need, you pursue it. We all have visions and dreams, but unless we write them down, have a visual reminder of that dream; we fail to accomplish it. "Out of site, out of mind!"

We all have visions and dreams we want to accomplish. Next time you have that great vision or dream, be sure to make a visual reminder that you will constantly see. The more you see it, the better chance you have for it to become reality. And just like that dream, be sure to share that dream or vision with the people you trust most. They can either push you or support you in your efforts.

I'm off to bed. I need to fill my head with great visions and dreams!

Have a great week everyone!

Thank you Rio Hondo

Last Friday I was invited to speak to the student leaders at Rio Hondo College in California. The Community College is located just outside of Los Angeles.

I have had the great opportunity to speak all over the United States and Australia. This was my first time speaking in the state of California! I had to double check to make sure that was right and it was.

I was invited to speak at the schools annual leadership conference. The conference is held to expose students to concepts and techniques to improve their leadership abilities. I was invited to give the opening keynote; facilitate several ice breakers and present two workshops. I had the opportunity to work with a speaker I became friends with this summer. His name is Mark Hartley. I learned a lot watching Mark present his workshops and present the closing keynote.

Tip of the day: No matter how good you think you are, you can always learn more. I took a lot of notes watching Mark. His website is below.

Friday was a fun time! The theme of the day became "attitude." Everyday we have the choice of bringing the right or wrong attitude to everything we do. Mark and I choose to have a lot of fun while sharing our knowledge with the students of Rio Hondo. That attitude was easy for the students to see. They chose to have the same attitude and day became a memorable experience for everyone involved! A fun experience!

For any of the Rio Hondo students reading this post, thank you and please send any photos you took. Above is a photo of Mark and I with one of the students.

Mark Hartley's Website (Click Here)

I'm a married man!

Amazing Restaurant in Flagstaff, Arizona! Amazing Food! Amazing Service! Great Owners!
Tell them Kelly and Frank sent you!
http://www.cottageplace.com/

Cake was done by the Fantastic People of the Caked Bakery in Flagstaff, Arizona
Kelly and I just finished the last bit of cake this week! MMMMM!
http://www.cakedbakery.com/

I love you Kelly! Thank you for all of your love and support!

The Beautiful Sedona Golf Resort! Perfect backdrop for our wedding!
http://www.sedonagolfresort.com/sites/courses/supersite.asp?id=998&page=57233

On Saturday, October 16th I became a married man! I married my long time girlfriend Kelly! She is a very special person to me. I don't have enough time or space to say how special she is! We got married in beautiful Sedona, Arizona on a perfect day! Many of our friends and family say we have post card pictures to send to everyone.

We were surrounded by family and friends for a small intimate wedding that turned out just the way we wanted it. We had great time with family and friends and as many who attended agree; the food was Amazing!

When I get time, I'll b sure to post information and links about the amazing people who hosted and catered our wedding. Best way to thank the people who treat you well is to share information about them with others! Treat people right and they will treat you right!

Until then, thank you for all the well wishes and here are few photos from our special day!

Kelly and Frank

Yeah, New Business Cards!

I just got off the phone doing my usual walk through before a program or show. This Friday, I'll be speaking to the students of Rio Hondo Community College in Los Angeles, California. To insure that I give the best performance possible, I call ahead of time to ask a few questions and answer a few questions. The call is a great form of customer service, but it also provides what both parties want.....to satisfy their needs and wants.

So, now I just have to put the final touches on my performance and I'll be ready to hit the road.

During the conversation I received an e-mail containing the new design for my business cards. They are amazing! I really have to thank George Bernal for his hard work. He is the graphic artist and illustrator is designs most of my promotional materials. If you need someone to do great work for you or your business, go to http://members.cox.net/gbernal7/

I'll have to handout my old business cards on Friday, but new ones at the top of this blog are awesome!

Hi Mom!

The Ladies of my life (My Wife and My Mom) on my wedding day!

I started this blog, so my mom could read it and keep track of what was going on in my life. Over the last five years, I've had other people start to read my blog and tell me how much they enjoy reading it.

After talking to my mom on the phone recently, she made a comment that inspired me to keep writing/blogging more.

It was a simple comment...."I read your blog the other day, I like what you posted!" That meant a lot. My mom is busy, but she still finds time to read the blog to see what I have to say and see what I'm up too.

Mom,
Thank you for reading my blog and being one of my biggest inspirations in life! I'll continue to put up great stories, information and pictures to share with you and everyone else.

Until then, I hope to see you again soon! Remember to keep the phone lines open for our ritual phone calls!

Love,
Frankie

Off to the Gym!

Some of your are probably wondering how my work outs are going. Since the last time I typed, I started working out daily and walking with my wife.

Things were going really good, probably because I wanted to look really good for my wife on our wedding day. I was doing p90X workouts and things were going good. I took a before and after picture and showed it with my wife and workout partner. I saw great results, but no weight change.

Since the wedding two weeks ago, I haven't worked out, but I've been eating everything I can. The results? I'm up to 155lbs! I saw some of my wedding pictures and my wife and I are committing to taking better care of ourselves.

So I need to eat everything in sight and workout! I'm off to the local Recreation Center now to hit the weights. I'm also planning to starting some hiking and trail running with a friend of mine who is a police officer!

So, for everyone reading good luck with your workouts and I'll continue to keep you up to date on me!

Amazing Olive Oils and Balsamics

Last weekend Kelly and I got married (more to come on that one).

The day after the wedding, we took some family and friends to Sedona to explore the hiking trails and some of the stores. One of the stores we went to is called "The Sedona Olive Oil Company." Kelly and I enjoyed our visit to the store a few weeks earlier, so we wanted to show it to our family and friends.

The have a variety of Olive Oils and Balsamics from around the world. They are AMAZING. After sampling just everything in the store, we all made purchases. The owners Francis and Irene even gave us a bottle to congratulate us on our wedding.

Because they treated all of us so well, I wanted to return the favor. If you love or even like olive oils and balsamics, you need to give them a try. Tell them Frank sent you! The mail nationwide and offer discounts on large purchases

Their website is below. I'm also including their address and phone number.

Sedona Olive Oil Company
Singua Plaza
320 N. Highway 89a Suite T
Sedona, AZ 86336
928-282-1887

http://www.sedonaoliveoil.com

Number Quotes

A friend of mine sent me a great website today. The site is gives you facts/quotes about numbers. You type in any number and it will give you a list of fun facts and quotes about that number.

Here's an example. Today in October 2, 2010 (1022010)

1,022,010 quarters would weigh as much as 1.66 African male elephants

Give it a shot! Click on the link below

http://numberquotes.com/

Time to Exercise!

Last Night I went out running with Kelly. It was a 3 mile jog, but WOW! I've been slacking! Kelly ran a marathon in June and I ran 18 miles of it with her. A few months later, she asks me to join her for a short run, and it was tough three miles! My legs are a little sore today.

I'm really disappointed in myself. I'm pride myself on being in good shape. I jumped on the scale and another WOW! I'm 150 pounds! Not good when you are six foot two inches. There are people who have issues taking weight off, I have issues keeping it on. I've talked to doctors and trainers. I have to eat and work out.

My goal is to hit and stay at 170lbs. I've flirted with that number a few times, but not in a long time. I went to a healthy diet a few years back and it's amazing what happens when you eat junk food.

I told myself a few months ago that I would commit to doing the P90X program. It was working good for a few weeks, then I fell off the wagon. My good friend Brian started with me and we had the opportunity to work out together a couple of times. I noticed a real difference and I started putting weight on. Then I started saying "I'm busy" and here I am typing to you tonight.

The only way for me to become the healthy person I want to be is to put my info out there to the world. I'm hoping many of you will push me to get in better shape and hit my goals. Any time I post goals and dreams on this blog they come true. So blog readers, help me! I plan on posting weekly updates on what I'm doing to get into the shape I want to be in. I'm getting married in two weeks and we're talking about having kids. I'm going to be an older dad, but I want to be in great shape and health for my future kids. Kelly has the same dreams too.

Wow, this feels like a support meeting...."Hi, my name is Frank...I'm Skinny!"

I'm going to bed. I'm going to get up early and hit the pool in the morning and do the Ab Ripper X program from P90X. If any of you have ideas, knowledge or comments that can help me, please write.

Frank@badbadapples.com

Until then, thank you for listening...errr reading!

New Brochures!

I've been working with my good friend Rodger for the last four years as the speaking duo known as "The BAD BAD Apples!" We're pretty amazing together and we're working on spreading our information and knowledge to the world!

People have to know who you are in order for you to spread your knowledge. Here's our new brochure talking about our programs and who we are. Please share it with you're friends and co-workers.

We are the perfect speakers to kick off any conference or convention! We are also flexible! We have the ability to work with civic organizations, youth groups, schools, colleges, businesses and government agencies. Contact us to learn more!

We have special discounts and referral bonuses for anyone who mentions this blog!

To see more of what we do, be sure to look at the new links I put on the right side of this blog!

The Wedding is Approaching Fast

A year ago I posted I was engaged. Now I'm less than three weeks away from being a married man!
I'm really excited! I wanted to post more of the behind the scenes of what has been going on, but time flies by fast!

Here is a card we sent out to our wedding party to let them know all the who, how, why, whats about our special weekend.

Be on the look out for wedding photos and stories. Please send lots of positive thoughts our way on October 16th!

Thank you,
Kelly and Frank

Social Media and Traveling

Hello Everyone,

I just got back from a successful road trip. Got a chance to travel to Ohio, Pennsylvania and Minnesota. I had the great opportunity to perform for and educate the students and staff members at The Ohio State University Mansfield Campus, Albright College and Century College. Everything went great and I learned even more how much I enjoy working with people by sharing a little knowledge on stage.

I saw friends and family while I Ohio. My wedding is coming up in less than 3 weeks, so I spent time with my friends for a Bachelor BBQ. It was fun to relive old times and look forward to my new adventures with my wife to be Kelly.

In Minnesota I got a chance to meet my future in-laws and show off what I do by inviting them to one of my shows.

With all of this going on, I took the time to work a little on my upcoming book. I also spent a lot of time posting pictures and thoughts on Facebook and Twitter. I must admit I love those two forms of social media, but they're hurting my blogs.

Blogging takes a little more time and thought. Facebook and Twitter are instant. Over the last couple of months I've let everyone know to look me up on Twitter or friend me on Facebook.

My recent trips reminded me how I miss being around friends and family and sharing stories. I also got a chance to relive some of my blogs and realized how much I miss this too.

I don't think I'll ever be able to keep up the blogging pace I used to, but I'm going to work on providing one solid blog each week. I got to keep posting pictures too. Did I mention that I lost my camera on a trip to Washington D.C. this spring when a brawl broke out infront of me on the subway. Of course not, I haven't been blogging.

I'm crossing my fingers we get a new camera for a wedding gift (hint, hint), so I can start posting great pictures again.

Until then, keep reading and be on the look out for my first book by the end of this year! I think you'll like it, it will be similar to this blog!

Have a great week and thank you for reading!

Frank

Doggy Heaven

If you have lost a four legged family member and would like to everyone to remember them forever, please visit a website created by my friend. Click on the title below to learn more!

Doggy Heaven

The Dream Manager

I just got finished reading the book "The Dream Manager." It was one of the best reads I've had this year.

It's great for dreamers and making your dreams come true, but it's even better for anyone in a management or supervisory position in life!

So, go out and find the book at the bookstore or your local library and learn how you can be the best possible you by pursing your dreams!

Now HIring......Just Not You!

I'm sure the subject heading of this blog got some of your attention! We all know how bad the Job Market is here in the United States. You have a lot of companies and scam artist taking advantage of people. You have a lot of "experts" giving advice about how to find work. You have others on TV in their Ivory Towers telling "us" what to do......"Just go get work at Starbucks or McDonalds." The sad truth is those opportunities aren't available for everyone.

My speaking in many ways has turned into a "hobby" because of the economy. A lot of places don't want to put in the time and money to teach and make their employees better. So, I too have been forced to look for a "job." With all of my experiences, work ethic, personality, education and skills even I can't find consistent work.

During this experience, I've been observing everything. I first started taking mental notes. Now I take physical notes. I'm using these notes for my next program/ One Man Show. It's called "Now Hiring....... Just Not You!" I've been interview a lot of people about their job hunts. It's amazing all of the contradictions in the process. Job Fairs that don't have jobs; company's accepting applications, but not hiring; employers who need employees right away but have a 8-12 week hiring process. The list goes on!

If you would like to help me with my project, please e-mail me at Frank@badbadapples.com with your best or worst story about your job hunt. If I use your story in my show, I'll give you a special gift. You can even send my the funniest job posting you've seen too.

Be on the look out for video blogs I post about my newest project. It will be funny and insightful at the same time.

What happened to August? I spent 3 weeks on the road and forgot about my blog! I think I'll have to put up a note like many businesses in Europe that say "Closed for August!"

August is always my busiest point of the year. I work a lot of back to school programs and end up living in a lot of cars, hotels and airplanes.

This August was no different. I was in Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio and Illinois again. I got to work with lots of great people.

The most amazing part about speaking to/ teaching people is when someone smiles and says "Thank you!" or "You made an impact on my life." Those words put lots of goose bumps on your skin.

I'm still downloading pictures from August. From my speaking, visiting friends and wedding planing. The pictures require some good stories, so give me some time to catch up with the blog and post lots of great pictures and stories!

Until my next post, Keep Living Life!

The Main Lodge at George Williams College in Wisconsin

Had the honor of working with the students of Lewis University for a two-day leadership retreat at George Williams College

Rodger enjoying himself

Kaylar checking out my camera at the Phoenix Zoo

If you're put into the right environment, you can GROW!

How are you using your time?

A good friend of mine sent me a great story on life and how we spend our time. Please read and enjoy! Thank you Rodger!



86,400

Ephesians 5: 11-20


“Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”
-Ephesians 5:16

There are 60 seconds in a minute. There are 60 minutes in one hour. There are 24 hours in one day. Time… Because we are finite beings, our lives, our very existence is driven by time. Some of us never have enough time, and some have way too much time on their hands. Whatever the case, we are locked in this sphere of time. From the moment our eyes pop open, the clock starts and the seconds tick away. Each day that we are alive, we are confronted with a “magical” number of time. Every day, day after day, the same number…86,400. 86,400…what makes this “random” number so significant, you ask? It is the number of seconds that make up a 24 hr. day. There are 86,400 seconds in one day. You have 86,400 seconds at your disposal everyday! An interesting fact, but it does beg the question…what do we do with the time we are given? Do we use our time wisely? Are the most important things, most important issues, most important events, most important people given the greatest amount of our time? Or, do we squander our precious seconds?

Contrary to what most people think, we don’t have infinite amounts of time. In fact, our days are numbered. Knowing that, how we choose to live each second of each day should take on a different feel. Our lives should look different, be different. How we work should be different. What we say, the words we choose should be different. Why? Because, when time is no more, we are going to have to give an account of what we did with every single solitary second. Hmmm….



Carpe Diem!!

Great Quote

I was recently speaking at a leadership retreat and told my story about running in a marathon. Whenever I tell the story, people instantly connect with challenges me and my fellow runners went through.

After telling my story, one of the students listening came up to me and said thank you. She also told me how she connected with the story. She thought about the challenges she has gone through in her life, but she also reflected on a quote from a family member.

She wrote the quote down and gave it me. She told me the story behind it, and I instantly got goose bumps.

Here is the quote...enjoy!

"The race is not given to the swift or the strong but to those who endure to the end!"

Why I do what I do!

A lot of people ask me why I speak and entertain people around the country. A lot of people ask how I deal with all the traveling and long hours in airports and cars.

When you do something you really enjoy, love and know you're supposed to do; all the craziness is worth it. There's just a point when it feels right!

I just got finished with three not stop days of training and speaking. Did so much, I have a very sore throat and no voice.

After spending about 20+ hours in a car driving through Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio; I got a surprise in my e-mail box.

It was a letter from one of the students from Lewis University outside of Chicago.

Here is the letter

Hi Frank,

This is Tom. I sat to your left on Monday when we had asked you and Rodger to join us at our table for lunch. I am so happy that you came to our retreat at Lake Geneva this week!! This has honestly been one of the best experiences of my life and I was able to learn so much about myself and others throughout the entire process. I came into the week with an open mind and trying to do everything that I could to get the most out of this experience (even waking up at 4:45am on Tuesday to watch the sunrise on the lake haha). Keeping an open mind and embracing every opportunity to learn and engage myself in the activities made this week something that I will never forget!

I truly learned so much about what it means to be a BAD APPLE and how to bring forth my leadership abilities and develop an even greater self-confidence, motivation to succeed, and to continue to have a positive outlook in life. Thank you again for everything and keep doing what you are doing!!!

I love to travel, I love to meet new people but receiving letters like this really make my day and make we want to impact the lives of more people!

Tom, thank you for the letter and allowing me to share it with everyone on the internet.

Just remember everyone. You never know who's life you can impact just by sharing your knowledge or taking the time to talk over lunch. Life is about experiences and relationships. When you have a good one or a positive one, be sure to say Thank You! Thank You's are an easy way to make someone feel special and appreciated!

Inspiration from Tyler Perry

I am a fan of Tyler Perry. Today I went to his website and while searching the site, I found a great story of inspiration.

Click on this LINK to be inspired!

Another Video

Here is another fun video of Rodger and I speaking!

New Videos

I just edited and posted new videos of my speeches! They came out good! I really have to thank Grand Valley State University for film and Rob Lazurus for editing the videos.

Enjoy my solo work and work with Rodger Campbell.

What is your life path number?

Just had a friend teach me about life path numbers. It's amazing how close to target the numbers are about my personality and traits! I'm a number 6.

If you want to learn your number go to this LINK!

The Little Things to Leadership

Here is another short article on one of my speeches!

The Little Things to Leadership

By: Frank Kitchen

www.frankkitchen.com

www.badbadapples.com

What is leadership? We know leadership isn’t easy! We know that leadership requires time and energy. We know that leadership requires both physical and fiscal investments. We know a lot about leadership, but we don’t know the exact definition of leadership. Author Joe Roest found at least 221 different definitions of leadership while writing his book “Leadership in the 21^st Century.”

Over $15 billion a year is spent teaching executives about leadership! That’s over 14.5 tons in twenty-dollar bills spent every year just to train the hierarchy of organizations. That doesn’t even cover students, employees and supervisors. We may not know what leadership is, but we know it’s important.

I believe LEADERSHIP is the ability to inspire, motivate or lead an individual or group to accomplish a goal or idea. We all want to be successful leaders and we want to work with successful leaders. The dilemma with Leadership is we focus so much on the goal or outcome, we forget about the little things!

“Take care of the little things and the big things take care of themselves.” – Joe Paterno, Penn State Football Coach and All-Time Victories Leader for NCAA College Football

Luck is when preparation meets opportunity. Being a successful leader requires luck. The ultimate lucky number is SEVEN. Here are Seven Little Things you can do to become a highly effective leader.

#1 Show Genuine Interest

Study the people you lead. Know their strengths and their opportunities for growth; know their likes and dislikes, know their motivations. Don’t treat the people you lead like a number! Know them as an individual.

#2 Be Visible!

Be a Role Model. Set the example. Show up to meetings and programs you ask others to attend. Let people see you working. Display the behaviors you want people to exhibit.

#3 Be a Teacher!

Provide people with a vision and teach people how to make that vision come true. Invest the time and resources to train people thoroughly and constantly. Develop a training program that helps people grow.

#4 Delegate

You can’t do everything yourself! Discover the talents of the people you lead. Use their talents to accomplish the goal or vision. Put people in positions to excel and grow.

#5 Do the Sugar Honey Ice Tea Jobs!

Don’t delegate only dirty jobs. Show everyone that you are willing to get dirty too. When people see you doing the tough jobs, you will earn their respect.

#6 Be Honest

Truthfully explain why decisions are made. A lack of integrity and communication can lead to rumors, uncertainty and distrust. Be fair and keep things professional versus personal.

#7 Reward People!

All Feedback must be given at the proper time. This is especially true for positive feedback or rewards. Some people require a simple, “Thank You!” Other people require more. Find ways to celebrate every accomplishment or item of growth. If you truly know (Rule #1) the people you lead; finding unique ways to reward them won’t be a problem!

4 R's to a Dream Business!

Recently I was asked to write several articles for several magazines. I wanted to share a few of my favorites over my next couple of blogs.

I do a presentation called "The 4 R's to a Sweet Business/Organization" I love giving the presentation, because I'm speaking from the heart. I have personally experienced amazing organizations to work for and experienced some terrible ones too! Those experiences gave me the motivation to write this article.

“The Trick or Treat Theory”

The 4R’s to your Dream Business /

The 4R’s to a Sweet Organization

By: Frank Kitchen

www.frankkitchen.com

“Trick or Treat?” This is the question children ask countless homeowners nationwide for Halloween. Their question is answered when they receive a “fun sized” treat. Many are ecstatic to receive a sugar filled confection that causes nightmares for dentists. Others say, “What is fun about this?” They’ve put in an enormous amount of time planning for Halloween. Children have to pick the best costume or several; they have to map out all of the good houses to go to; they have to recruit friends and family to participate; and they have to obtain the perfect device to transport their expected treats. All of this work seems under appreciated when a 1 by 1 inch piece of candy is dropped into a king size pillowcase. The homeowner has failed to reward the children of time and effort they committed to impressing them. The child has been tricked! The AWESOME house on the corner has not delivered on the expectations it created!

A multitude of businesses are treating their employees just like the children mentioned. They forget that their success is based on time and effort of its employees. There is an old saying that goes, “ the business of business is people”. If a business truly wants to be successful, it needs to concentrate on the people it employees. They must exceed their expectations. A satisfied group of employees leads to a successful business. To have the business of your dreams you must ask yourself this question, “Am I a Trick or a Treat?”

“Putting too much emphasis on the bottom line is a mistake. Research indicates that good boss-employee relationships, opportunity and friends all rank higher than money on the list of what is important to employees in the workplace.” Tony Hsieh, CEO Zappos

Here are four simple steps to increase the odds of you having the business of your dreams! I would like to introduce you to the 4 R’s.

#1 RECRUIT

You must attract the right people to support your cause or business. Just like Halloween you must be creative in the way you attract people to you. Research what others are doing, and do something to make you stand out from the crowd.

#2 RECOGNIZE

Once you attract people to you, you must recognize what you have when you answer the door? You have pirates, clowns and super heroes? You may even notice the occasional teenager or parent! Everyone person you hire brings both known and unknown talents to the table. The key is to recognize the skills they posses and how to use those skills to grow your business.

#3 RETAIN

When you move the letters around in the word RETAIN you get the phrase “TRAIN E.” A big factor to retaining employees is proper training. When children arrive to your door for Halloween you do two things: You organize them to receive candy one at a time, you teach them how to ask the question “Trick or Treat?” Constant training, organization and clear communication will foster an environment where people feel valued and have an opportunity to advance.

#4 REWARD

For employees, a paycheck is expected. When you do the unexpected you create loyalty. People will spread the word about you. Be the house that gives out the unexpected for Halloween. This will create a buzz in the neighborhood. A full size candy bar, a toy, crazy decorations or an out of this world experience are the ultimate recruiting tool. There are many ways to reward your employees. The first three R’s will help you learn if your employees are internally or externally motivated. Once you learn what motivates them, do the unexpected. If you want the more out of your employees, you must give more too! Make your business a Treat to work for and not a Trick!

Old Spice Add for BYU and studying!

Brigham Young University / BYU - New Spice | Study like a scholar, scholar

Your Blogs have been slow

Hello Everyone,

I haven't posted as many blogs lately because I've been putting a lot of information on my facebook and twitter pages. I'll be sure to put more information, thoughts and ideas on this page, but if you don't see anything here, please check me out at the links below:

FACEBOOK LINK
TWITTER LINK

Wedding Invitation

Kelly and I have been super busy lately doing our wedding planning! This is our day, so we're doing everything to have our personalities show.

The biggest part was our invitations. We had an amazing graphic artist make something original for us. I was excited to see the final result.

Above is the edited version of our invite.

Ok, I'm off to do more planning. 3 months until the big day!

Teacher in Space!

My best friend recently got selected to participate in the teacher in Space Program sponsored by NASA. Read the article below to learn more about his adventures and the program!

Click HERE

Are you a good driver?

That's a great question for my blog title? I recently received a nice little "bill" in the mail showing me run a red light. I wanted to prove the city/state wrong, but when I saw video and photos, I discovered I was in the wrong. The fact that the citation showed up over three months after the incident, didn't make me feel good either.

So, I learned eyes are everywhere and to be a safe driver because my "bill" was not cheap. Thinking that I could get out of my debt to the state for cheap, I signed up for the mandatory traffic class needed to waive my citation. Yep, it's only $10 cheaper with all of the processing fees! So, I still owe over three figures!

While taking my online class I've discovered that many of us are terrible drivers and really don't know the rules of driving, or we just forgot! I'm sure many of you reading this are saying, that's a very obvious fact, all you have to do is drive a few minutes. GMAC has a driver's test that it offers to drivers. The results are pretty amazing. The average score is 76%. That means most of us are 6% away from not having the privilege to operate a motor vehicle.

If you wonder how much you know or don't know, go to the website below and test your knowledge. I'm sure you'll be surprised what you do and don't know. Good Luck!

GMAC National Drivers Test

Wedding Planning

Kelly and I are a little over three months away from the big day. There is still a lot to do, but this week we were able to take care of some major parts of our planning and preparation. I'm not going to give away the location of our wedding, but the pictures above are some very good clues.
The excitement is building, so, be on the look out for most posts!

We had a great day seeing the wedding location, meeting our florist, setting our reception menu, picking out our cake and taking a peek at the place we will stay.

To celebrate we went to Ken's Creek Side Restaurant in Sedona to enjoy some good food, a glass of wine and their world famous( they've been on the Travel Channel) Peach Cobbler! It was amazing!

If you want to learn more about Ken's, Click HERE!

Quote of the Day

"If you want to soar like an Eagle, you can't hang out Turkeys!" - Author Unknown

How safe is your seafood?

I'm a huge fan of sea food. It's amazing to learn how much of it isn't safe for us to eat. If you would like know more about what is good to eat, good for you and good for the enviornment; check out the site below.

SEAFOOD WATCH (Click Here)

More Pictures

Since people love it when I post pictures, here are a few more!Our friend's two year old offering us Vitamin Water before the marathon. I guess she thought we needed it.

The lock kept this bike in San Diego from being stolen. Too bad it didn't protect the pedals, handle bar, wheels and seat!

The road to San Diego!

You've got to love the kids who visit the zoo

The inside of the Extreme Team Tour Bus

Mr. Turtle just chilling in the sun

Jones Beach bath house

Hunting for the perfect tuxedo for the wedding. This one has possibilitiesA view of the lake Kelly and I walk by during our morning/night walks.

One of the baby Zebra's born at the Phoenix Zoo

My friend's daughter posing for the camera. She loves cameras and cameras love her too!

May Flew By

Hello Everyone!

I spent most of May on the road traveling and working! It left me little time to blog, so it's time for me to post some pictures and stories and get everyone caught up.

United States Air Force Reserve

I traveled to two airshows in May to work for the United States Air Force Reserve. I was a part of the "Extreme Team." We are a marketing group that travels to airshows around the country and distribute information about the Air Force Reserves and positions available at a near by Air Force Base. If May, I got to travel to Washington, D.C and New York City. I hope to work more with the Extreme Team this summer. It's all good for me because I get to do things I like. I get to work with people, travel and look at airplanes!

Speaker Revolution

I attended the first ever Speaker Revolution in Cincinnati, OH. The bootcamp/conference was designed to for speakers to learn more about the business of speaking, practice our programs and learn lots of tips and tricks of the industry. In short, it was a 3 day conference on how to improve your skills and get more work. I also got to network with some the best speakers in the country. I have to say thank you to my speaking partner Rodger Campbell for getting me to the conference.

At the conference I learned that a book that I help write is in the final steps of publication. It should be ready by January! Wow! I'm an author!

More Books

I'm currently working on another book. People don't have the time to read long books, so I'll be writing my book similar to how I write this blog. Some of my best blogs will be in the book, plus some other thoughts from my mind. Be on the look out for "Fresh From the Kitchen...Volume #1" this fall.

Wedding Planning

My wedding is almost four months away and their is a ton of stuff to plan. Me and my future wife completely understand why people can't wait for the day to be over and get things back to normal. We are currently working on looking our best for the wedding day and the future. Kelly just ran in a marathon and I've spent several mornings running with her. I just have to hit the weights and stuff my face to bulk up "Mr. Skinny!" If anyone has any tips or advice, let me know.

As always, here are some pictures from my adventures in May!
Jones Beach State Park, Long Island, NY

One of the New York Jets Cheerleaders

More of Jones Beach

Flying into JFK airport in New York City

Stuck in the Detroit Airport for 12 hours. Considered trying to jump on this 747 bound for Asia. How much fun would that be?

I'm working on some new programs about going GREEN? Would anyone care to help?

Obama Bobbleheads in Washington DC

I'm still waiting to see the Iron Man Movie, but got to see him and War Machine at the Andrews Air Force Base Airshow

F-15 Eagle

C-17 Globemaster

I took some co-workers on a walking tour of Washington, D.C.

I had some free time while Traveling through Tampa, so Mom came to see me for dinner at the airport! Love you Mom! Thank you!

I'm still working at the Zoo with the monkeys when I'm not out of town.