I'm CPR Certified

I recently got CPR certified. Check out this video I shot at the training.

Frank

The meaning of Christmas

This Christmas was special. Not because of gifts, but because of a special event.

Many people believe the meaning of Christmas is to give and receive gifts. This belief can cause a lot of stress. It causes people to be moody during a time of the year when we're supposed to give good tidings to all. We're supposed to promote peace and most importantly we should be enjoying our time with friends and loved ones.

This year, I got to spend time with my sister. She's been out of the country serving in the military. The last time I saw here was about 8 months ago. She recently sent me an e-mail saying she would be returning to the United States early and would be home for the holidays. Her wish was to see her family.

Her her way home, she arranged to have a layover at the Phoenix Airport. She would be here for about an hour. I know, it's not much time, but a little bit of time is better than nothing. We were worried that we would have even less time to see each other because of the security at airports theses days.

I explained my worries to my wife and she came up with a great idea. She told me to talk to the airport and airlines. So, I did. I explained the situation and they told us we could get a special military family pass to go beyond the security check point. To my sister's surprise, Kelly and I were there waiting for her at the gate when she got off of her plane.

We walked her to her next gate and talked for over an hour. We caught up, shared stories, and saw pictures of her adventures overseas. The time flew by, but it was the best gift ever. Time spent with people I loved. My sister and my wife.

People are getting to bent out of shape about people saying "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays." It's not what people say, it's the meaning and spirit behind it. The spirit of enjoying time with your family and friends. Showing them how much you love them and putting a smile on their faces.

Just like the picture of me, Kelly and Melissa above!

Thank You!

The words "Thank You" can mean a lot especially when given at the right time.

Many people focus so much on material gifts, they forget that something "simple" can make more of an impact.

I have a friend named Katie. I've written about her several times on this blog. She is special, modest and very genuine.

She participates in several endeavours to help people . One of them is to provide clean drinking water to children in Africa. I do what I can to support Katie and her endeavours. Many times I feel and wish I could do more.

That all changed when I received an e-mail today from Katie. The picture is above.

Katie is someone I look up too because of the amazing things she does and her amazing heart and passion. With every thing going on, she still managed to do something special.....she said "Thank you!"

Never forget to thank the people who support you. It's one of the greatest gifts you can give!

Thank you Katie! To learn more about Katie, click on the link below:

http://rowforwater.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katie_Spotz

Trip to New Mexco

Visiting family and friends is very important to my wife and I. She is a proud native of New Mexico. I have a lot to learn about the state.

In June we took a trip to New Mexico so Kelly and her family could show off some of their favorite spots. One of my wife’s favorite places is the town of Taos.

We had a great time. That northern part of the state is absolutely beautiful!

Enjoy the pictures from our trip. If you have a favorite place be sure you try to visit it when you can!

Book of the month!

I’ve been traveling a lot lately. And when I’m traveling there are tow things I do to pass the time. Sleep and read! Airports and airplanes give me an opportunity to catch up on both.

The gift of knowledge is one of the best gifts you can give. This month my friend Ron (he’s the editor of my book) let me borrow the book, “Listen to no one and 39 other creative things you do.”

I could write you a long boring review of the book, or I could just give you a direct quote from the author.

Chapter 40

"Work hard. Keep at it, Live simply and quietly. Remain humble. Stay positive. Create your own luck. Be nice. Be polite."

If you are feeling un-motivated about life, pick up this book for a fun, easy and inspiring read.

Thank you Ron!

Help a Great Charity!

A little over a year ago, I was introduced to a non-profit organization called The Compass Retreat Center. The organization provides services and activities for the service people and the people who love them. Many of the service men and women they help are reservist who don't receive the same support as active duty military service men and women.

Many of the soldiers are everyday people who were sent on deployment for LONG periods of time and when the return they need support to put their lives back together.

Compass offers retreats for to assist with family bonding with spouses and children. Opportunities to reconnect with their community, counseling and job support services.

The organization is a finalist to receive a $100,000 grant from IKEA. The finalist who receives the most votes will win the grant.

I've had the great opportunity to speak at two of Compass's Family Retreats and lead a planning retreat for their Board of Directors.

I'm asking you to help them by voting daily until December 23rd. This is a great way to not only support a military service person, but more importantly, you're helping support their families.

Thank you!

Please click the link below to watch a video on the organization and vote.

Vote and Vote Often

http://www.thelifeimprovementproject.com/FinalistDetails.aspx?FinalistId=2

Mini Vacation

Had an opportunity to take a hike around beautiful Sedona, Arizona with my beautiful wife. Great place for us to get away and de-stress for a little bit. Shot this video on our hike!

Enjoy

Things that don't make sense

There are sometimes things happen and you just say…”That doesn’t make any sense!”

While typing my blogs on a flight from Chicago to Phoenix, I was reminded of something that bothers me and make’s no sense. I was using Microsoft Word to type in a web address. Immediately it turned the text into a hyperlink file. That just means the text was underlined and turned into a link I can click on to take me to a website.

Microsoft is the only software that does this. My word processor for Apple does this too. My question to the designers is. If I’m typing a letter or making a poster, why would you turn the words in to a link. There is a very HIGH chance I’m going to print this file. There is no way for someone to click on a piece of paper to direct them to the website I’m typing. When I go to change this, a webpage pops up because I clicked it so I could highlight the words to remove the hyperlink. It becomes very annoying. Plus I’m very anal at times.

So, that’s my vent for today. I hope you laughed! I kind of did.

New Updated Website

I’ve been working on my website and having my web designers make a few aesthetic changes to the site. Please take the opportunity to visit the site www.frankkitchen.com.

I have videos, pictures, contact info, inspirational quotes and information on how to by my book on the site.

Thank you Tom and Nate!

San Diego

San Diego is an amazing place. To start the summer off, Kelly and I were invited to San Diego to house sit for our friends. We got free lodging for watching their dog and house. That was a great deal! A Win-win situation for everyone!

Kelly and I had a long spring. Busy working and had a lot of stress from “life.” This was our first opportunity we had to get away together in over a year. The trip was needed.

Our plans, relax, do some future planning, relax, walk on the beach, relax, and explore San Diego.

We did all of the above. The best part of the trip spending time together and having our little friend Bella (canine) join us.

Some of our adventures included visiting both San Diego Zoos (yes they have two!). Going to the Midway Aircraft carrier museum, and watching nightly sunsets at the beach.

Here are a few pictures from the trip including my new favorite animal…Frank the Gorilla at the San Diego Zoo. He has my name and has the same birthday as me!

USS Midway Floating Museum - Website Click Here

Some new guests at our friends house

San Diego Sunset while walking the dog on the beach

The San Diego Zoo - Website Click Here
Be sure to bring your AAA card for a discount

Bella our buddy for the trip

The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Park - 45 minutes north of San Diego

Ooops Something is upside down

My new favorite animal

Hanging out on the flight deck of the USS Midway Museum

"Kitchen to the bridge, am I clear for take off?"

"Bridge to Kitchen....No!"

Lions just lying around

Beach Pier

Chillin in San Diego

I broke my ring!

My and my friends showing off our wedding rings. We all got married in the last year.

Matching Wedding bands my wife had made for us

One of the biggest fears for every married man is loosing his wedding ring. My fear level is higher than most men because my wife had my ring made just for me. I like to tell people she designed it for me. It’s white gold with turquoise inlayed in the band. Very pretty (yes I said a man’s ring is pretty, it looks good on me. I’m told it compliments my skin). It’s very important to me because of who made it for me and it’s meaning. My life time commitment to my wife.

When I feel I may damage or possibly have the ring slip off of my finger, I put it in a safe place. I love wearing it because of it’s symbolism. Plus I like saying “I’m taken.”

On our cross-country trip this summer, we stopped at a truck stop to gas up the car and use the bathroom. I went to the men’s room and did what I had to do. Of course you have to wash your hands, so I did. They was no hand dryer and the paper towels were empty, so I did what anyone would do, I waved my hands to dry them.

That was the wrong move. The soap and water loosed the ring on my finger and it went flying. It hit the floor and made a not so good sound. When I picked up the ring, I discovered that piece of the ring was missing. “Oh Sugar” cam out of my mouth. Actually, something worse came out of my mouth, but I’ll keep this PG-rated.

I immediately looked down to the floor to see if I could find a little piece of stone smaller than head on a nail. Amazingly I found it. When I picked it up, I discovered it was only half of the stone. “Fudge” was the next word out of my mouth. I started to think how I would explain to Kelly how I broke my wedding ring. So, I got down on the bathroom floor and started to look for the rest of the stone. I’m lucky no one walked in wondering why there was a man crawling on a dirty truck stop bathroom floor. It was like searching for a contact lenses. I wasn’t going to fail. After a few minutes of searching, I found the other piece. The back of the stone was the same color of as the floor.

I was able to put the two small pieces back into the band. I washed my hand again, but not with the ring on. I also used my shirt to dry my hands.

When I got back to the car, Kelly asked, “What took you so long, are you feeling ok?” That’s when I told her my story. She suggested I not wear the ring until we got it fixed.

A few days later we took the ring to the jewelry maker and retold my truck stop adventure. They were amazed that I found the stoned and got them back into the band. I was just happy they could fix it.

It’s amazing what you can do when motivated by fear! =0 )

Funny Pictures

Every now and then you go places and you see signs you just have to laugh at, or in my case, share with the world! Enjoy these signs that I "discovered" in the bathroom of a French Restaurant in Arizona.

Best Buddies Night at the Ballpark

When Kelly and I returned from our San Diego trip this summer, I was asked to join several members of the Best Buddies Arizona at the Arizona Diamond Backs game. We were there to help promote the organizations. I am a member of the Board of Directors. As a member of the board we work hard to be as visible as possible to help motivate members of the organization and the staff.

The exciting part of the night was being invited on to the field to be introduced on the jumbotron. The kids who got to go with us were really excited. I took lots of pictures and videoed some of the adventure too. They’re below.

The funny moment of the night came from Kelly. She had to sit in the stands while I was on the field. Being a great wife, she started taking pictures on her phone. The problem was, she was way out in the bleachers and I was at home plate. That’s about 400+ feet away. She took several pictures and text them to me. The text with the pictures read….”You’re the dot on the left! That’s how clear the picture was.

To repay my wife, I came up with a plan to show my love for her infront of thousands. Something she could see. A truly public display of my love. Before we were shown on the jumbotron, I found a piece of paper and wrote “ I Love KELLY!” on it. Every member of our group smiled and waved as they were shown on the screen. When the got to me, I pulled the paper out of my pocket and held it up in front of me. Everyone in the stadium saw it….except my wife. She was sitting under the screen and couldn’t see it! Great plants! Lol

Enjoy the pictures below…..I love you Kelly!

Meeting Dad

Me, my step mother and my dad

My full name is Frank Cornelius Kitchen. I’m named after my father Frank S. Kitchen. I knew him when I was young, but due to divorce our time together grew limited as I grew older. The last time I saw him was when I was 18 years old.

We could point fingers and blame each other, but that’s a waste of time. A few years ago, I decided to locate him. I had several friends who were adopted or others who were considering adoption. There were searching out their birth parents. The others wanted to learn more about the parents of the child they would be adopting.

I was talking to my wife and we were discussing our family histories and wanting our future children to know their family lineage. What did I know about my dad? A little, but I needed to know more. Thanks to the internet, he wasn’t hard to find. I found an address and wrote a letter to it. About two weeks later, I got a letter back. It was my dad. We both agreed we had been apart way too long. The letter led to a phone call. The phone calls led to e-mails and texts. We’re still working on communicating more. It’s a work in progress to be honest.

The work paid off this summer. Kelly and I took a cross-country trip to see family and friends and on the way back we stopped to see him. I was scared and nervous and excited. Having my wife with me helped. I hadn’t seen my father in 20 years and now I was going to meet him and his wife (my-step mom). He would be meeting my wife for the first time too.

I’m not going to go into too much detail, but when I saw him, it was dad! I could tell it was him. I remember him being a big man. When I stood next to him, I was taller now. We talked, took pictures and caught up. Our time together was limited, but we promised to see each other more often and to talk more.

Here is a picture of my visit.

Life is short, if you have a relationship that hasn’t been the same for awhile, take the time to work at rebuilding it. It will take work, but it will be worth it and valuable for the future.

Time to Start Blogging....Frequently

Hello Fall

September 21^st was the first day of fall! I was in Ohio speaking when the seasons changed. I was watching TV when the “news” was shared with the public. (It was important stuff according to the newscasters).

I immediately thought, where did the summer go? I guess that means I had a pretty adventurous summer. To be honest, this was a good summer. I got to spend a lot of time with my travel partner for life (my wife Kelly). We were so busy; I didn’t make time to blog. I looked at my photo file on my computer and thought, “I have a lot of pictures to post.” I looked at my journal and thought, “I have a lot I need to share on this blog.

So, get ready for a quick run down of my summer of 2011. There will be great pictures and a few funny moments. Most of all I’ll share some interesting information I hope inspires you to just go out and live life!

9/11 Memorial

Recently I was back in Ohio to visit my old college and former employer, Lakeland Community College. While I was working there, one of my students, Oloho Delano worked hard to put together a program to celebrate and remember the lives of people lost during the 9/11 tragedy. The program was amazing. I was honored to be a part of the program.

While I was walking into one of the buildings, I looked over to see the memorial Oloho was instrumental in having built. I couldn't believe 9/11 happened 10 years ago. Later in the day I checked my e-mail to see this video sent to my by Oloho. Watch, be inspired and be motivated to make an impact!

Also go to Lo's website to learn more about his organization. CLICK HERE
.http://www.lyfestylecoach.com/

Upcoming Shows

Just spent a day in Utah speaking at the Utah Court Employees Conference. Had an amazing time!

This week I have three more "shows" with my good friend Rodger Campbell.

Be on the look out for us at:

The Ohio State University at Mansfield - Sunday, September 18th @ 8PM

Lakeland Community College Knowledge Exchange - Thursday, September 22nd @ Noon

Lorain County Community College Leadership Retreat - Saturday, September 24th @ 9AM

Life on the road continues!

Words of Inspiration

Hello Everyone,

Long time no blog. I'll more than make up for lack of blogs this week. Be on the look out for LOTS of blogs!

Recently I asked a few friends if they could write a testimonial for me. I asked them to write about how I've assisted them with their speaking abilities.

My friend Oloho was the first to respond. The letter is amazing and true! Enjoy!

I remember when I first started college, I didn’t really know what to expect. When I was in high school, I believed that college was something for the really smart kids. For me, going to college to accomplish my dream of being a doctor seemed impossible, because I stuttered. I was raised to work hard, get a factory job, and pay bills, and ultimately that’s what I did. I got into a great company, making great money, with great benefits, but there was one thing wrong, I wasn’t happy. Deep down inside I knew that the factory life wasn’t for me. It was great work, but it didn’t utilize the skills that I believed I had somewhere inside me. I knew that I had to go to college, but how do you quit a great job? Where would I start? Could I do it? I didn’t know, but something drove me to figure it out. I told myself that if I was going to do it that I was going to give it my best effort, and whatever happens, happens, and I went for it.

One of the first people that I met was Frank Kitchen. Here’s this tall, slender guy who was always smiling and always positive. I was like, what’s wrong with this guy no one can be that happy all the time! But there was one thing that really drew me to him, his genuine love for people. And that gift that Frank has inspired me to perform my first speech ever in my entire life. Actually it was a speech that I wrote for him to speak, but he wouldn’t do it. He told me, “You wrote it, you have to do it,” and he just stood there smiling. And I’m thinking, “what an ass! I don’t do public speaking.” But deep down inside I really did want to do it, but I conditioned myself so well to fear speaking because of my stutter that I really believed that it was impossible. But Frank worked with me, coached me, and told me to go do it! Well, I did it, and then went on to do several more speeches, and today I coach and inspire high school students to be all they can be.

What Frank did for me, he can do for anyone who attends his coaching seminars. Whether or not you believe you can do it or not, just show up, and let Frank do the rest. If you really have a desire to get better at public speaking you won’t be disappointed! Just show up, smile, and start speaking. Like Frank told me, just do it!

From a lifetime friend,

Oloho

Graduation Speech

This has been a busy and exciting summer for me. One of those exciting moments was being asked to give the graduation speech for the Best Buddies Arizona Ambassadors Program.

The video is below. Enjoy!

Book Photo Contest

Book Sales for "Fresh from the Kitchen" continue to go well. As part of the marketing for the book, I asked people who have bought the book to send me photos of them reading the book in a unique place or take a funny picture holding the book. I'll have to admit a I've gotten some good ones. I've been posting them on my facebook and twitter pages. The best one so far has to be from Alyssa. I'm considering putting together a contest for the best photo with the winner getting a prize.

Look at the picture above and notice the monkey in the background reading the book! That takes talent!

If you haven't purchased your copy of the book, please e-mail me at frank@badbadapples.com for ordering information. Or mail a check or money order for $18 to:

Frank Kitchen Enterprises
20118 N.67th Avenue Suite 300-164
Glendale, AZ 85308

Thank you for reading and I'll be sure to post more pics of people with my book!

Upcoming Talks

I'm getting ready to hit the road again. I haven't been on an airplane is almost a year, now I'll be living in the airports. If you're in the area, stop by to laugh and learn.

Frank

August 25 - Lewis University - Romeoville, IL
August 27-29 - George Williams College, Lake Geneva, WI
August 31 - Trine University, Angola, IN
September 2-3 - Compass Retreat Center, Southern, OH
September 10 - Best Buddies Arizona Leadership Conference, Phoenix, AZ
September 16 - Utah State Court Employee Conference, Provo, UT
September 18 - The Ohio State University at Mansfield, Mansfield, OH
October 20 - Arizona State University Student Marketing Association, Tempe, AZ
October 25 - Trine University, Angola, IN
October 26 - Lewis University, Romeoville, IL
November 1 - Penn State University, State College, PA

Another Video

Kelly and I recently invested in a Flip Camera. I've been experimenting with it. Here is one of my experiments.

Enjoy

Video Blog

Many of you want to know what really goes on in my life, so my wife suggested I shoot videos to show what really goes on in my life as I pursue my passion to be a full-time professional speaker!

Enjoy this video and be on the look out for more!

My Current Theme Song

Everyone listens to songs to get them motivated and pumped. This classic by Mariach Carey is my current motivation song. I can't wait for things to happen, I have to make them happen!

The Square

I recently got introduced to one of the best products ever! It's called the "square." It's a device you can attach to your IPhone or Android phone to receive/collect payments via a credit card or debit card.

It's a free app you can download to your phone and after you download the app. They mail you the "square" credit card reader for free! Pretty amazing.

I recently started selling my books and several times people told me they didn't have cash or there check book. That's when I told them I take credit and debit cards too. Most people thought I was joking. It's pretty simple, I swipe a person's card. I fill out a screen with the description of the item and the price. Another screen pops up where they sign their name. Then I can e-mail or text them a copy of their receipt. Everything gets stored in a file for your personal records.

Pretty cool. The company deducts 2.75% from the price as a service fee, but it's pennies for the convenience. At the end of the week, the money gets deposited into the bank account of your choice. Got to love it!

For more information on the program and product, click HERE

"Fresh From the Kitchen" Not avaiable in stores!

Hello Everyone,

My new book is available!

The book "Fresh from the Kitchen: Fun and Creative Knowledge to Educate, Inspire and Entertain." is over 150 pages of stories, adventures, experiences, speeches and letters that gave me the motivation to live and achieve my dreams.

The book is written like my blog. Each chapter is a new story that provides readers with a fresh breath of inspiration. You will be inspired and motivated to live life and achieve your dreams.

You can read the book all at once, or take your time and read one story at a time as time permits. Just prepare yourself to laugh and learn at the same time.

The book will cost $15 + $3 for shipping and handling. The first 200 copies are individually numbered. I personally sign every book and include a few words of thanks and inspiration. Books can be ordered by mailing a check or money order to the address below:

Frank Kitchen Enterprises

20118 N.67th Ave Suite 300-164

Glendale, AZ 85308

Or e-mail me at frank@badbadapples.com and I'll send you a link where you can place a credit card or debit card order.

I am excited to share this book with all of you. THANK YOU!

I leave you with this quote from the back cover of my book!

“Frank Kitchen has inspired me to chase after my dreams and truly believe in myself.”

Katie Spotz – Youngest solo ocean rower and first American to row the Atlantic Ocean from Africa to South America.

Exciting Blogs on their way!

Sunset at the Beach in San Diego, California

Hello Everyone,

It's been a very busy summer for me and Kelly. So busy, I failed to make time to post blogs. Be on the lookout for several video blogs, regular blogs and lots of pictures. We've been in 16 states this summer, logged over 6,000 miles of travel, survived one major accident, totaled one car, published one book, had tons of funny experiences, learned a lot and I got to see my dad for the first time in 20 years!

All the above will lead to lots of great reading and sharing. Be on the look out this week for the first set of blogs.

Until then, I hope everyone is staying cool this summer.

Please keep reading and thank you!