Turkey Day Run!

When you are about to consume thousands of calories in one meal, what do you do? You go out and exercise! Go out for a morning jog to get the blood going. Sounds good right? How about your alarm clock going off of at 6 AM on Thanksgiving morning. You and your girlfriend get u; get your running gear on; stretch out a little bit ( I got in the hot tub to warm up my joints and muscles); you grab a light breakfast; and you head down the street to the local Spring Training Baseball Park to take part in the Annual 10 mile race for charity. Thats right 10 mile race on Thanksgiving morning! We weren't the only crazy ones there. There were at least 2,000 people there for the 10 mile race, 5K race and 1 mile walk. The race was raising money for the West Valley Child Crisis Center. They were also collecting toys.

A few weeks earlier, I thought Kelly was CRAZY to sign us up for the race. As the race got closer that changed and we were both excited. We're running our half marathon in about 2 months. The race started at 8 AM. We were off. Around mile four me and a few other runners almost got blown up by the group of 20 people launching bottle rockets and fire works in the park we were running in. Hmmmm, park, a couple thousand runners, wind.....hey kids lots go shoot off some rockets! The one rocket landed infront of me and a female runner, we scattered when we saw what it was, then it exploded. Crazy! Would I make it home to eat turkey?

I did the Gallway run and walk technique. Run a mile, walk for about two -minutes and repeat for the race. The course was hilly and by the time I got to the last two miles I had a lot of energy still. My knees didn't feel so good though. The finish line for the race is inside the ballpark the hosts the Seattle Mariners and the San Diego Padres. It was cool to run in the park and having people cheering in the stands as people crossed the finish line by the third base dugout. I had a lady sprint past me coming in the park. She had a great final kick. I wanted to catch her before the finish line, but that didn't happen. I was in a full sprint and the two of us probably passed about 10-15 runners on the way in. I crossed the finish line;my trip to the men's rooms; and went back out on the course to find Kelly. I got to her with about 3/4 of a mile to go. Her foot started to bother her at the 7 mile mark, so all she wanted to do was finish the race. We we got inside of the ballpark, she was ready for the race to be over, then we saw the clock. She was 5 minutes ahead of her goal and on pace to finish under two hours! She found enough energy for a final kick and she finished under two hours!

After the race it was off to the hot tub and a bottle of Aleeve! A bottle of wine for Kelly!

We'll have offical times next week. I finished around 1 hour and 35 minutes.

Howtostretch.com

I going out to Arizona in about 11 days to visit my girlfriend. (Yay!!!) She asked me if I would run in a 5K with her when I get out there. I agreed. I really haven't been running much lately and when I do, I do about a mile to a mile and half. Today I decided to see how far I could puch myself. To my surprise, I ran/jogged six miles. I ran it in about 50 minutes (8 1/2 minute miles). I can't complain about that. There is a park about 3 miles away from my place, so I ran to the park, then walked about 2.5 miles of the trails, then ran back. I'm happy!

After running for extended distances, especially on hard surfaces, my joints and other body parts hurt. I made sure to stretch before I ran and when I got home. I wanted to make sure I was streching right and I found a cool website called howtostretch.com. I know a couple of runners read this site, so click on the title above and check out the site.

Day #1

I have a hand written journal I'll be keeping on the trip. When I can I will transfer what I wrote to the website. This is what I wrote on the airplane:

We just got the message that we are one hour away from Melbourne. The trip has been long and short. Here are a few things I've learned so far.....

#1 I'm traveling with a great group of people. They are funny and smart at the same time. I'm going to learn a lot, just by being with them.

#2 747's and all airplanes are not made for people over 5 feet tall. If you're over 5 feet tall, you're in trouble! Sitting 15 hours in one spot isn't good for the "rear!" I stood up and walked around for a bit, so the feeling is starting to return to my backside. 350 people shoved into a metal box with wings....Nice!

#3 Qantas is a great airline! I'm going to have a tough time flying domestic in the future. The food has been really good and the in flight entertainment can't be complained about. I love the little toothbrush, socks and eye mask we got.

#4 I'm getting used to the Australian accents. The people I've met on the plane have been friendly and shared a lot of information about their country. There is a very diverse group of people on the plane.

#5 Watching the sunrise behind the plane this morning was beautiful. I took a few pictures ( I posted a few on the my other page)

#6 It takes 25+ hours to get here. Cleveland to Los Angeles took 5 hours. We waited in Los Angeles for another 5 hours and the flight to Melbourne is 15 hours.

Thats all for now, more to come soon!

New Program Descriptions from the BAD BAD Apples

I've been working hard over the last couple of weeks with Rodger Campbell to redesign and introduce new programs for 2011. As "The BAD BAD Apples," we are a comprehensive speaking duo. We offer a variety of programs that provide everyone with the sweet taste of success.

Below are the descriptions of our programs:

“Are you a B.A.D A.P.P.L.E?”

Producing a Dynamic Life

Is your life a celebration or a chore? The choice is yours! Many wish to celebrate life, but just don’t know how. With the right attitude, anything is possible! This amazing, high energy and interactive keynote experience is the perfect kick off for any conference, convention, orientation or retreat. The BAD BAD Apples will take you and your organization from ordinary to extraordinary! Come experience why being B.A.D is a way of Life!

Audiences will:

• Discover their significance in life
• Examine the Three stages of a Dynamic Life
• Encounter the Three characteristics of Progress
• Devise a Five-step battle plan for personal or professional success

“It’s Ok to P.L.A.Y”

The O. S. W. Method to learning

Everyone participates in this game called LIFE. Whether we are successful depends on how we play. The only way to improve is to participate and play. Games provide amusement and an education. Great for office staff, administrative teams, entry level employees and volunteers. Supply the BAD BAD Apples with your vision and they’ll facilitate an experience which will Build and Develop your skills in Communication, Diversity, Leadership, Relationships and More!!!! Provide us with a flexible space and we’ll show you “It’s OK to Play”.

Audiences will:

• Participate in “Attitude Adjustment Exercises”
• Utilize effective communication skills
• Develop strong relationships with co-workers and participants
• Learn the Applesauce Philosophy of Life

“It’s Ok to P.L.A.Y”– College edition

The O. S. W. Method to learning

Life is always “Game On!!!!”. Whether we are successful depends on how we play. Games provide amusement and an education.Improvement and Excellence come through participation. Great for Freshman, New Student and Leadership Orientations. Supply the BAD BAD Apples with your vision and they’ll facilitate an experience which will Build and Develop your skills in Communication, Diversity, Leadership, Relationships and More!!!! Provide us with a flexible space and we’ll show you “It’s OK to Play”.

Audiences will:

• Participate in “Attitude Adjustment Exercises”
• Utilize effective communication skills
• Develop strong relationships with students, staff and advisors
• Learn the Applesauce Philosophy of Life

“Grow Some Apples!” The BAD BAD Apples Retreats

People and Apples are amazing! They are valuable resources which have the ability to produce limitless amounts of products individuals want, need and desire. They just need the proper environment to GROW! Our retreats provide the proper nourishment and resources needed to grow a healthy and thriving crop of Apples. Our retreats are tailored to meet your individual needs. Invite us for a few hours, an entire day or as long as you need.

The following topics can be incorporated into any retreat:

Conflict Resolution Networking

Customer Service Organizational Development

Diversity Presentation Development/Public Speaking

Event Production Recruitment and Retention

Goal Setting Relationship Building

Interpersonal Communication Stress Management

Leadership Team Building

Motivation Time Management

The Little Things to Leadership

To be an exemplary leader you must have the ability to recognize the little things. LITTLE THINGS can turn into BIG THINGS quicker than you can imagine. Frank Kitchen will teach you the “Lucky Seven” skills you must posses to excel as a leader. Prepare yourself to create the environment everyone desires to work in. Learn why it’s better to be lucky than good!

Audiences will:

• Uncover the seven skills every leader must posses
• Generate a formula to create a winning leadership style
• Collaborate with other participants on creative ways to recognize and reward the efforts of the people they work with and lead
• Perfect techniques that build and develop relationships based on respect and responsibility

The Electric Slide - The Dance of Leadership

Dancing and leadership are about movement, action and progress. In order to move correctly, one must know and understand the steps. Leadership is challenging in any environment. However, exceptional leaders understand that things are accomplished when we work together. Prepare yourself to sweat, learn and dance as Rodger Campbell teaches you the steps needed to get into the Leadership Groove!

Audiences will:

• Identify the major requirements of exemplary leadership
• Discover the four stages of leadership
• Recognize key environments for leadership
• Realize how developing their own unique style can add to the fun

Leadership S.U.C.K.S.

An insiders guide to creating your ultimate plan for leading people

Leaders are often chosen for their great ideas, their great charisma, and their passion. Then there are occasions when leaders are chosen because they were the last person to enter a room. Leadership can be fun, rewarding, exhilarating and dangerous. Leaders are just like apples. They can get tossed around, pressed and bruised. Welcome to Leadership! Join Rodger Campbell as he takes a look at leadership from the other side and learn how a bruised apple today means tasty apple sauce tomorrow.

Audiences will:

• Discover the “REAL DEAL“ of leadership
• Identify the advantages of the Jagged Edge.
• Master the R & R approach to progress
• Promote a Four-part strategy for Leading with C.A.R.E.

“Along Comes the Drama”

A tactical guide to surviving conflict

DRAMA cost organizations billions annually. DRAMA is defined as a situation or series of events involving interesting or intense conflict of forces. Some individuals love to watch DRAMA, some like to create DRAMA, some just fall into DRAMA. DRAMA creeps into every relationship with silence and stealth until you find yourself caught in its web. In order to survive DRAMA you must have a program guide. Rodger Campbell invites you to sit back, grab a program and learn how to be DRAMA free.

Audiences will:

• Decipher the “Dramatic Equation”
• Discover the nature of Conflict
• Identify the Five common causes of Conflict
• Examine key strategies to working through “The Dramatic Rapids”

“The Trick or Treat Theory” -

The 4R’s to a Sweet Organization

Is your organization a Trick or a Treat? Do you know the difference? In order to have a Sweet Organization you need to have the “4R’s!” You need to RECRUIT the right people; RECOGNIZE how to properly utilize their talents; create avenues to RETAIN them and REWARD their achievements. “Trick or Treat” is about building strong relationships and acknowledging the people you work with as a RESOURCE. Stop by as Frank Kitchen provides Fun and Creative Knowledge on how to Build and Develop the Sweetest House (Organization) on the Block!

Audiences will:

• Explore the four characteristics of successful organizations or businesses
• Discuss innovative and imaginative approaches for recruitment and retention
• Collaborate with other participants on creative ways to reward the efforts of the people they work with and lead
• Walk away with new concepts to make their organization a Treat to work in and not a Trick!

Monday Morning Happy Hour:

Creating an exhilarating work environment

From the moment we arrive at “Work” we are counting down the minutes until we leave.

We are looking forward to the end of the day when we gather at the local watering hole for Happy Hour. We are happy that the day is done; Happy that we have survived; and Happy to be with the people we get along with. What would happen if every Monday began with Happy Hour? Rodger Campbell will challenge you to find the Happy Hour early and keep it going. It’s time to get down to business “Happy Hour Style!”

Audiences will:

• Gain insight on the role of the Happy Hour.
• Evaluate the value of the Happy Hour invite,
• Examine the impact of creating the Happy Hour atmosphere
• Achieve the ultimate level of happiness.....being Happy Together

From Napkin to Celebration -

Turning Your Dreams into Reality

Dreams are born in an instant. They flourish in the moment of inspiration. The moment when great food and conversation create the “What-If” moment. The greatest accomplishments in life are fueled by extreme ideas and the constant question, “What if?” What is your DREAM? “What if” it came true? “Pie in the sky” today can mean Pie on the table of life tomorrow, if you can just find something to write on. Enter the Napkin! Rodger Campbell’s interactive adventure will get your dreams off the napkin and into full celebration mode.

Audiences will:

• Learn the purpose of Dreams
• Discover the true value of a Napkin
• Unlock the challenges to accomplishing Dreams
• Encounter the “Four-year old neighbor “ approach to life

“Death by Presentation”

Surviving, Living and Enjoying Public Speaking

Thousands hope this day will never come. Then it happens, you are called upon to present your thoughts. Your heart starts pounding; your mouth goes dry and you begin to shake. “Great!” “Are you ready to give your presentation?” With a splash of encouragement and a dash of humor, Rodger Campbell will take you from fearing public speaking to enjoying the sweet success of presenting.

Audiences will:

• Understand the true character of F.E.A.R
• Discover the strategy to D.E.A.L. with F.E.A.R
• Learn the M4Q process of developing a presentation
• Participate in the Four-part process to creating a successful presentation

Just five more minutes…

“Sleep your way to Success!”

Hitting snooze five times? Can’t remember where your keys are? Have you ever said, “Sleep is overrated!” Then this program is for you. Sleep is one of the world’s most misunderstood functions. The BAD BAD Apples will expose you to techniques and information on how sleep, rest and stress can affect your performance. Uncover how a simple change can move you closer to achieving your dreams.

Audiences will:

• Compare the interesting facts and myths about sleep
• Discover the connection between sleep and ones success
• Reexamine time management skills
• Be exposed to Rest, Relaxation and Stress Relief techniques and tips

“How to make a LIVING when you’re not SEXY”

Being REAL in a fake world

Lets get real -- SEX sells! That is the reason why you are reading this! The media paints a picture of sexiness which only includes a big houses, fancy cars and good looks. Is this truly SEXY? Does your success in life depend on your level of Sexiness? Rodger Campbell will show you how to get SEXY for Life!

Audiences will:

• Examine past and current media standards of SEXY
• Uncover Myths and Truths regarding being SEXY.
• Review the elements of SEXY
• Develop a plan for LIVING SEXY

Now Hiring.....Just Not You! *

Lessons of a “Professional” Job Hunter!

How can a National Keynote speaker be turned down for a “9-5 job”? Answer: The Recession! Armed with a great resume, killer personality, college degree and long list of accomplishments; Frank Kitchen thought he was ready to tackle the worst job market in a generation. He was greeted with a rude awakening, “The Employment Hustle.” After years of submitting hundreds of applications and resumes, Frank shares his story of the realities faced by many “Eager” job hunters. With a comedic view of the job market, this humorous, insightful and interactive one-man show will educate, inspire and entertain. Frank can’t guarantee you’ll find a job, but you will leave armed with the knowledge needed to successfully survive the employment jungle.

Audiences will:

• Examine the realities of the job hunting process
• Identify the common mistakes made by job hunters
• Acquire insights from the “Employment Hustle “
• Formulate unique strategies to transform work into a personal development tool

*Ask about The “GET Frank” job Challenge

“You are more than a Check Box!”

Celebrating the truth of uniqueness

Every day we use labels created to help us understand one another; to explain ourselves, and to identify our backgrounds. Do labels really define who we are? Do they determine what we can become? Are we defined by a predetermined “BOX” on an application? No! We are defined by the Legacies we create. This humorous and eye-opening program will challenge participants to rise above the labels and stereotypes; identify what creates negative self-attitudes, and discover the steps needed to celebrate a life full of infinite possibilities. Join the BAD BAD Apples and discover how your beliefs and actions produce people who make history versus becoming history.

Audiences will:

• Discuss how negative experiences can influence personal growth
• Learn to accomplish amazing things in spite of labels, stereotypes and your environment
• Examine inspirational stories about people who refused to be defeated
• Devise a strategy to celebrate what makes you unique

More than a Hook UP:

Strategies for enduring love.

Dating today is more complicated than ever. New terms, new definitions, same stories. What happens in the heat of the night, cools by morning and individuals are left craving for something more. What happens when the reality of “casual dating” causes “casualties?” When is it time to Define the Reality? Join the BAD BAD Apples on a humorous and thought-provoking adventure into the world of dating and relationships. Whether single, dating or married, we are all looking for lasting love. Discover why a “Hook Up is just a Hook Up”, but a connection is forever!

Audiences will:

• Unearth the true purpose of dating
• Develop strategies to DEAL with dating
• Recognize the value of Connecting
• Acquire “Dating Recipes” to spice up any relationship

“Are you raising your child to be homeless?”

Creating A Productive Life

Parenting is not for the faint of heart. It is a daily battle for survival. The level of active participation in a child’s life often determines their success. Are you preparing your child for the future or is someone else? Is anyone preparing your child? The BAD BAD Apples provide a humorous and provocative look at parenting in the new millennium. Together we will formulate strategies to keep another child off the streets.

Audiences will:

• Discuss the myths and truths about Parenting in the new Century
• Discover the Steps to Successful Living
• Learn the S.I.I.P.S.Philosophy to Productive Child Development
• Collaborate on Active Parenting Tips

“Get R.E.A.L. and Get Lucky!”

Success tips for a Productive Life

There is a quote that reads “Preparation + Opportunity = Luck!” .Students face an unknown and scary future. Some will be lucky and achieve. Others will need inspiration. Opportunities exist everyday to be successful, but it takes time and effort to succeed. Utilizing interactive attitude adjustment exercises, The Bad Bad Apples will challenge students views on work, school and life. Students will receive quality information, practical life lessons, and be encouraged to “Get Lucky” for life!

Audiences will:

• Be challenged to Get Real about their views on life
• Discover “The Good Luck Seven “things to success
• Create a plan to discover their dream
• Receive a “Recipe Card” for personal success

My Blog is moving!

Big News Everyone! This is my last BLOG...here on blogger. I've just launched a new and improved

Frankkitchen.com 

Part of the improvements to the site include having my blog attached to the site. You'll still get information on me and my adventures. You'll just in the information in a new place. You'll also get to learn more about my speaking, see my calendar, download great information to improve your personal and professional life, you'll even find videos and audio clips.

Thank you everyone for reading my blog here at blogger and I look forward to seeing all of you at the new "FreshfromtheKitchen"

I can and I will!

Eliminate This Word!

Stop thinking you can't do things and start thinking you can. It's important to eliminate negatives from  your vocabulary, especially the word "can't." When you begin to think positively, you'll find yourself attempting and succeeding at more things. Remember,  by eliminating the negatives you'll let the positives come through.

Hello Blog readers, it's been awhile! July was a crazy month. I was with the family in Nevada, Minnesota and New Mexico. 20 days on the road out of 33! I was working hard to make our vision and dreams come true. I was keeping a positive mindset and thinking about all of the things I can do.

I want to share something I've experienced over the last month.

Many of us talk about what we want to happen in our lives. Many of us will make the comment, "I can't do that!" We'll give a thousand reasons why we "can't" do something. It's not that we "can't" do something. It's that we choose "not" to do something. We don't take action.

Last month I heard the words "I can't" or "We can't" from a lot of people including myself. He's an example of what I heard.  I heard several people say they want to get healthier. Then someone suggested things they could do to get healthier.  Each person responded, "I can't do that!" That leads to the question, "Do they really want to get healthy?" Ladies and Gentlemen,  life isn't like Burger King, we can't have everything our way. We have to stop being mental roadblocks to ourselves.

They're are sacrifices that have to be made to make our visions and dreams a reality. Failing to act turns our dreams and visions into nightmares. Nightmares we constantly complain about or say we can't change. I recently agreed to run another half-marathon to help raise money for digging wells to provide clean drinking water for villages in Africa. When I was first asked to participate, my first thoughts were..."I can't do that again!" "I can't afford to run." "I can't train for a race." "I can't....." Those were the wrong thoughts. My thoughts quickly turned into, "I want to help people", "I want to give back", "I want to be healthy." This morning I completed my second week of training. Guess what, I'm not dead! I'm actually feeling really good. I've been running without my knee brace...something I thought I couldn't do.

Everything in life is a choice. It's about the attitude we choose. We can choose a positive attitude or a negative attitude. If you really want something to happen in life, then you need to take the necessary action to make it happen. It you say "I can't," then you're really saying "I don't want to."  When you're saying you do want to do something, you're really saying your dream or vision really is not that important you.

Life is about making things happen. There is no easy button. They are sacrifices we have to make. I really didn't want to get up at 5:30 this morning to go run and work out. The next 4 months or training will be worth it when I hear about the kids in Africa who have clean drinking water; when my doctor says I have a clean bill of health at my next physcial; and when I look in the mirror and don't see the spare tire around my gut that many men in their 40's have.

There are A LOT of things we don't want to do in life. The funny thing is, we have to do many of those things to be rewarded the way we want to. To have a great body, you have to eat a certain way and work out a certain way. To be a great musician you have to practice often. To have been finances we have to stop buy stuff. To be a good parent you have to spend time with your kids, even when they're not being great.  We live in a world that says we can have it all and they're are easy not effort ways to do things. That not true!

Saying, "I can't" is the easy way out! Just remember when you say "I can't" you're saying "I don't want to." Success is the accomplishment of a dream or vision. When that dream or vision is really important to you, you will find every way possible to make it happen.

I leave everyone with this fortune I read in a cookie recently.....

"Action is the pathway to success."

I can't is the roadblock on your pathway to success.

June was busy!

June and July have been crazy! Too crazy to blog. So far the adventures have included trips to New Mexico, Florida, Nevada Minnesota and New Mexico.

Here are few pictures from the adventures. I'll start posting stories again later this week.

Have a great week everyone!

Inspiration for the weekend

I was working with a gentleman on improving his speaking skills this week. He told me how nervous he gets before he talks. I asked him what he thinks about before he starts and a long list of negatives came out of his mouth. I let him know that was is problem. He was psyching  himself out before he began speaking. Most of the negatives were comparing himself to others.

My advice...be the best you, you can be. Do what you do best, not what someone else does. That's I do when I speak and perform and when I live life. Am I being the best "me" that I can be. I can never be someone else, but I can be a great me!

Don't beat yourself up comparing yourself to them. They are a lot of people in the world who envy certain things about you too.  I love the quote my friend's dad told me one time..."One eyed man is king in blind man country." The moral? The one eyed man can feel terrible that he only has vision in one eye and get down on himself, but people lacking vision will envy him because of his gift of site. Focus on what you can do, not what you can't.

Have a great weekend everyone and enjoy this quote I found today while researching information for a speech.

Who have you worked with part 2

I've been lucky enough to have the opportunity to work with a variety of organizations and companies as a model, actor, entertainer, mc and speaker.

I was recently asked for a list of groups I worked with. I started to go through my list. People are very visual so, I put together this photo of some of the groups I've worked with. I shared the photo on Facebook first. Over course my mom and several friends chimed in about the groups I missed.

For now, here's the photo of some of the groups I've worked with and some extra photos of others I need to add.

Morale of this story.  Never doubt yourself, if you do, take time to reflect on what you've done in the past to motivate yourself to do great things in the future.

Old School is New School?

Happy  June 1st!

I have been reading a lot lately! 3.5 books last month! I have the goal of reading one book a month this year! I've read studies that say the average person reads one book a year! A friend told me about a story where the most successful people in the world read 12 books a year. I want to be successful!

Here is a great article I found on reading and success:
Success and Reading More (CLICK HERE)

I recently began reading the book "4 Hour Work Week." I'm about 1/4 of the way through the book. It's been on the best sellers list for years. It talks about how to make ourselves more productive and how to create more free time to do what we enjoy. People around the world are going crazy of this book. The more I read, I recognize that the philosophies being taught are the ones I was taught a long time ago and I've used at different points of my life to be successful.

When I was a little kid, my mom would always say, "Finish your work and then you can play!" I loved going outside to play, so I finished my work as quickly as possible so I could have more time outside.  Get your work done, get rewarded. As I grew I became the same way. In college, I'd take as many morning classes as possible so I could do whatever I wanted to in the afternoons. I could work, I could spend time with friends or I could participate in clubs.

When I joined the workforce. I would often tell my employees. "Unpack and Merchandise 100 boxes, when you do you can product test an item." I was the manager of a toy store. I'd also let them leave early with pay if the work was completed before we were scheduled to leave. That was a great motivator instead of staying in the store until 9:30 PM, we'd often leave at 9:10PM. Do your work and get rewarded.

We are very much in a play first society. Play than work or Play and don't work. This just piles up more work. I like the comment I read by John Maxwell, "In life, you will always pay, you can pay now or pay later." I would like to pay as quickly as possible so I can enjoy more free time. Why work 8 hours if  you can get everything done in 4?

I'm really starting to work on how I spend my time. They're are some many things that can distract us...TV, Internet, FB, Shinny objects. They all take away from our work time and time we want to spend doing our thing (family, friends, traveling, calling our own shots.) The key is to focus, be productive and finish your work so you can play.

Thanks Mom! I'm enjoying the book, but it's reminding me that I didn't need the book to learn the philosophy,  I just needed to remember what I was taught a long time ago.

Our Accidental Garden

 A few years ago, Kelly and I went out to purchase some potted plants to grow fruits and vegetables on our patio. We failed!

After that we tried buying seeds and trying from scratch. Once again we failed. Too hot in Arizona we thought.

We decided that it was good thing that we didn't have to grow our own food, because we wouldn't last a week. We managed to grow 3 cherry tomatoes during our experiments and 2 got eaten by birds. Our other non-producing plants we're doing good and we wanted them to flourish, so we decided to compost our "store bought" fruit and veggie scraps. We'd use the compost to give our plants rich soil to grow in.

Funny thing happened. After we put the compost down, plants started to grow. And they kept growing. We couldn't figure out what they we're, so we just kept watering them. What grew you ask? We are the proud parents of several bell pepper plants (green, yellow and red), chilli pepper plants,  a huge tomato plant, the beginnings of some sort of squash plant and a few other plants we're still trying to figure out.

That's the story of our accidental garden. As long as you provide a rich environment of growth, magic will happen! We're now on the look out for a strawberry-watermelon plant.

 Here's a photo of our first pickings of the year.

"The Drop"

Several years ago, I got to watch a speaker named Marcus Engel speak at a college conference in Spokane, Washington. Rodger Campbell and I were speaking at the same conference. All of us were represented by the same agent at the time. Marcus was speaking on how to overcome difficult situations in life. His sense of humor was amazing. I really appreciated the jokes he mad at the expense of Rodger and myself. Marcus knew we were around based off the music he heard us playing.

Ooops, I forgot to mention...Marcus is Blind. After you spend time with him, you really forget that Marcus is blind, because Marcus is just Marcus. Marcus lost his vision when he was 18, when he and his friends were hit by a drunk driver. We struck up a friendship with Marcus and his wife Marvelyne. 

Over the years we've kept in touch via e-mail and Facebook. Marvelyne has given me book writing advice and helped edit Rodger's book.

Last month while speaking in Florida, Marcus and Marvelyne came out to visit with us. They even treated us to breakfast. THANK YOU! We got to meet their son and they got a chance to meet Kelly and Elijah. We had a lot of fun. While hanging out, we exchanged books. 

This past week, I finished reading Marcus's Book "Everyday Inspiration." I'm definitely inspired to do more in my life after reading it. 

Rodger and I with Marcus

If you would like to learn more about Marcus and his story, click on one of the links below:

Marcu's Engel Website
Marcus Engel Movie - "The Drop" Watch for Free!

Twitter?

You probably saw my recent post about Instagram. This post is similar. Some of you know what Twitter is some of you don't. This post is for both of you. For those of you who don't know what Twitter is, it's a microblogging site that allows you to post your thoughts and ideas in 140 characters or less.

I like posting ideas, pictures and links to fun websites and stories on my Twitter page. Writing my blogs can take me some time, but tweeting only takes me a few seconds. If you're looking read a little more from me or just see what my thoughts of the day are, be sure to click HERE.

Change your Heart

I was at church this past Sunday (ok, I'm at church almost every Sunday). As the pastor as usual made some great points about life. This week he said something that really got me thinking, not only about myself but others too. Here's what he said:

"Jesus wants to change your heart not your circumstances."

Religious or not religious, almost everyone I know prays. They usually pray for a change of circumstance, situation or something. They pray when not so good things happen, but rarely pray when good things are happening. Many people just pray for stuff (house, money, care, health, etc) I normally pray for focus, energy, follow through and drive.

"Change your heart"....This is so true. We all watch reality TV and you see people with major problems in their life...financial, emotional, spiritual, relational, etc...you know what I'm talking about. They go to some specialist or guru to have their life or situation changed. The best results are seen by the people who change their heart or their way of thinking. Changing their heart changes their circumstances.

The people who only change their circumstances but don't change their heart more often than not end up back in the same circumstances. I watched a documentary called "Broke" last week. It's about professional athletes who made millions of dollars and end up broke after their career is over. The common story was the athletes financial circumstances changed over night, but their hearts and minds didn't. They're hearts really changed when the saw how much money they lost. Several former athletes were now mentoring younger athletes on how to better take care of their finances to prepare themselves for life after sports.

Many of us go through tough times in our lives. Trust me I've had my fair share. I prayed for things to change, but what I needed to pray for was for me to change. We have to look at the circumstances we're in. If it's a good circumstance, you have to be thankful of the situation and really appreciate where you are. Be sure to wake up every morning and say, "thank you" and "please keep my heart and my mind in the right place."

If you're circumstances aren't the way you like them, then you need to look in the mirror and ask yourself, what do I need to change about myself or the people, places or things I surround myself. Many times our circumstance change and we think everything will be good, then we get hit like a freight train when the not so good circumstance shows its ugly head again.

It's not about changing the circumstance, it's about changing our heart, our attitude and our actions. It's like the people on the weight loss surgery shows. They have this surgery that's supposed to change their lives. They have their surgery and loose lots of weight. A few years later the weight is back plus more. Why? They never addresses what was in their heart that caused the weight issue in the first place.

You see people who win the lottery then loose all the money only years later. Why? Their circumstance changed but not their hearts. They never addressed their spending or financial problems.

Why am I blogging about this? We are about 1/3 of the way through 2014. We started the year with big goals on how we we're going to make this "The Year." Now many of those goals aren't looking possible. We're getting down. We're starting to settle back into our old ways. Our circumstances aren't changing the way we dreamed they would or at the rate we wanted them too. Many of your goals are still possible. Your circumstances can change, but first you have to look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself..."Do I have it in my heart to change?" My faith has changed my heart. What will help you change your heart? Once your heart changes, your circumstances will change.

Have a GREAT week everyone!

Instagram

A lot of people like it when I post pictures of my family and adventures. To be honest, I've been lazy with posting pictures lately because they're are some many places on the internet to post pictures. You have Facebook, Twitter, blogs, e-mail, sending text messages and Instagram.

Instagram is a fun site to post pictures and share them with the world. Many of you probably don't know that I have this page. Well, now you do! "I have a Instagram page." It's easy for me to post pictures from my phone for you to keep up with me and my amazing wife and son.

Don't believe me click HERE to see!

Happy Mother's Day

We're celebrating our 2nd Mother's Day this year! To my wife Kelly and my mom Edie, thank you for everything you do as mom's!

Need some inspiration?

in·spi·ra·tion

noun \ˌin(t)-spə-ˈrā-shən, -(ˌ)spi-\
 
: something that makes someone want to do something or that gives someone an idea about what to do or create : a force or influence that inspires someone

: a person, place, experience, etc., that makes someone want to do or create something

Many of us need the inspiration to live life and be positive during that not so good time. I have a friend from High School. She's been battling breast cancer and seeing her posts on Facebook and reading her blog will inspire you to be positive and not let life's challenges get you down. When you have time, click the link below to read her blog, you'll be inspired.

Ann's Blog 

Eating Healthy

I was looking at a friends Facebook post recently and it said...

"Food is healthcare and Drugs are deathcare."

That comment really hit me. Over the last few years, Kelly and I have been learning more and more about what we put into our bodies. We really started to learn more when our son was born. We read what was good for him and what wasn't. We were amazed to learn how much is sold in stores that are terrible for you.

I remembered going to a golf tournament with my friend Scott. Smuckers was there handing out free samples of their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches call "Crustables." Wanting to be healthy I asked for their Peanut Butter and honey sandwich. Before I opened it, I read the ingredients. I was amazed to find no peanuts or honey listed in the ingredients. How is that possible?

We started reading articles and books. We watched every documentary we could on food and eating healthy. The consensus? The Standard American Diet (SAD) is really sad. Our foods are so processed and full of chemicals, we are killing ourselves every time we take a bite.

We started eating cleaner. We started cooking from scratch more. We now eat very little processed foods, we buy organic as much as possible and we've cut our meat consumption. Guess what, we feel a lot better. It was kind of crazy to think that we would eat foods that our son couldn't eat. As parents we want him to have a bright future. We learned that the foods we eat have a better effect on our health and how we feel compared to drugs and vitamins. If you eat right you'll feel right.

The problem is society has so programed us to buy whats convenient or cheap, we sacrifice our overall and long term well being. Food has become a profit item, so companies are cutting corners and producing crappy food full or products that are unhealthy or even disease causing. It's almost like the drug companies, medical world and food companies are working together. Eat crappy food and you need to see the doctor more and take more drugs. Which means they make more money. As I told Kelly, doctors and companies don't recommend that you eat better because they can't make any money off of healthy people. The worse you feel the more money companies and the government make. Remember, companies put lawmakers into office and the government is run on tax money. So they want you to spend more. Why do you think crappy foods cost so little? So you can buy more.  It's something how when our food quality got worse in the late 60's and early 70's the quality of our health got worse.

I read another comment from John Maxwell it said...

"In life you always pay, you either pay now or your pay later."

People make fun of us or question how we can spend so much money on organic and fresh foods. We here jokes about how empty our fridge is. But it's refreshing when the same people make comments about how much energy we have, how we look good for our age, how our son eats his fruits and veggies etc. Why do we do this, we would rather pay to eat good quality food now then to be drugged up and in hospitals as we getter older.  So, we're paying now to have a brighter future.

Why am I blogging about this? I want people and my readers to open their eyes and take more control of what they put into their bodies. You may think that the places selling you food and drinks care about you, but many don't. You wouldn't eat poison knowledgeably, so pay more attention to how they take care of their possessions than they take care of their body.

There is scientific proof that almost every major health problem can be prevented just by watching what we eat. I think it's funny that the people making many of the popular food and beverage items in this country won't eat it themselves or are fighting states like California and Vermont to prevent them from labeling what is really in the ingredients.

As my one friend says...

"We take better care of the items we have temporarily than the one item we have our entire life...our body/health."

Take care of yourself mind, BODY and soul!

What is success?

I've recently been talking with people about achieving their dreams, being happy, being successful and not feeling like a looser. The sad thing is, our society, culture and media seemed more focused on making people feel worse about themselves than feeling good about themselves. We find more ways to tear someone down, than to build someone up.

I recently made a post on twitter where I stated the following:

"Success is the achievement of a dream or dreams...not the dreams of someone else, your dreams."

It's a simple statement but true. Success isn't about how much money you make, what type of car you have or what type of house you live in. It's about you doing what you say. It's about you putting a plan with your dream to make it a goal. It's about you following your plan to make your dream a reality. The reality...living your dream.

Right now, we have people, magazines, television, shows, movies, the internet, etc. telling us what success is. There all lies. All there trying to do is sell you something. Making you feel worse about yourself because you don't have what you see.

True success means we open our eyes to see the stories of the person who learns how to read, the child who learns how to take his or her first steps, a student walking the stage at graduation, finishing a project you've always talked about, solving a level on a video game, helping someone achieve their dream and making a positive impact on your community.

It's easy to focus on all the negative in life. It's easy for negative comments from people to bring us down, but to be happy, we need to remember on the successes we've already had in life and focus on the next success we plan to have. Not the success others are telling us we need to have.  No you need to focus on the dreams and passions you want to come true. The dreams and passions you want to live. That is success!