Keeping Busy

A friend asked me what I've been up too lately and I said not much. Then I started typing everything I've been up too and I realized how busy I've been! So, if my blogs have been kind of short and few, its because of the following: Work is keeping me busy, getting ready for the trip to Australia has kept me busy, I'm working on a new website and I've been knocking out my loooooooonnnnnggggggggggg to do list!

My mom and brother stopped in visit this weekend. They brought the warm weather from Florida with them. High 40's and Low 50's this weekend. They leave tomorrow.....and tomorrow night it's supposed to snow! They have great timing.

It was good to see "my clone" and my "mommy!" The picture above is of my brother at a friend's party over the weekend. I swear the kid knows everyone! He's been in Florida for a year and a half and everywhere we went this weekend, everyone knew him and ran up to say "hi!"

Motivational Poem

I was cleaning up some stuff on my computer and came across a poem I wrote during a moment of creativity. Here it is:

Just Do It!

There’s a Nike slogan that we all know…”Just Do it!” is how it goes. Life is short and this slogan is good, that’s why I wrote this poem, because the slogan puts me in a mood.

You know what you want; you wonder if you can do it? Do you do the safe thing or do you go for what’s really calling you? You don’t know who to listen to; your mind, your heart; the people close to you? You want to be happy, but how much will it cost you? You only live once and you rarely get second chances. You’ll kick yourself later if you don’t just do it! If you really want what’s going to make you happy you better just do it or you’ll sit there stewing. Do your thing and listen to the song from your heart. Nothing happens when you sit around. Open yourself to new experiences, you never know until you try. Have the courage to do it. Get into action; take a step forward and do like Nike says and “Just Do It!”

Funny Video

A friend sent me a link to a funny web video. The video is called "Dance White Boy!" Check it out, you'll be laughing and replaying it and fowarding it to friends!

http://www.glumbert.com/media/dancewhiteboy.html

Working Out

One of my goals this year was/is to workout more and have more physical activity. Everyone wants that perfect body. I've been really motivated. I worked out everyday this week, I took my first ever yoga class on Thursday night and today I played football with my friends in a co-ed two hand touch football league. The fields were terrible! I should just call them mud pits! We lost lost 27-14, but we had a chance to win. With 1 minute to go we were on the 10 yard line and the score was 20-14. All we needed was a score to win, but a interception on the goal line ended everything. I had a good game, 5 catches, 2 touchdowns and somehow I managed not to blow out my hamstrings or pull a muscle in the mud pits!

Funny Picture

I was driving down the road the other day and I saw a tree with a rocking horse in it! I have no clue how the horse got in the tree, but I needed to go back and take a picture to share with the world!

Frank on the Radio

I was interviewed on the radio this morning. The college hosts the county's Dr. Martin Luther King remembrance every year. I'm responsible for a large part of the program. I was invited to 1330 WELW to be interviewed about the program. It was a lot of fun. The pictures above are of me in the radio booth and the outside of the station.

10 Weeks to Australia

It's crazy, but I'm 10 weeks from Australia. I've had two meetings with the team in the last 10 days. Last night our team got to meet with the team that went to Chili last year. We learned a lot. They explained how to pack, how to deal with the different people, and all the ins and outs of being a "ambassador." The best way to explain the trip is to say we're going on a "diplomatic" mission. (No Star Wars jokes!) We'll be in a different place/city every couple of days giving presentations about ourselves, the Cleveland area and the United States. The Chilean group explained that there will be a lot of long days, but you do have a lot of fun. The picture is from last nights dinner showing both groups together.

Feeling Good!

I think I know why people in warm climates are so happy (most of the time) and get so much done. It's been unusually warm here in Cleveland the last couple of weeks. I think it's snowed once since New Years. The last couple of days the temps have been in the 50's and you can see the grass. It almost feels like spring. And today, it was sunny! I had to break my sunglasses out! Its amazing how different your mood is when you wake up and its warm and the sun is out! You're a lot more motivated and you get a lot more done. You also smile more.

Unfortunately, I am a realist and I do know where I live. I live in the cloudiest city in America. I also live on the snowy side of the North Pole (Cleveland). I know mother nature is teasing us right now, so I won't get too excited by the weather. It was just nice today to have the sun shining and not having to worry about wearing a hat or gloves; or having to clean snow off my car!

So, here's to global warming in Cleveland or at least having the Sun shine more than once a week!

Inspiration and Motivation

There are points in our lives where we become really inspired or motivated to achieve, attempt or pursue something. Movies can inspire us, people can inspires us, books or blogs can inspire us.
Over the last week or so, I've talked to several co-workers, friends and students. The conversations with them have definitely been inspiring and motivating. Everyone loves the underdog! I love the stories of people achieving something they thought wasn't possible. When I here these stories, it makes me think of all the things I can do.

I won't give the names, but I will share some of the stories:

#1 I have a former student who didn't think she could pay for school. After submitting for a ton of scholarships and grants, she now has enough money to pay for all of her schooling. She went from not knowing how she was going to pay for school to know telling me how she'll be studying abroad in Australia, Germany and California. All because she put in some effort to chase her dreams of getting her education and traveling. She also just completed her first marathon, is talking about trying a triatholon, and persuing 2 masters degrees! Wow!

#2 Another friend wants to do more in life, so they've pretty much putting everything aside to go back to school and get the degree they want. The degree will eventually lead them to a career they will be perfect for. Got a call the other day from these friend, they were excited because all of the classes they took back in college way back when were accepted, so now they won't be in school as long as they thought. I love seeing people pursue what they are passionate about!

#3 My best friend was having a tough time with his basketball team. He's a great coach, know as a winner. His season didn't get off to a great start this year. His best player suffered a season ending injury during the first week. He had two of his worst defeats ever and his team just wasn't doing well. He could have quit and chalked things up for the season, but he's staying the course. Next thing you know his team wins a game by 30+, they almost upset a 1 loss team, and one of his players will be in the newspaper this week as the player of the week. The player is also getting offers from colleges. He's shown me that you should never give up, even during the though and dark times!

These are just a few stories, but there are tons more. Sometimes we get down and don't think we can achieve or do something. All we have to do is take a moment to see all the great stories around us!

Comfortable being Uncomfortable

Years ago I heard a teacher say, "you need to learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable." I had one of those experiences today. People always tell me how well I relate to new people and situations. Today I visited my local Rotary Meeting to find out more about the organization and to introduce myself to the powers that be. Rotary is sending me to Australia and they said it would be good to meet the people we'll be representing.

When I got to the meeting I introduced myself to the acting president. Next thing you know, I was on the agenda and talking to a room full of 60+ business leaders. I'll admit the heart was beating fast for a moment, but once I got to the front of the room and was handed the microphone, things changed. I was truly comfortable being uncomfortable. I took my own advice. I talked with a co-worker earlier in the day about how to speak to a group of people. All of a sudden all those words of "wisdom" came to me. I also saw this as a new challenge and preparation for my trip to Australia. I"ll be speaking to groups like this everyday for a month.

Before I knew it my time was done. I had introduced myself to a room full of strangers, I had fully explained why I was there and what the trip to Australia was about, and I answered several questions from the group. After the meeting/luncheon was over, I had several people come up and congratulate me and tell me how well I speak infront of a group. I was invited to come back and speak longer. I was also asked to do some speaking for some other groups. Never let them see you sweat..a few minutes before things started I was nervous and had no clue what I was going to say, but I took a deep breath and the rest is history.

Today was a great experience, but it also shows what my teacher told me years ago..."be comfortable being uncomfortable." We're always going to be put into new and sometimes nerve racking experiences. The main thing to do is, to take the new situation as a personal challenge, tackle it and build upon it. You can also relate back to a past experience you tackled. I definitely know I can go into a room a strangers and perform on the spot. Live is all about living and experiences. Some of these things might be uncomfortable, but you'll have some great stories to share if you tackle them!

American Lung Association Fundraiser

Hello everyone! One of my former students is looking for sponsors for a cross country bike ride. Katie Spotz will be riding a bicycle from Seattle, Washington to Washington, DC this summer to raise money for the American Lung Association. For more information please click on the link below. If you would like to sponsor Katie, click on her name under the "riders" listing. She'll be peddling over 3,000 miles!

http://www.alaw.org/support_alaw/big_ride/across_america/riders_2006/names.html

Blue Eyes (Poem)

I have a friend with a talent for writing poems. "My friend" recently sent me one of their latest poems. I thought it was great and I asked if I could share it on my webpage. "My friend" said yes. I can't give away the poet's identity, but I can share their work.

Blue Eyes

Big, beautiful blue eyes
So sweet and soft at first glance
To look deeper into them
Is to see a tortured soul
A soul no one can understand
The terrible pain and hurt she has endured
The fear she feels to give of herself again
To let anyone in…to allow anyone closeness
A façade that exhibits happiness – but lies
A heart that’s comprised of pieces
A mind so tortured by emotional turmoil
A smile that’s forced…insincere
Fear grips her very being
Sadness plagues her from deep within
Doubtful anyone will ever really care to know who she is
Frightening experiences from her past reverberate in her mind
A broken spirit, lost innocence
Giving physically but dead emotionally
Seeking acceptance
Looking for who she is in who she has been
Waiting just to exhale
To feel peace thru excruciating pain
To feel safety

Tears drop from those big, beautiful blue eyes…

Funny Picture

I haven't had time lately to post much on my blog, so I thought I'd post a funny picture. Last month I went to a Cavaliers game with my buddy Scott. Our friend Christina took a picture of us being silly. She finally sent me a copy of the picture. I hope everyone enjoys, more funny pictures and blogs to some soon!

Happy New Year Part 2

Here are some pics from New Years. I went to a local state park with some friends. We did some swimming (indoor pool) at the lodge. Ate lots of food. Played some games, watched some movies did the New Year's toast and felt really bad watching Dick Clark do his show!

The pictures are a view from the back of the cabin over looking Punderson Lake and my friends dog Marley. She was all dressed up in her New Years best! Didn't enjoy the party poppers and New Years, but enjoyed some New Years Pizza and Dog biscuits!

Happy New Year

I'm off to celebrate the New Year! I'm joing some friends for a small get together at a local state park. Group of friends were able to rent a small cabin. Shoulb be fun. I'll be sure to post some pics when I get back. I just wanted to type and wish everyone a Happy New Year! I hope all of you have a succesful New Year! Good Luck with your resolutions! Be Safe, and I'll be blogging again in 2006!

Singles Organization

Many of you know I'm always full of ideas. Recently I was talking to some of my friends. I was joking around about starting up and Cleveland Singles Club/Organization. My friends told me it would be a great idea.

I have a lot of friends male and female who are really good people, but are unlucky in relationships. Just like me they are single, and looking for things to do to fill their schedule. A lot of people always ask me for ideas on things to do, because I always seem to be doing something. I like going out to the bars and clubs from time to time, but theress always so much more to do. I'm not rolling in the money, but I often find more to do than just sitting on my couch. Some things cost money, but I also to a lot of free things with my friends. Maybe it's just because I'm a "planner and organizer." I also get bored, so I try to organize social activities for my friends.

The tough thing is, us "Third Wheels" get a little worn down going to couples functions, and we also get bored going to the bars and clubs.

So, that gets me to my idea. Listening to some of my friends vent about their "singleness" or how "nice people" get tread over, I told them I was going to form a "Third Wheel Organization" for 25-40 somethings in Northeast Ohio. I would come up with a variety of social functions that singles could show up too to have fun and do something different to get them out of the house.

I'm starting to wonder if this idea is possible. I know of at least 5 friends who are interested. I'm going to have to pursue this more. People continuously tell me I know everybody and I'm always busy doing something, maybe I can share some of my ideas!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

My Trip to Florida!

I just got back from Florida; and it's time to get back to my blogging, so here's a review of my trip. The picture above is a picture of my mom, my grandmother and me. My grandparents surprised all of us by stopping in for a visit. They were on their way to see the rest of the family in Miami. They're both close to 80 and looking good! I got to see my grandmother, grandfather, four aunts, 2 cousins, my mom, my sister, my sisters dog and little brother. My brother's friend Cari joined me on the trip. My mom was also watching 3 children on the trip, so at one point there were over 15 people in the house!
The picture above is of my brother Jim, my sister Melissa, Cari and my mom at the Tampa Airport. Talk about a crazy airport to get in and out of. I think I circled 3 times trying to find the departures terminal. On the way back the pilot mentioned that the temperature difference was 50 degrees. It was 68 and sunny when I left Tampa and 18 when I got back to Cleveland! The weather wasn't the best in Florida for this visit, but 50's and 60's are better than single digits and snow. It was cloudy and rainy most of the time and got sunny the day I left, but no complaints here. The craziest story is, I took my mom, brother and Cari out to dinner at waterside restaurant on Monday night. While eating, we saw dolphins swimming by. 24 hours later, I was back in Ohio scrapping snow off my windshield.
This picture is of me and my brother at dinner at the City Pier restaurant. I don't think his sunglasses came off during my visit! He's cool like that! My family is about an hour away from the beaches in Tampa area. Everytime I go to visit, we go out exploring. On this visit we did some sight seeing on Anna Maria Island near Bradenton, Florida. Saw some dolphins jump out of the water at the beach; collected a ton of sea shells; and bought some beach souvenirs at the tourist shops.
This is another picture of the family. Mom always has to have a picture of her kids! She was busy the one night, so "the kids" snuck down to downtown Tampa to check out the sites. If you're ever in Tampa, you need to visit Splitsville. Splitsville is a bowling themed restaurant. The tables have personal bowling lanes set up infront of them. The food is really good and it was fun to have our own private lane. None of us were great bowlers, I tied for first place with a dominating 103! The good thing was I won a free game of bowling by getting a strike when it counted. Splitsville has a free game contest. If you get a strike when the head pin is pink, you win a game. My brother missed the free game by one pin. A little while later, Mr. 103 got a strike! My sister has the coupon as a early X-Mas gift! Melissa, you better use it!
This final picture is of the man I'm named after. My full name is Frank Cornelius Kitchen. This is my grandfather Cornelius Mack. He just turned 80. He's had some heart problems recently, but he's doing a lot better lately. The miracle of medicine!

Thats the cliff notes version of my trip to Florida. I'll add some more pictures in future posts!

Off to see Mommy!

Christmas is coming a little early for me this year. Airfares are ridiculous, so I'm off to Florida this weekend to see my Mom, brother and sister. I won't see my family on Christmas Day, but I get to see them during the season. I twill also be nice to experience some warm weather! 60 and 70 degree temps sound great compared to the snowy cold weather here in Ohio! I'll be back next Tuesday, so I'll post info about the trip and some more pictures when I return!

Another Cavs Game

Cavaliers beat the Denver Nuggets tonight! I've been to two games now and the Cavs are 2-0. As you can see the final score was 94-85.
Nike hung a banner of LeBron James outside of the arena when the season started. It's 225 feet long and 10 stories high! Hopefully the cars at the bottom of the picture give a clue to the size of the HUGE banner!