HE'S HERE!!!

well, i'm so sorry it has taken this long to post but, we have been up at the hospital since 8am monday morning and i am just now realizing that they have public computers up here!!!

to spare you all of the details right now so i can get back up to our room, i'll just give you a breakdown. i'll have some pictures posted for you on myspace as soon as we get back home and get settled in...you'll want to prepare yourself though, he is the most beautiful baby that you will have ever laid eyes on (he looks just like his mama!). i'll post more when we get home.

Carson Matthew Caler
8lbs. 9.4oz.
21in. long
11:13pm
1-29-07

INDUCING LABOR!!!

well, we went to the dr. today and he scheduled for us to induce labor monday morning at 8am. WE CAN'T WAIT!!! so, if nothing changes, this will officially be our last weekend without little Carson Matthew.

fire

i don't know what it is about a fireplace. i'm over at my wonderful mother-in-laws house right now and seeing that it was 27 degrees at about 2:30pm today i figured i would start a fire when i got over here for dinner. there is nothing more soothing to me than starting a fire and keeping it kindled. it's just very calming to my spirit. everyone has certain things in their lives that are therapeutic to them. a couple of mine are writing, playing golf, and starting and tending a fire in a fireplace. find out what those things are in your life, and try to do them as often as possible. sometimes we all just need some time to unwind.

Out of Ministry

you know, i may regret writing this later, but i must write the way i feel. if anything, it is just therapeutic to my soul. since the age of about 15 or so i always knew what i "THOUGHT" i wanted to do for a career. i had always dreamed of being in ministry and helping to guide teenagers to Christ just like my youth pastor, Doug Porter, did with me when i gave my life to Christ.

however, after serving on staff full-time under 3 different pastors and seeing a side of the people who are running churches now days i had to respectfully bow out. i have seen more deception and manipulation in my short time in working in ministry than i have seen in my whole corporate life...and i work in the car business mind you.

ministry became more about programs, money, and numbers than it was about people and relationships. i understand that there is a business side to running the administrative side of a church, but when it is more about the administration than it is about the people there is something seriously out of balance. i've been told that it was more important to get a powerpoint presentation finished on time than it was to go to a school function for kids in my youth group. i would love for a pastor to tell that to the teenagers who were at the function. i had a pastor tell me that i shouldn't have stopped at a car accident that happened directly in front of our bus to help get children out of a smoking car that looked like it was about to catch on fire, all because it was a "youth group trip".

i'm sorry, but there is a time when my morals and my integrity rare up inside of me and become much stronger in my life than any job or superficial title such as "Pastor". i also have more pride than some people in ministry i guess; i personally can't lay down when someone unrightfully threatens me with my job over a list of rookie mistakes while all the time they are free to make as many as they choose with no accountability. a good friend of mine once told me a very profound statement that defines most churches and ministries now days; "Absolute power corrupts absolutely.". in my experience, this statement rings true.

i really do hate that things turned out the way they did, because i loved all of those kids and their families more than they or anyone else will ever comprehend. however, i cannot morally participate in something that i so strongly disagree with. and may i remind you that i work in the car business for a living. i really do wish that this entry could be something productive. however, i feel that it will only turn out to be a therapeutic rant that allows me to get just a little bit closer to closure on what can only be described as one of the most painful memories in my life...the betrayal of something that was supposed to protect.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

well, this is the last day of our last year without kids. it's been a very eventful year in our lives. we've learned a lot about ourselves as well as others around us. i just thank God that he has placed us in the position that we are in RIGHT NOW in time for the baby to come. we are getting ready to journey in to a very busy time in the car business and i will be blessed in making more money this year than i have ever made in any year of my whole life. God couldn't have chosen a better time. it has taken a lot of painful things to get us here, but i can finally say that i trust everyone that God has placed directly around me. we are looking forward to a VERY BLESSED 2007 and i pray that yours follows suit as well. God bless and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

well...exactly what it said...MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

HOLIDAY BLESSING

all through the holiday season we have been receiving christmas cards that have totally blessed us from so many friends and family, a lot of whom we rarely get to see. we've even been receiving quite a few cards from families at our old church back in sallisaw, ok. we made a lot of great friendships that we will hold dear to our hearts for a lifetime. there was one card in particular that we received this week that really stood out. there was an amazing family that we grew to love while we were in sallisaw that sent us a holiday blessing that was enclosed inside of our christmas card. as we opened it up we were surprised to see a check that will more than take care of all of our christmas needs this holiday season. receiving a card alone, is more than enough for us to see the families that we have touched along the way, and this is just a wonderful icing on our cake that we are getting to have and eat too. to all of our friends and family, we love you all and wish you a happy holiday season.

loving the holidays

i always love this time of year. it's a great time to spend with friends and family and reflect on all of the blessings that God has brought our way this year. make it a point to spend some time with friends and family this year and try to focus on how God has poured out his blessings on your life.

You Might Be a Redneck...

if, instead of having turkey on "turkey day", you have chicken that was caught out from under your front porch and deer that was spotlighted and shot from your back porch...you might be a redneck. yes, that is correct, my family is full of rednecks and they can't help it. i called my mom to ask if jeanette needed to make some dressing or if someone else was bringing some. her reply was, "i was just gonna git some of that dressin from kroger". i don't know about you guys but, turkey day was named turkey day for a reason and dressing has to be home made to be any good. maybe i'm just too southern and not enough redneck. i don't know if i should call it "cheer day" or "dicken day" now. help me out here, i'm so confused, what should i call it!!!???

And Then There Were 5...

well, the 15th of the month hit last week and we all got our "first half" checks and by saturday morning we had lost 3 salesman. it sucks that they all quit, but on the up side that just means more customers for those of us that are left. i pray that they are all able to find jobs soon, they were some really good people. be praying that i'll light it up in what's left of the second half of this month. Carson will be here before we know it!!!

weekend off

tomorrow we have an all day class for labor, delivery, and lamaaz (or however you spell that). since the class lasts all day i end up getting the whole weekend off. i'm really looking forward to it because it's been a little while since i've been able to string 2 days off together. we're having another baby shower this weekend for all of our friends and family that live around the texarkana area. we already had one shower that was amazing; it was thrown by the wonderful people at the Journey Church in sallisaw, OK. now, this is going to be fun getting to see all of our old friends here in t-town. heck, i may even get to play golf this weekend, if i'm lucky (i won't hold my breath though).

full

aaaaauuuuuggggghhhhhhh, i just finished eating an entire large pizza by myself. i am so stinkin full right now! i am sometimes amazed at the amount of food that i can put away considering my size and all. well, i guess i'm fixin to go finish watching the second season of lost and eat some popcorn. i think the pregnancy is the reason for my eating so much.

LOST

i don't know if you have ever seen this show, but man it is so addictive. it's one of those shows that keeps you right on the edge of your seat. we just bought season 2 so we could get caught up on last season since we missed so much of it. if you've never seen this show i totally recommend it!

SOS

i'm sure, for those very few of you who actually read this, that you get tired of hearing me write about a lot of the Same Old Stuff. sorry, my life is just like that though. we all have a lot of monotonous things that fill our lives. on a different note though, be praying for us, i can't give you any details right now but God is starting to do something in our lives and we need you to be praying for guidance, direction, and favor. i'll fill you in as soon as i can.

SALESMAN OF THE MONTH

well, in my second month with the ORR Automotive Group i have been crowned with the salesman of the month title. some say that it's skill and others say that it's luck. i don't care what it is as long as i'm the one bringing home the check. i always said about my golf game that i'd much rather be lucky than good. in this business you can go from being a zero to a hero in a matter of no time. and it also works the other way around too. i'm just happy to be on top for a day. now it's time to start all over again.

14 HOURS

as you all know, the time turned back last night. what you didn't know was that, nett and i were so tired that we went to bed early and slept for 14 HOURS!!! and we still were able to get up at 8:40am. man, that was some amazing sleep. i'm normally taking a nap at this time on a sunday, but i'm not even tired right now. i guess sometimes, your body just needs to shut down and go into hibernation mode. i recommend everyone try it sometime.

birthday sale

man, today was a great birthday at work. i sold one car and made more in one day than i ever made in more than a week at my last job. God truly has had His hand on our lives. i also went to Texas High's homecoming and got to see first hand why they are the #1 team in the state of Texas. Ryan Mallett is a quarterback that we are going to be watching on Sunday afternoons in about another 4 years or so. this kid truly is something special to write home about.

happy birthday

well, tomorrow (October 20th) is my 26th birthday. i have to say that i just don't get excited about my birthday like i use to. i guess that's just part of getting older. jeanette was even asking me what i wanted for my birthday and i honestly couldn't think of anything that i wanted that i don't already have. i guess i'm just not a materialistic person. don't get me wrong, i am a guy that loves technology and gadgets and golf clubs and stuff just like any guy. but, there's nothing that i could think of wanting that i don't already have. all in all, i guess this birthday has just helped me realize even more, how blessed i am. i guess that's why i'm "LIVING THE DREAM!"

fantasy football

fantasy football is a phenomenon that is absolutely sweeping our culture. some people hate it, others can't imagine a football season without it. whether you have a position on it or not, you have at least heard of it. i've been in a league with the same group of guys for about 5 years now. we always do a live draft online which is a lot of fun. it's funny to see a bunch of grown men getting overly excited about a bunch of guys running around in tights getting balls thrown at them ;). if you like football alright and you've never played fantasy football you should definitely give it a shot.

life's great...

ya know, sometimes we all lack gratitude for the things that God has done and is doing in our lives. i must admit that i am as bad as anyone when it comes to that. i have to say, that i am the most blessed person that i know. other people measure how blessed they are by their financial state of being or how much "STUFF" they have. i'm not rich and i don't have every material possession desired by man, but there are some things that i do have.

i have the most amazing wife that any person could ever wish for. i also have a wonderful baby boy on the way. not to mention, i have an AMAZING job with 2 bosses that can only be rivaled by my previous boss of 4 years at Golf USA. it also helps that i do make enough for jeanette to stay home with the upcoming baby. i've had a lot of circumstances in my life that i would never have planned, but i would never go back and change them because it is those circumstances that have gotten me to where i am now. it's really kind of funny how things happen sometimes. i've had people tell me, especially supposed friends, that i was "missing God" on certain things but looking at everything now...i am EXACTLY where i wanted to be at this moment in my life. i'm at a job that i love and in a financial state that is allowing my amazing wife to stay at home with our upcoming baby. so, next time you are going through a fire or you're making a decision that you feel very strongly about press on no matter what the "nay sayers" around you say.

just stay focused and remember to thank God in all circumstances...because, it is usually the uncomfortable ones that get us to where we want to be in our lives. and that friends is why i am "LIVING THE DREAM"