An idea from my sister-in-law.

First of all, let me specify that I have one that is my sister-in-law, and the other one is "my brother's wife". (Doesn't take much to figure that out.) Anyway, my sister-in-law, Jennifer, came up with an idea for what would have been Dad's 84th birthday on Oct. 30th: to go out to his gravesite and have a little party or get-together and basically hang out with him that evening. I would've never thought about that, but it doesn't sound like a bad idea. We'll have to see how that works out.

100 Things About Me

This should be interesting, but here goes:
1. I was born in Camp Lejune, NC on 12/23/70
2. I've lived in Norman Park, GA for all but about 2 years of my life.
3. I've lived at my current NP residence since 1992
4. I have 2 brothers by Mom & Dad, and a half brother (same Dad).
5. I graduated from high school in 1989.
6. I've been at my current job almost 15 years.
7. I'm not married and have no kids!
8. I love my cat, Fox!
9. I've known my best friend, Alvin, since kindergarten.
10. My closest "cyber-friends" are Sharon, Tina, and Staci!
11. I love NASCAR!
12. I've been a Jeff Gordon fan since 1994.
13. I've seen Jeff win in person once (3/99 Atlanta)
14. I've been to 11 Cup races, 6 Busch races, and 3 Truck races.
15. I also love NFL and NBA!
16. My favorite NFL team is the Atlanta Falcons.
17. My favorite NBA team is the San Antonio Spurs.
18. I listen to mostly country and classic rock music.
19. My favorite singers include George Strait, Brooks & Dunn, Jimi Hendrix, and Def Leppard.
20. I've been on 3 cruises!
21. I've been to Las Vegas twice (will be 3 times this September)!
22. I've also been to NYC and Atlantic City.
23. I play a lot of poker, both online and with friends.
24. I play Texas Hold 'em, Omaha, and 7 card stud.
25. I won $234 playing poker this past Saturday night (7/8)!
26. I finished 2nd out of 23 players.
27. I drive a 2005 Toyota RAV-4 SUV.
28. My first vehicle was an '86 Ford Futura.
29. My Mom is the greatest person I know!
30. I miss my Dad terribly, but I know he's in a better place.
31. I used to care what people thought about me, but not anymore!
32. I speak my mind a lot more than I used to!
33. It takes a lot to piss me off!
34. I wouldn't recommend doing it, though!
35. I have a pair of Reeboks and a pair of Nikes.
36. I have 2 pair of ostrich-tail boots.
37. I can take cold weather a lot better than hot weather.
38. I hate liars!
39. I also hate people who don't acknowledge me when I let them cross the street in front of me.
40. I have a lot of NASCAR die-casts, especially Jeff Gordon, of course.
41. I have 6 Jeff jackets, including a leather jacket.
42. My favorite channels are ESPN, Speed Channel, and CMT.
43. My favorite actor is Jack Nicholson.
44. My favorite actress is Nicole Kidman.
45. My favorite non-racing athletes are Tim Duncan, David Robinson, and Michael Vick.
46. My favorite movies are: Casino, Heartbreak Ridge, and Beverly Hills Cop.
47. My favorite food is pizza.
48. I love ice cream.
49. I drink Pepsi and Coke, but I need to cut back on them.
50. My favorite alcholic drink is Smirnoff Ice.
51. I also like Jim Beam and 7-Up.
52. I used to country line dance, got pretty good at it.
53. I once set up a former best friend with a married woman.
54. I've gotten 2 speeding tickets.
55. My favorite comedians are Larry the Cable Guy, Ron White, and Jeff Foxworthy.
56. I don't care who you are, that's funny right there!
57. My current celebrity crush is Joanna Krupa.
58. My DVD collection is rapidly building up.
59. I love all the Grand Theft Auto video games on PS2.
60. I also play the NASCAR game on PS2.
61. IMO, the sexiest female athletes are Amanda Beard, Jennie Finch, and Maria Sharapova.
62. In the shower, I use Dial for Men body wash and Pantene shampoo.
63. I use Preferred Stock cologne.
64. I shave with the Gillette Fusion Power razor.
65. I use Gillette under arm deodorant gel.
66. I wear a size 15 shoe.
67. I'm 6'4" and weigh about 280.
68. I don't tan, I burn!
69. I have a Fu Manchu mustache.
70. I keep my hair relatively short.
71. I always wear a ball cap or visor.
72. My favorite college team is Florida State.
73. I love doing Sudoku puzzles.
74. The NFL Draft is one of my favorite weekends.
75. I have a laptop and a portable DVD player.
76. My CD collection is also rapidly building up!
77. I'm not much of a singer.
78. I'm not bad at a karaoke bar, though.
79. My favorite radio show is Rick and Bubba.
80. I change my own oil in my SUV.
81. I watch Days of our Lives!
82. I have DirecTV.
83. My favorite announcers are Mike Tirico and Dr. Jerry Punch.
84. My favorite sideline reporter is Bonnie Bernstein.
85. I wear my Dad's Marine Corps watch.
86. I still wear my class ring.
87. I wear a gold chain with a 24 pendant.
88. I shop at Wal-Mart and Sam's.
89. I have a checking account and a savings' account.
90. I always seem to date older women.
91. My brother's stepdaughter is the closest thing I'll ever have to a sister.
92. My current favorite song is "Promiscuous" by Nelly Furtado.
93. My all-time favorite album is "Hysteria" by Def Leppard
94. My favorite autographs are Jeff Gordon and Michael Vick.
95. I'm a pretty good photographer.
96. I tried songwriting once, but it didn't work out.
97. I've always wanted to be a bartender.
98. I have a lot of numbers programmed into my cell phone.
99. I have no special ring tone, just a regular ring.
100. I can't believe I came up with 100 things! WOO HOO!!

My First Visit

Today was my first trip to Dad's grave. How appropriate, I suppose, that it was raining. Of course, I had to ask Dad if he planned it that way. LOL But, the funeral home/monument people did an outstanding job. They did an excellent job on everything from start to finish. Most importantly, Mom was pleased.
Seeing Dad's grave sort of makes reality set in that he really is gone. But, he wouldn't want us to quit or give up. So, we'll keep going forward so that he'll be proud of us.

Las Vegas

It's still about 3 months away (last week of September), but I'm ready to go again. We last went to Vegas in '03 and had a blast! Looking forward to gambling and a little shopping and Mom wants to hit a show or two. And, I want to go out to Las Vegas Motor Speedway again. I've been to Vegas twice and both times, I hit my big payday at The Mirage, so we definitely have to go back there. Looks like we're gonna stay at the Bellagio this time, which is a nice one. Jeez, it's not September 24th yet?