Agassi's are Here!

These are the Nike Air Tech Challenge II Hot Lava Shoes, aka the Andre Agassi's! These are the shoes that Andre Agassi wore in the 1990 French Open Final against Andres Gomez.. Below is a shot of Agassi serving with these shoes at Roland Garros. If you have read Agassi's book this is the match where Agassi was worried that his hairpiece was going to fall off.





Here is the original advertisement for these shoes.





These shoes are tight! I have been trying to get a pair for a while now. Nike retro'd the original Air Tech Challenge shoe a few years ago. They were the tennis ball yellow version. I wanted to buy those back then, but never did. I may try to play in these, but I don't want to tear them up. Go to this website for a look at the Nike Challenge Court Line. This is the gear that Agassi wore back in the 90's. Those denim shorts with the spandex are crucial! There are pairs on eBay going for over $150. You need to read Agassi's book if you have not already. It is crucial even if you are not much of a tennis fan. It has brought me back to the game.

Toro Z Mower Contest!

http://www.toro.com/home/zcontest/index.html

Please go to the website above and vote my video the best. It is for Toro Mowers. I filmed this back in the summer down at Swansboro with the Toro Z mower we use down there to cut the grass. My video was chosen as one of the Top 5 videos. Now the 5 videos are up for vote as to which one is the best. Please take a minute to view the video and vote it the best. Thanks

SNOW!

Here we are before we go take a walk in the snow. We ended up walking down to the Neuse River, which is a few blocks away from our house.


Since I am trapped in my house, I have decided to update the blog. I have not made a post in months now. A lot has happened since then. We moved into our new house right around Halloween. We love it so far! This is a picture from yesterday as the snow was still falling. Obviously we love moving from an apartment to a house. There is so much more room. Basically I have given Meredith control over the whole house except two rooms. I have complete control of the garage and the "man room". The man room is the centerpiece of our house! All people flock to this one room. I am still not sure why. Please come by and see us sometime.

This is a crucial coke photo opp!

Other interesting news: My parent's dog Mac passed away last week. He was my boy. My other dog, Simba, passed away a few years ago. It is crazy how losing pets are almost as tough as losing humans. You realize how attached you were to them. I definitely will miss by dawg Mac. He definitely had a unique personality.

I won the annual Falk Brothers Christmas Eve 1 vs. 1 Tournament. This year we had to postpone the tournament until Meredith and I got back from Aruba. We also switched the site from our backyard goal to the FBC Ministry Center. I ended up beating Jay 2 games to 1. Let's just say my 3 ball was droppin! The picture above is the belt that we play for. The winner keeps the belt for a year. I have now had the belt for two years now. It hangs with pride in the man room.

To end this post I would like to take some time and preview a crucial event that is going to kick off at the end of this month. It is the 3rd Annual Kaplan Drive Invitational Tennis Tournament. Last year was my first year playing in the KDI. I was a pathetic 2-8. I guess that is not terrible for someone who was never playing much tennis. I vowed that I would raise my game to new levels this year. Ever since I read Andre Agassi's autobiography at Christmas, I have had the tennis bug. I have a refreshed and renewed mindset on the game of tennis. I am committed to performing much better in this year's KDI. I have been working on my game as much as time permits during the week. I like to call this "Chopping Wood Everyday". This is a great credo created by the former NC State Basketball coach Herb Sendek. Coach Sendek used this motto to instill in his players the necessity of doing the little things consistently everyday to make yourself a better player and person. You must get out of bed each day, bring your lunch pale, and prepare to chop that wood. You either get better or worse each day. There is no staying the same. If you are not chopping wood one day, someone else will be. You can count on that. I will not let that happen. I commit to getting better in tennis each day. Massive props to my tennis mentor Art Felton. As a Tri-Lord of the KDI, Art has taken me under his wing to provide encouragement and instruction. I really appreciate it. I may not win more matches, but my game will get stronger after each match. No one is going to out-compete me! I will commit to Chop That Wood Everyday!!

I will end with my new identity:

I am committed to excellence.

I always do my best, and I always do what is right.

I conquer adversity, learn from each circumstance, and constantly improve.

I am the toughest, most relentless, and best conditioned athlete in the KDI.

I thoroughly prepare, communicate, and perform with great poise and composure.

I am selfless, loyal, and united.

I am truly One Heartbeat!

Dream It, Do It!!