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!!