Being a Dad

Tonight I got to experience the awesomeness of being a Dad. Don’t get me wrong every day of my 11 years of being a father have been great. Sometime exciting, sometimes scary, and always an adventure. Today between a light cleaning of the house, going to church, having the cable guy come out twice to fix the cable and working on science projects with the girls and writing my own paper for school, I somehow had time for a little bit of reflection on being a Dad. Tonight the oldest had a tough time going to sleep. I found myself needing to cuddle her to get her to calm down and fall asleep. While I laid there I realized that she is growing up, but she still needs her Daddy. I serve as the protector, comforter, teacher and leader. How I carry myself, sets the tone for her in the future. I am so luck and happy to be a Dad, but I also have a huge responsibility. I think I have always known it was there, but tonight I realized I need to focus on it more.
-J

Top ten things I learned in Montreal Canada

Top ten things I learned spending some time in Montreal Canada

10. The McDonalds golden arches do not always have to be golden in Canada, but the food tastes the same.
9. People in Montreal like to walk and ride bikes. In fact you can rent a bike from a machine for $5 and ride around, just like a Redbox DVD. http://www.bixi.com/
8. Most people speak French and English (except the guys at dairy queen, they only spoke French)
7. American money and Canadian money are currently trading straight across one for one.
6. I do not think there are any fat people here in Canada. Canadians eat well, and the food does not seem low fat, but nobody seems to be fat. Must be all of the bike riding and walking.
5. There is a rich history here in Canada. Lots of old buildings and cathedrals and art in public places.
4. There are many food places in Montreal. You can get just about anything, but it helps to be able to read and speak French.
3. Canadians do not seem to like ice. Any time I order a coke or even water, the restaurant does not have ice. Weird, maybe it is all of the snow in the winter??
2. If you want to stay at a nice hotel the Place de Armes in Montreal is wonderful. Website: http://www.hotelplacedarmes.com/ Turn down service every night, Jacuzzi bathtubs in the rooms and overall just very nice.
1. The only people I have heard say eh! Are the homeless people on the street asking for money or making snide remarks to women as they pass.

I highly recommend visiting this city. You will enjoy your time. I did not get to take an official tour, but I did do some bike riding and saw lots of the town. For more info check me out on Twitter. www.Twitter.com/joeayer

Dad got a new computer

Look out Dad has a new computer

Recently my Dad got a new laptop. This was amazing to me as I have been on him for years to get something new that would allow him to communicate with the rest of the world including my kids, his 3 grandchildren, in California. He was one of the only people that I had even heard of that changed the internal clock battery in his previous 15 year old e-machine. Of course he was still on dialup in living in the great state of Georgia, even though many of his neighbors had broadband and wireless routers that they offered to share.

Saturday Dad and I and the kids had a Skype call. This was a huge eye opening experience for my dad. He was able to see and hear his grandchildren and vice versa. This opportunity to interact with them in a way that he has not been able to do for a couple of years, was great.
While plane tickets are expensive, this has become a great alternative to more regular visits.

Dad, thanks for getting a new computer, now we have to get you on facebook!!!!!

Happy New Year!!!

2010 here we are. What is your New Year resolution? Loose the pounds? Get more fit? Eat better? How about spend more time with family and friends? Recently I have seen friends and acquaintances that are fighting cancer, it has caused me to pause, and thing about how our time here on earth is finite, and we must live each day to its fullest. One of my friends Lynn had Hodgkin’s/Lymphoma 8 years ago and now is fighting breast cancer. She is only 39!!! Matt is a pastor in TX has three kids a wife in his early thirties and has a brain tumor. It was found after he had a sudden and unexpected seizure after the Thanksgiving holiday. Lynn and Matt are healthy, normal people, which within a matter of day are now in the fight of their life.

How sad, but I would tell you that both of these people would say do not be sad for them. Instead, try to be educated and realize that life is a gift. This is my New Year’s theme, live life to its fullest. Not to be sad for what I do not have, but to be thankful for what I do have.

So with this in mind…. I ask you….are you focusing on what is important? I mean really important and lasting. I challenge all of us to make each day count, volunteer, donate blood or money, sign up to be on the bone marrow registry or to be an organ and tissue donor.
Have a Happy New Year!!!

-J

P.S. You can check Lynn’s blog at http://lynnhowes.blogspot.com/ or subscribe to Matt’s Twitter feed at http://twitter.com/MattChandler74.

A Great Podcast

Today as I drove from one place to another I listened to a great podcast with Chuck Swindoll. This was brought to me via the Catalyst Podcast which is a great regular listen. Check it out at www.catalystspace.com. I think you will enjoy the ongoing wisdom that Dr. Swindoll shares with young leaders.

Help me with my research project get a free audio book

Hello,

As I complete my schooling, I am doing a research project. Would you please consider taking this survey for me. In return I have a link at the end to a free audio book on leadership. Thank you in advance.
Click Here to take survey

Trailmix.net

It has been awhile since my last post. Recently my daughter and I had a great experience and adventure in Old Sacramento. We visited a new store called TrailMix.net. This store is dedicated to families getting out together and having adventures. They had a pumpkin carving activity that day and Claire was able to carve a pumpkin and take it home for free. They also had a great scavenger hunt game to play in Old Sac that not only was fun but taught us some history. I was thoroughly impressed with Mike and Sarah the owners and their three kids. This was truly a family business and I would recommend that you go check them out. For those of you that are not in the area, check out their website trailmix.net which you can experience much of what they offer in their store. Mike and Sarah thanks for a great experience for my daughter and I, you guys are great!!!!