From all of us here (which means just me) at TDB, a very Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Come back later, I’ll have a “Fast Food Friday” post featuring Fatburger.  I lied, it’s been a long day.  I’ll have that post next week.

photo via cafepress

On this day that is all about reflection I can truly say that I am one lucky man!

I have a great family with a healthy, fun and engaging child!  Not to mention a wife that continues for some reason to put up with me.

I have the tremendous fortune of wonderful friends and colleagues who provide such an incredible support system.

I have always been able to do what I love for a living!

I have never had to completely “grow-up”.

I laugh often.

Things are good!

Could the be better? Sure.  Especially now as I am facing  the uncertainty of changes in my professional life.  But today, I’m going to hug my family and take the time to truly appreciate just how lucky I am.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Michigan State Version – It’s Homecoming 2009 baby!!!

Go Green, Go White!

Victory for MSU!!!

Traveling for a week can really pile things up on a guy!  How does this pertain to TDB? Well I’ve got a PACKED DVR with tons of stuff to watch, including two episodes of “Top Chef“…hence the reason why no recap yet. Also, I can’t get the photos off my camera right now, so I can’t get my Fast Food Friday post up today. Plus, I’m leaving early today to head up to MSU for Homecoming.  Need to start that party early.

I should get back to a normal schedule next week as I’ll mostly be either sitting at my desk or sitting at home (I lead such an exciting life).  So let’s just plan on meeting up back here on Monday!  I’ll catch up on the stuff above plus have a little review of my dinner at Aqueous, the AAA Four Diamond restaurant at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, that incuded plenty of bacon!

Have a great weekend.  Go Green!

Ugh!

Well, I am here in Louisville…but what a trip!  Usually a day like today would be filed under “I’m an Idiot” but this one wasn’t on me… [Read more →]

My schedule is going to be all screwy this week as I am traveling for work.

Headin’ to Louisville for the ICUEE show (International Construction & Utility Equipment Expo), then through West Virgina to show off the TOMCAR to a couple resorts and then ending the weekend at the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in PA for the launch of the first “TOMCAR Tactical Training Center“.

Should be a good week. A long week, but good all the same.

Let’s see if we can get some good bacon on this trip

We wanted a boy…

That was really selfish of us, I know.  We were lucky just to be having a baby.  But still, we both wanted a boy.

When we went in for the ultrasound at 16 weeks, we were nervous, excited, anxious…you name it.  One thing we KNEW was that we were going to have a boy.  I even jumped the gun and bought some gray and blue ugly dolls along even a Lucasfilm onesie at their company store when I got to visit their campus.

The technician came in, gelled up Better Half and started the wand around her belly.  You started to see little features…hands…toes…the head…it was an incredible feeling to be sitting there in that room watching this.  That’s our baby! [Read more →]

Sooooo…got home really late tonight, still tough to type and have to get ready for a special day tomorrow so while I said I would get to my regular posts today, just not gonna happen.

I’ll catch up this weekend.  Hope to see you around.

So things are going to be delayed today…I was loading a truck at work and sliced my right hand.  Got a huge old bandage on it now and typing is taking forever.

Later today I’ll post the new Fast Food Friday installment as well as bring you pictures of my home made bacon!  YEAH BACON!

Hope your day is going better than mine so far

Dad Samuel L. Cole Jr. passed away on August 25th, 2009 at the age of 83.

May he rest in peace.

When I was in my teens, I was introduced to a fraternity called DeMolay.  This organization came to mean a great deal to me, mostly in part to those advisors who helped guide me through my youth.  Dad Cole was probably the single biggest influence in my life during my DeMolay career. 

I was asked this last Friday to deliver the eulogy prior to the DeMolay memorial service.  I would like to share some of what I wrote with you now as I believe by doing so, in some small measure, his spirit lives forever.

He was a good man and I will miss him. [Read more →]