I am no Bobby Flay

I love to grill out. Let me re-phrase that: my family loves to grill out. On average, we probably grill out at least three times a week. We grill everything. Steak, hot dogs, chicken, sausage, vegetables, potatoes - you name it. My wife's love for grilling probably started with her dad, Andy. Andy is a world-class griller (is that a word?) - and I am not just saying that because he is my father-in-law or the fact that I want his famous grilled ribs for 4th of July. He really is very good at grilling. In fact, I refuse to eat ribs at any restaurant because I'll be disappointed and upset that I wasted my money. Trust me, if you're ever in Southaven, Mississippi (not sure why you would be...ha!), you need to stop by Andy Gore's (no relation to Al - praise God!) for some wet ribs! Tell him Bradley sent you! I am sure he wouldn't mind....

This past Saturday we decided to go to a local store in Southlake, TX, called Central Market. While I would not shop there for my weekly groceries (my wife is laughing now because everyone knows that I don't shop for groceries), it is a GREAT place to go buy fresh steaks, fish, chicken, vegetables, etc. for the purposes of grilling out.
We had a great time just being home and eating some great food. Granted, we could have gone to a restaurant and had a nice meal. But every now and then, it is fun to just stay at home and make our "gourmet" meal ourselves. It's spring time, so fire up those grills (insert big loud Tim "the Tool Man" Taylor grunt here)!

My Bride

Many of you know my wife, Elaine - oh excuse me - she likes to be called Lainie... It's not that I don't like the name Lainie - it truly fits her personality - but I fell in love with ELAINE. Those of you who know her realize quickly that I "out-punted my coverage!" That is a football term meaning that she is way out of my league. My wife is a brilliant (seriously) and creative woman who loves God and loves to serve Him and others. She has a servant-heart. For those of you who do not know her, well, you are missing out on a blessing. She can brighten up any room that she walks into with her contagious smile and sparkling eyes.

This Friday (18th) is her birthday. She will turn 37. I am sure that right now she is loving the fact that I am telling her age. April 18 is a great day in our home and a day we celebrate Lainie's life! Thank you Andy and Becky for having her in 1971. Thank you God for bringing her into my life, and thank you honey for 12 great years of marriage. You are a wonderful wife, mother, co-worker, and you are my best friend. Happy Birthday! For those of you who would like to email Lainie birthday wishes click ethomas@firsteuless.com

First 3 letters of Diet are D-I-E

When I was in high school, food was a huge necessity. My metabolism was literally off the charts. I was 6'"3 and 175 lbs. soaking wet. I could eat an x-large meat lovers stuff crust pizza from Pizza Hut at one time. Quarter pound with cheese? HA! I would eat two of them before I blinked. I wouldn't eat bowls of cereal - it was more like buckets of cereal...the best kind of cereal - none of this whole wheat junk. I am talking about Frosted Flakes, Captain Crunch, or Rice Krispies with a gallon of sugar poured into them! And oh yes, 2% milk all the way baby. I would stick my nose in the air and laugh in the face of skim milk. When my family would go to a nice restaurant, I would order a 20 ounce Prime Rib, eat the whole thing, and want another. Krispy Kreme was my Gatorade! Through it all, I never gained any fat or weight. I would hate to know what my parent's grocery bill was like when I was in high school, and I'm an only child.

So what in the name of lard and sugar happens from the time you graduate high school to adulthood? Everything that was good to me then is bad for me now. Skim milk beats me on the head with a big cheesy grin on its face. Cereal? Ha....that word is not even in my vocabulary. I now ask for water with lemon at a restaurant instead of sweet tea. Those 20 once Prime Rib steaks have been replaced with lemon chicken. And my snacks are no longer Krispy Kreme doughnuts but apples and wheat thin crackers.

It's funny how life can throw you a curve ball every now and then. Of course, I am sure all of this has nothing to do with the fact that I played three sports in high school, played college basketball, and probably ran the equivalent of 4-5 miles a day. The good news of late is that with these changes - I have called them my "lifestyle changes" - I have lost 32 lbs. since January 1. I am wearing clothes that are so old that they used to be in style, fell out of style, and are now back in style. By working out daily again, I have more energy, and hopefully am taking care of my body long term so that I can see my grand kids grow up.

Yes, life can and will throw you a curve ball, but that curve can be a good thing. I have seen a lot of curve balls get jacked into the bleachers for a home run. Like a batter, you just have to know how to see the pitch, adjust to it, and let her rip.

March Madness and the Brackets

I know it is officially April, but March Madness is one of my favorite "events" of the year. If you don't know what March Madness is, ask anyone how they are doing with their "brackets" and you will learn quickly. It's funny how big the brackets have become. People who never watch college basketball will join in an office pool, or friend pool, and fill out the brackets. They may choose teams that wear their favorite color. They may choose teams based upon the mascots or if one mascot could beat another (for example: a Bruins would easily defeat a Duck in a battle of nature).

I am a college basketball fan. I played college basketball (Don't get excited - it was Division III), and I enjoy the passion and purity of the college game. Each year, I listen to the experts on ESPN. I analyze the point gaurd play of each of the top 16 teams. I study season stats on rebouding and field goal percentage. Then, I fill out my brackets only to be annilaiated by the stay at home mom who thought North Carolina baby blue was prettier than Louisville red.

So, in conclusion what have I learned? March Madness is called madness because it is so unpredictable.
It is a tremendous amount of fun, and next March I once again will be studying the stat sheets and listening to the "experts" on ESPN to predict who will make it to the FINAL FOUR only to eventually lose in the bracket pool. (BTW - I REALLY need UCLA to win it all for me to win my at home pool - so go BRUINS!)

Remember the Alamo!

No doubt this is a familiar cry that you have heard before. It was the rallying cry of the Texans as they fought for their independence from Mexico. It served as a reminder of what the brave men did at the Battle of the Alamo in San Antonio. This past week, my family went to San Antonio for Spring Break. Don't get me wrong, we did the fun stuff (I will talk about that in a moment), but we did take time to tour the Alamo and learn a little Texas history.
One of the things that the Thomas family is proud of - being from the GREAT state of Tennessee! After walking through the Alamo and learning a little more about one of our native sons, Davey Crockett, we are even prouder. I will admit, that the Alamo museum workers didn't like it when I gave a stirring rendition of Rocky Top while overlooking Davey Crockett's shot gun.

One of the things that my wife and I are enjoying at this stage in our lives is the age of our kids. Bailey is almost 10 and Brody just turned 8. They are at a great age to travel and do things they have never done before. With that said, this was our first true "Spring Break" trip as a family. Now I am no Clark W. Griswald, but I do try to turn into Super Dad. I must admit, for our first Spring Break trip, this was a great time! After our tour of the Alamo, we stayed overnight in downtown San Antonio and took a boat tour of the Riverwalk (a beautiful place!). We ate dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe, bought some souvenirs, and spent all day Monday at Sea World San Antonio.

Sea World was amazing! I think I went to Sea World when I was very little, but I don't remember it. Elaine had never been, so this really was a "first" for all of us.
From the STEEL EEL (big honkin roller coaster) to Shamu (killer whale) to petting the dolphins, we had a blast. I would highly recommend Sea World and San Antonio as a great vacation spot.

Spring Break 2008 is in the books. It is time for March Madness and for my Tennessee Volunteers to make Davey and all of us proud by getting BACK to San Antonio to the Final Four! Of course, we would hope that the Tennessee Volunteers trip to San Antonio this time would turn out much better.

Years are flying

Why is it that the older you get, time goes faster? I have pondered that thought quite a bit this week because my youngest child is turning 8 years old! It honestly just seems like yesterday that our son, Brody, was still sucking on his "passie" and jumping up and down in his crib. That is Brody in the picture. (BTW - my wife Lainie made that cake! She is amazing!) My daughter will be 10 in August, and I began to think - wow - I am going to be 35 this year! What is up with that?

So, the real question is - why does time get faster? Is it because we are doing more things and are busier? I remember thinking when I was a kid - "man, I can't wait until _____ "(fill in the blank here). It was a summer vacation trip. Sometimes a birthday...always Christmas, my driver's license, flying an airplane, going to college, etc., etc., etc. Of course, I also remember my dad telling me when I would spout off one these "I can't wait...." lines the famous saying all parents say to their kids: "You are going to wish your life away!".

I actually said that line to my son the other day when he lamented that he could not wait until his birthday on Thursday. I watch him sit in the floor and play with his match box cars like I used to do, or play on his Nintendo DS (I had an Atari baby!), or catch a baseball with me. As I watch him and my daughter grow it is a reminder of how precious time and moments are here on earth. Start living! Have fun with your kids! Go on trips! Spend that money! Time is flying by....

Barack, the devil juice, and Duff

Have you ever had "one of those weeks'? Well, I just had one starting last Tuesday, Feb. 19. I had my first scheduled colonoscopy and endoscopy on Feb. 20th, so on Tuesday I had to drink probably the worst substance known to humanity in prep for the scopes. I call it the "the Devil Juice" but my doctor calls it something else with medical terminology. It was awful and with my quick gag reflex - well, you can imagine. However, if you had told me that would be the easiest thing I would do that week, I would have been a little worried. As it turned out, that was a walk in the park compared to what happened to me on Friday, Feb. 22nd (insert dramatic beat from Law & Order series).

It began on my way home from seminary class (maybe that was the cause). I began having horrible stomach pains and cramps - the kind of pain and cramps where you actually think the alien will pop out at any moment. Eventually, I listened to my wife and went to the emergency room only to find out that I had appendicitis. Ha! I have never had surgery, and until my scopes had never been "put under". But within an hour after being diagnosed, I am being wheeled into an operating room where I have to keep telling everyone my name and birthday (I guess that is to make sure they don't get me confused with the guy who is having his gallbladder removed). Next thing I know I am groggy and really having to go to the bathroom in some dark hospital room with people poking and prodding on me. Funny thing is that this hospital was so busy they had to put me on the floor with the labor and delivery unit! One of our sweet friends, Pam Hill, suggested that I name my newly "removed body part" so that I would not feel left out among all of other "birthing" people in the hall. So, my wife and I proudly named my appendix Obama (we chose not to take it home).

The tough part now is being patient. I am home and resting per doctor's orders. I do feel better at times, so I get up and start doing stuff - then pow - I am tired (funny how your body doesn't like to be operated on). I have been able to catch up on some needed rest, fight off an awful upper respitory cold (still working on that), and watch some of my favorite shows like Ace of Cakes on the Food Network - Duff is the man! Hopefully, with another day of good solid rest and continued meds, I will be back to my routine soon. Thanks to all of you who have prayed, sent emails, cards, food, etc. - you all have blessed our lives! I hope you have a great week - who knows what can happen in seven days!