If you had to boil down the focus and purpose of this blog it would come down to the ideal of a strong family. I am an unashamedly proud husband and proud father, and at the end of this post I hope you will also see that I am a proud son. I love my wife and I love my children with a reckless abandon and I am very forthright about sharing that openly. Some view this as a weak trait or as a girlie trait but I solidly believe that there is no more manly trait than love for your family. Part of what shapes my world view is being the son of a strong and loving couple. My parents taught me from the time I was born that there is honor and worth in things like truth, integrity, hard work, loving others, people, the Bible, and nature. Though I haven't always valued these things with proper perspective I have always returned to these things and allowed them to shape me. Now my parents help to instill these same values and lessons in my girls while always yielding to my wife and I as the parents. Their help is invaluable and could not be bought anywhere as it flows from love for me and for their grandchildren. Their greatest lesson to me, and greatest gift, is the example of their lives. I honor them today and thank the Lord of heaven and earth for giving me to them. Their journey together as man and wife began 44 years ago today. Happy Anniversary Dad & Mom!!!
7/31/2008
A Legacy of Love
If you had to boil down the focus and purpose of this blog it would come down to the ideal of a strong family. I am an unashamedly proud husband and proud father, and at the end of this post I hope you will also see that I am a proud son. I love my wife and I love my children with a reckless abandon and I am very forthright about sharing that openly. Some view this as a weak trait or as a girlie trait but I solidly believe that there is no more manly trait than love for your family. Part of what shapes my world view is being the son of a strong and loving couple. My parents taught me from the time I was born that there is honor and worth in things like truth, integrity, hard work, loving others, people, the Bible, and nature. Though I haven't always valued these things with proper perspective I have always returned to these things and allowed them to shape me. Now my parents help to instill these same values and lessons in my girls while always yielding to my wife and I as the parents. Their help is invaluable and could not be bought anywhere as it flows from love for me and for their grandchildren. Their greatest lesson to me, and greatest gift, is the example of their lives. I honor them today and thank the Lord of heaven and earth for giving me to them. Their journey together as man and wife began 44 years ago today. Happy Anniversary Dad & Mom!!!
7/30/2008
A Little Bragging!!!
This is a video that Kim's brother made and sent to us from when Kim and the girls went up to Chicago. I hope you enjoy it and thanks a ton to uncle Curt!!!
frank's chicago trip from curtis carson on Vimeo.
frank's chicago trip from curtis carson on Vimeo.
More Obama Friends

I'm back on it like I just signed my record deal
Yeah the best is here, the Bentley Coup paint is dripping wet, it got sex appeal
Never should have hated
You never should've doubted him
With a slot in the president's iPod Obama shattered 'em
Said I handled his biz and I'm one of his favorite rappers
Well give Luda a special pardon if I'm ever in the slammer
Better yet put him in office, make me your vice president
Hillary hated on you, so that bitch is irrelevant
Jesse talking slick and apologizing for what?
If you said it then you meant it how you want it have a gut!
And all you other politicians trying to hate on my man,
watch us win a majority vote in every state on my man
You can't stop what's bout to happen, we bout to make history
The first black president is destined and it's meant to be
The threats ain't fazing us, the nooses or the jokes
So get off your ass, black people, it's time to get out and vote!
Paint the White House black and I'm sure that's got 'em terrified
McCain don't belong in any chair unless he's paralyzed
Yeah I said it cause Bush is mentally handicapped
Ball up all of his speeches and I throw 'em like candy wrap
'cause what you talking I hear nothing even relevant
and you the worst of all 43 presidents
Get out and vote or the end will be near
The world is ready for change because Obama is here!
'cause Obama is here
The world is ready for change because Obama is here!
-- Ludacris
7/29/2008
9 Days Away!!!

We are now only 9 days away from the day that many of us have been waiting for (people like our friend Nanc). In a short 9 days the 2008 Kansas City Chiefs will suit up in Chicago for their first preseason game. Today I bought tickets for their first preseason home game against the Arizona Cardinals on August 16th. Many people shun the preseason and discount it but when you are at Arrowhead Stadium amongst the entire sea of red and the roaring crowd it is always an awesome experience. My wallet says that the preseason is A-OK by me. An ordinary home game is well over $100 for Kim and I to attend and sit in the farthest reaches of Arrowhead. During the preseason we can buy two tickets to sit on the 10 yard line and in the 8th row from the field for $40. This is all on account of people shunning and discounting the preseason. To those people I say a heartfelt "THANK YOU!!!"
7/28/2008
The Kansas City Zoo
Though you've probably never heard of it the Kansas City Zoo is actually the 10th largest zoo in the nation. It is home to over 1300 animals and covers 202 acres. Our family has been friends of the zoo members for the past three years and we enjoy walking around and enjoying all the critters there. Today was a very nice day to be there as the morning was just a little bit rainy. This worked to keep the day on the cool side and to keep down the number of people at the zoo. To brag on our zoo a little I offer this. Ape expert Jane Goodall has been quoted as saying that Kansas City has “one of the finest chimpanzee exhibits in North America. And “America’s Best Zoos 2008” ranks the Kansas City Zoo as the number one zoo in the nation to see both chimpanzees and kangaroos. The kangaroos are not enclosed but rather they hop around freely on the same paths that you walk. Although they usually find a nice spot of shade to enjoy. There is also an IMAX theater inside the zoo entrance. If you are ever in the area the Kansas City Zoo is a great place to spend a day. Look us up and we'll show you around. The next big addition is suppose to be a polar bear exhibit that is to begin construction in 2009.
7/27/2008
Mmmm Mmmmmmm Good!!!


I had two things conspire against me today. The first was described in my last post - the picking of our very first peaches from our own tree. The second was reading Nanc's latest post over at Curtains. The post was about double dutch but in it she talked about all the canning and preserving she had been doing in order to put away good and fresh food for the upcoming winter. It got the gears in my head spinning. How could I have good peaches all winter long? My grandmother has been preserving the peaches from her orchard for decades by pickling them. They are delightful. However, my mind was thinking along the lines of peach jam. I decided to find a recipe for peach freezer jam and make a batch (or three). After a little family effort and a couple of hours time we have 12 pints of fresh peach freezer jam. Now if I only had a good recipe for homemade bread. Anyway, here's the recipe we used:
4 cups peeled, crushed fresh peaches
1/4 cup fresh strained lemon juice
1 package (1 3/4 ounces) powdered fruit pectin
1 cup light corn syrup
5 1/2 cups sugar
Preparation:
Measure peaches into a large kettle; add lemon juice. While stirring with a wooden spoon, slowly add the pectin. Let stand 20 minutes; stir every 5 minutes to blend pectin with fruit. Add syrup and blend well; add sugar and blend well. Cook over low heat to about 100°, just warm to the touch. Do not allow mixture to become hot. Pour jam into jars to within 1/2-inch of top. Cover jars at once. Let stand until jelly consistency. Store in freezer until ready to use.
7/26/2008
Our First Peaches!!!
It's time to take a little break from politics and step back and celebrate life. Today we had a great event take place. We had the privilege of picking our very first peaches from the peach tree we planted two years ago. Our tree, which the girls affectionately named Cherridy, produced 3 peaches this year. Our girls love to see things grow and have learned to enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables. They keep on saying things like, "daddy, I sure wish we had a farm." In the next couple of years we would like to make that wish come true. Then we'll plant a whole little orchard beside our big garden!
7/25/2008
He Ventured Forth To Bring Light To The World

The anointed one's pilgrimage to the Holy Land is a miracle in action - and a blessing to all his faithful followers
by: Gerard Baker
And it came to pass, in the eighth year of the reign of the evil Bush the Younger (The Ignorant), when the whole land from the Arabian desert to the shores of the Great Lakes had been laid barren, that a Child appeared in the wilderness.
The Child was blessed in looks and intellect. Scion of a simple family, offspring of a miraculous union, grandson of a typical white person and an African peasant. And yea, as he grew, the Child walked in the path of righteousness, with only the occasional detour into the odd weed and a little blow.
When he was twelve years old, they found him in the temple in the City of Chicago, arguing the finer points of community organisation with the Prophet Jeremiah and the Elders. And the Elders were astonished at what they heard and said among themselves: “Verily, who is this Child that he opens our hearts and minds to the audacity of hope?”
In the great Battles of Caucus and Primary he smote the conniving Hillary, wife of the deposed King Bill the Priapic and their barbarian hordes of Working Class Whites.
He travelled fleet of foot and light of camel, with a small retinue that consisted only of his loyal disciples from the tribe of the Media. He ventured first to the land of the Hindu Kush, where the
Taleban had harboured the viper of al-Qaeda in their bosom, raining terror on all the world.
And the Child spake and the tribes of Nato immediately loosed the Caveats that had previously bound them. And in the great battle that ensued the forces of the light were triumphant. For as long as the Child stood with his arms raised aloft, the enemy suffered great blows and the threat of terror was no more.
From there he went forth to Mesopotamia where he was received by the great ruler al-Maliki, and al-Maliki spake unto him and blessed his Sixteen Month Troop Withdrawal Plan even as the imperial warrior Petraeus tried to destroy it.
And lo, in Mesopotamia, a miracle occurred. Even though the Great Surge of Armour that the evil Bush had ordered had been a terrible mistake, a waste of vital military resources and doomed to end in disaster, the Child's very presence suddenly brought forth a great victory for the forces of the light.
And the Persians, who saw all this and were greatly fearful, longed to speak with the Child and saw that the Child was the bringer of peace. At the mention of his name they quickly laid aside their intrigues and beat their uranium swords into civil nuclear energy ploughshares.
From there the Child went up to the city of Jerusalem, and entered through the gate seated on an ass. The crowds of network anchors who had followed him from afar cheered “Hosanna” and waved great palm fronds and strewed them at his feet.
In Jerusalem and in surrounding Palestine, the Child spake to the Hebrews and the Arabs, as the Scripture had foretold. And in an instant, the lion lay down with the lamb, and the Israelites and Ishmaelites ended their long enmity and lived for ever after in peace.
As word spread throughout the land about the Child's wondrous works, peoples from all over flocked to hear him; Hittites and Abbasids; Obamacons and McCainiacs; Cameroonians and Blairites.
And they told of strange and wondrous things that greeted the news of the Child's journey. Around the world, global temperatures began to decline, and the ocean levels fell and the great warming was over.
The Great Prophet Algore of Nobel and Oscar, who many had believed was the anointed one, smiled and told his followers that the Child was the one generations had been waiting for.
And there were other wonderful signs. In the city of the Street at the Wall, spreads on interbank interest rates dropped like manna from Heaven and rates on credit default swaps fell to the ground as dead birds from the almond tree, and the people who had lived in foreclosure were able to borrow again.
Black gold gushed from the ground at prices well below $140 per barrel. In hospitals across the land the sick were cured even though they were uninsured. And all because the Child had pronounced it.
And this is the testimony of one who speaks the truth and bears witness to the truth so that you might believe. And he knows it is the truth for he saw it all on CNN and the BBC and in the pages of The New York Times.
Then the Child ventured forth from Israel and Palestine and stepped onto the shores of the Old Continent. In the land of Queen Angela of Merkel, vast multitudes gathered to hear his voice, and he preached to them at length.
But when he had finished speaking his disciples told him the crowd was hungry, for they had had nothing to eat all the hours they had waited for him.
And so the Child told his disciples to fetch some food but all they had was five loaves and a couple of frankfurters. So he took the bread and the frankfurters and blessed them and told his disciples to feed the multitudes. And when all had eaten their fill, the scraps filled twelve baskets.
Thence he travelled west to Mount Sarkozy. Even the beauteous Princess Carla of the tribe of the Bruni was struck by awe and she was great in love with the Child, but he was tempted not.
On the Seventh Day he walked across the Channel of the Angles to the ancient land of the hooligans. There he was welcomed with open arms by the once great prophet Blair and his successor, Gordon the Leper, and his successor, David the Golden One.
And suddenly, with the men appeared the archangel Gabriel and the whole host of the heavenly choir, ranks of cherubim and seraphim, all praising God and singing: “Yes, We Can.”
Loud & Clear

"We have jammed about as much as we could have in a week, but in terms of our Muslim outreach back in America, in terms of my consistent message, it's always been that I have the deepest respect for the Muslim community. One of the things I want to do in my first year in office is convene a summit of Muslim countries, so that some of the suspicions and mistrust that has developed between the United States and the Muslim world can be broken down. We're going to need the help of all people of goodwill -- especially Muslims of goodwill -- if we are going to solve some of these problems."
The underlying message here seems to be that we need to convene this summit in order to apologize to muslim countries for us mistrusting them and explain to our own American people that they should not blame muslims although it was exclusively muslims who killed our fellow Americans in New York and who take aim at our brave troops by strapping bombs to women and the handicapped and who kidnap our fellow Americans and behead them in a display of joyous triumph although they would wet themselves if they had to face our weakest unit on an open battlefield. AAARGH!!!!!!
7/22/2008
Carbon Footprint a Sasquatch Would Envy!!!

Where is Al Gore's righteous indignation about this little gem? I guess it will come shortly after the day that Al Gore applies his ideas to himself and leads by example. If we made a list of everyone that gives Obama a free pass for things they would condemn others for we would certainly have writer's cramp.
HELP!!! Anyone?!

Dear Midwest Airlines Traveler,
As you've likely heard or read, Midwest Airlines is in the process of restructuring to adapt to extraordinarily high fuel prices. One key part of these efforts is making difficult but necessary changes to our flight schedule.
We're sorry to inform you that Midwest is discontinuing service to some of our markets and reducing frequency in others as of September 8, 2008. Our records show that you currently hold a reservation on a flight to one of these cities on or after the discontinuation date. If you would like Midwest to attempt to reaccommodate you, contact us at 866-613-1390 and reference the same confirmation code. We thank you in advance for your patience when calling, as we're helping a significant number of customers with similar requests.
Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused by this change.
Has anyone experienced anything like this and have any advice? I've tried the above number for the last 28 hours and is has been busy each and every time. I also found 2 other numbers (one national and one local) for Midwest Airlines and those have also been continually busy leading me to wonder if the phones are off the hook and actually not being answered at all. I purchased these tickets last December for this coming December so as to have everything set way ahead of time and to receive a good rate for booking way early.
7/21/2008
A Happy Pappy
7/20/2008
My Man Weekend

Since my lovely wife and wonderful children are still away until Monday I have been spending the weekend doing typical "manly things." Friday after work I went for a motorcycle ride with a couple of my co-workers.

After I rode home I went out for a good steak dinner with my father. Just the two of us.

Then I went to a friend of mine's house to play a couple rounds of Texas hold-em. There were 14 of us guys and everyone had a great time. I actually got knocked out with the hand shown above. How do you get knocked out with pocket aces? I couldn't believe it either.

Saturday morning I went out for another ride and had a philly cheesesteak with mushrooms and a chocolate shake.

Saturday night I had to make a decision between a rodeo or a truck and tractor pull. A friend of mine was in a little event where 3 guys compete by the 1st guy holding a cow still (that would have been my part), the 2nd guy attempting to put a saddle on the cow, and the 3rd guy trying to ride the saddled cow to the end of the arena. The winners get $200. It definitely sounded like fun to me but being a bit of a gearhead I opted for the blaring sound of excessive horsepower being unbridled. I LOVE how that sounds and feels!!! Some people do things like these to "be a man." I do them only as a way to celebrate being a man with other men. All in all this celebration was good for my man-soul.
7/17/2008
Booker T. Washington Predicting Jesse Jackson

"There is a class of colored people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs, and the hardships of the Negro race before the public. Having learned that they are able to make a living out of their troubles, they have grown into the settled habit of advertising their wrongs-partly because they want sympathy and partly because it pays. Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances, because they do not want to lose their jobs."--Booker T. Washington, 1911
7/16/2008
Thank You My Best Friend for 13 Years of Marriage

A White Rose
'The red rose whispers of passion,
And the white rose breathes of love,
O, the red rose is a falcon,
And the white rose is a dove.
But I send you a cream-white rosebud
With a flush on its petals tips;
For the love that is purest and sweetest
Has a kiss of desire on the lips.' -- John Boyle O'Reilly
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