White Trash Stache Bash

To see all of the pictures from the "White Trash Stache Bash" click here.
There were a few scandalous people and outfits at the party, but all and all, it was way fun.
Jason's stache was quite nasty and mine was Tim Mcgrawish. :) Lee looks like a redneck panama Jack.

Bad Attitude

I woke up at 3:45AM this morning to drive to Charlotte to fly out, well for none other, Houston, TX.  The day started off with a nice ticket that requires my court appearance.  I got on the interstate and as soon as I did, bam, small town trooper gets me.  Anyone know anyone around Laurinburg,NC? 

I get to Charlotte and of course the airline confiscates my rounds of ammo.  Telling me that they are not packed correctly.  I explained to the nice man at the counter that I travel every week for the last 3 months and travel with the same container every week and through about every airport with no problems.  I tried to be as nice as I could, but I really didn't like that.  So now, when I get to Houston, I have to go buy more.  It is so stupid the hoops we have to go through in this country to travel anywhere.  I wish we didn't have to deal with terrorism.  It would be a lot easier if they just made everyone walk naked through all the lines, this would eliminate all the searching.  Okay, maybe not, we would have lots of other problems!

I will take a nap on the plane and wake up a lil happier about flying. 

...

if ever simple song I wrote to you would take your breath away, I'd write it all.....  "Hey There Delilah"....Sandy doesn't like when I listen to it, but I sneak behind his back and listen.  He will be married soon, sniff, sniff. 

Sunday Night Packing Up

Yes this is a picture of Jason Grier from high school. Yes the is also a good picture of God's grace and seeing how far He has brought Jason in the "looks" dept. Praise Him.

Jason is having a party on Friday at 10:00PM in Columbia at 3505 Park Street if anyone is interested. This is no ordinary party. This party is a "White Trash Stache Bash" party and consists of everyone wearing their best redneck gear. Many of you from Dillon will come as your normal self, this is okay, and welcomed. Tavaras will come as our token brother from another mother, but he has been known to rock a camo hat and chew on straws.

Facebookers can find Jason's party here.

Back to Houston for the week :)

Life in a Rental Coche

So another week closes and it has just been long and busy as usual. The days all seem to be always crazy and it's never dull that's for sure. I've learned something about myself over the last few months that I never really knew even though the Bible is very clear about it. We need rest. We need to Sabbath. It's just been go go go for the last couple of months and I just really haven't thought about it. I haven't taken a real vacation since I started working and usually only take a day here and a day there. Americans needs vacations as a break. Christians need a break from their day to day to rest and reflect on life, repent, breathe, relax, eat, and just spend time with the Lord. I just haven't really done that in a long time. I have no real excuse. I heard my pastor at church say, "it's not that we don't want to read the Bible, it's that we don't plan to read the Bible." I just plan my day away on a daily basis because it so hectic. I went from a guy to never plans anything to a guy who has about every minute of the day with a note beside it. I live by email, cell phone, Avis, Continental, and Jason's Deli. Today it all just seem to add up and God just reminded me that I need to rest.

He has blessed me with this ability to just be easy go. I rarely worry about anything and never really have bad days. I just enjoy life and have a good time. This is a gift from the Lord and nothing that I can take credit for. So many things just didn't go right today, they just kept adding up. I had so many places and things to do, then my cell phone of 4 years finally breaks. This was a bit frustrating and God reminded me to start writing stuff down instead of a cell phone being my idol. Well, I pulled over on the interstate after getting into ATL airport and took it apart, put it back together, Praise God it worked for the rest of today. (this is apart of my daily life in my job.)

I've been looking forward to watching "The Bourne Ultimatum" all week. I live for the weekends and seeing my friends and hanging out. I rushed all the way to the movies only to find out it was sold out. I got pissed off. I NEVER, well RARELY get just pissed off. Maybe 1 time every 2 years. I got in the car and just went home. I just laughed when I was driving down the road in my Avis Ford Taurus, (I just sold my Wrangler) on the ride back from the airport. I pulled over on an exit, met a guy, he gave me money, I gave him keys. Well anyway, I just stopped in my brain and being pissed for a moment and acknowledged to the Lord that I knew I was pissed off and I laughed. I said out loud. "I'm pissed off." I have no idea why at this moment. It just seemed like all of the last few months just kinda summed up into one moment. So through all of that paragraph of raps with God on my ride back home, God reminded me that I need to rest and breathe for a little while.

Moday 3AM - drive to ATL
Arrive in Houston.
Work a week.
Friday - Fly Back
Weekend - rest.
Sunday - book ticket for
Monday - fly back to Houston.

I am just learning how to balance everything and get my priorities in line. I need some time in the Avis car this weekend as I go look for a "newer" ride somewhere! I also have some big decisions to make regarding my future and I would appreciate your prayers. I want to make the right moves in this life but ultimately I know God is Sovereign and knows. He has given me opportunities and I want to be a good steward of those.

I really enjoy writing and writing this blog made me feel better. I'm laying here in bed with my nice lil lap pad (that protects my future generations) and believing that heaven is going to be sweet, full of rest, and a table with good food, good friends, and the King of the Universe, forever. Forever.

Traffic

I don't really get mad in traffic and usually just find it funny what some people do.

This guy pulled in front of me really REALLY close this morning and right as he did, I notice a huge dent in the back of his fairly new car, I thought, "he has done this before."

Was my body made for this?

So I woke up at 3AM Monday morning to drive to Atlanta.  Your body, well at least mine is NOT made to wake up that early.  So now I find myself at 4:07 writing a blog because my clock is all mixed up now!

It was a busy and productive day and no bullet holes were found in my body. 

Sad news is that a guy is buying my Jeep on Friday and I have not been in town long enough to find another ride to replace it!  So I will be searching online this week to find a new ride!  Who knows, might have to take another flight up to Nebraska and buy another one, or, maybe not. 

I'm going to sleep again. 

Plain White T's

Generally I like to confess stupid stuff here on my lil blurb on the internet. I mentioned wearing another man's underwear by accident a few weeks ago after some accident at the wash n fold service. Well apparently I didn't throw them away and ended up wearing them again! He is almost my size apparently and likes the white boxer briefs, but I don't know that guy so that is not cool. I mean if it were Sandy, it might be okay.

On another note, I have to confess that I really like this new cheeseball song "hey there Delilah" by Plain White T's. I know I might be hated by some but it is the sweetest coolest song.

Well I am going to bed, I have to get up at 3AM to fly out of Atlanta tomorrow. Looks like it's back to a Snicker's Ice Cream bar to keep me awake :)

Balance is the spice of life

I am all about a good balance in this life. In this video, you can see that Ed is a very caring father and a baby hog as Julie calls him.

The other side of Ed is this one:
I say..."Ed, I know what I will do with all my frequent flyer miles and hotel points, I will save them for my honeymoon someday."

Ed replies, "Justin, those things expire."

I say..."they are good for at least two years."

Ed smiles.

See Ed is a good balanced friend for my life. He is often awful, but I still like him.

Well back on the road this week and I applied to be on a gameshow, it's ABC's new gameshow. I sent a picture in and a lil blurb but the casting was this past Saturday and I had to fly out.

We shall see.

An interesting day

Today was another wide open day in Houston.  My morning started out in the ghetto, again.  I was working in an area that the police enjoy hanging out around.  One stepped up to my car and asked if I knew any martial arts.  I explained to him that I knew how to pull a trigger instead, he laughed.  A word of advice.

Dear Avis Rent a Car,

I have appreciated your service and your appreciation of my business.  Yes I have been renting from you for going on 3 months straight.  Yes, I know you love me.  Oh yeah, I do appreciate you upgrading me to the Saturn Vue this time.  Yes I noticed the big sticker in the car "YOU'VE BEEN UPGRADED."  I do have to say though, Avis, it is not good for you to give me a Saturn Vue to be driving around in the Ghetto.  I usually either drive a Jeep Liberty, Chevy Suburban, etc, but the Vue is just not going to cut it around the drug dealers.  OH and another note, could you please buy car in some other color than WHITE>  I am sticking out like a sore thumb.   Oh, and could I get bullet proof glass next time? Thanks.

Love,
JT

Okay so back to the policeman.  Apparently they had a big bust yesterday because there were undercover guys all around me wearing bullet proof vests and laughing at me for being out there.  I just kept pointing to my side like I was some cowboy in the Wild West.  They laugh. 

Later in the day I met a black woman who was very nice.  We talked for a few minutes about the problems of racism in our country and we talked about what it is going to take to get rid of it, or at least a lot of it.  She was really nice and I was glad to speak with her.  I felt like Jesse Jackson for a moment.  Well except, Okay, not Jesse Jackson. 

Later I met a few cops who shared with me all of the bad things that go on in the neighborhood.  (Keep in mind I have been there for almost 3 months).  1 hour before this, I saw a man hanging from a 2nd story apartment.  I am almost positive he was breaking in.  I had to keep walking, I don't get paid to be policeman Justin. 

The day ended with a whole lot of sushi.  AND THEN, I get back to my Hampton family and they tell me I have won $50 in their drawing.  I was happy :)

Now I am finishing up some work and searching Google News to see if I was on the news today.  There were choppers flying all over my head. 

Back at it tomorrow.

Houston #456

So I was flying out a week ago and this nice young lady started talking to me in line.  She was really nice and was interested in hearing about what I do for a living.  Sometimes it's a little tough to explain but I got it out.  So of course, I asked her "what do you do for a living?"  She replied with, "I work in entertainment."  I smiled and said "oh, okay."  We talked for about 10 more minutes and went on our way, she ran to one terminal, I ran to another.

Was she a stripper?

What exactly does "entertainment" mean?

Creative

I was watching "Dirty Jobs" today and was reminded again how creative God is!  Hippos have to be the funniest animal, well, not really but they are hilarious.  Mike Rowe is my favorite person on television.

Stay out of the bushes

So, since I was a child, if I get within feet of poison ivy, I GET IT. I am very aware of my surroundings usually but somehow managed to get it again! This looks absolutely disgusting which encouraged me to share it even more. It has been making a steady climb up my leg so I had to wash everything to make sure it wasn't on any of my shoes or clothes. GROSS. I want to just take my skin off during the day it itches so bad!

I love having a blog and being able to share these gross images with you all.

To Dine with Papa or Alone

So I don't have my people here in Houston this week and for a few days, I'm solo.  I had to make a crucial decision that is usually easy to make.  Where to eat?  The person deep inside me said to just get Papa J's takeout and eat it in my hotel room.  But, the other side of me said, "nah, JT, you want some good sushi."  So I chose to eat alone and go grab some sushi at http://www.konagrill.com.  I have eaten there a few times and love it.  They have some of the best ribs!

Most people probably wouldn't think this but man I can be self-conscious.  I never really thought I would be that guy, but when you are in a city, away from all your people, and all of your comfort, it gets magnified.  I found there are actually websites devoted to teaching people how to eat alone.  Man, what a crock.  It's easy, just sit there and look like a loser.  JK.  I don't just sit there.  I try to look like I'm normal and try to at least interject somewhere that I do have friends but I am on business. 

I ended up convincing my waitress to go on a cruise.  No, not with me, with her husband.  I made it a short dinner and early night after downing my crab crunch roll and something else????

So it's an early night and work starts VERY early tomorrow.  The good news is I spent a few hours in the ghetto today and did not get shot, the blessings keep coming :)

Booked

Back in Houston.  Nothing like ending a nice day of work with a cruise BOOKED.  Yes we are booked and Mexico bound September 10th-15th if anyone is interested in going with us :)

I found an awesome deal!  You can't be $367 for a 5 day cruise! 

:)

A fun weekend with my friends

So this was a fun week and a fun weekend of hanging out. It's amazing how much you miss your friends when you are gone for a while. I enjoyed catching up with everyone and just being stupid as usual. We went to a Greenville baseball game. Pretty fun and the stadium is super nice.

Tonight we spent making our own pizzas. I actually just wanted to grill out but I am glad we did the pizza thing, they were so good.

I head out for Charlotte tomorrow and then fly out to Houston again on Monday for another week of work. Crazy life begins again!

We are booking a cruise for September 10th-15th if anyone is interested. I found an awesome cruise for $350!!! I am super excited and have not taken a full week's vacation since I started working. This will be crunk. "Crunk" has been redefined by me as to entail, dancing, eating, eating, and hanging out all day long doing nothing :).

Hangout and Pizza Night

A good week with family :)

My family goes to Cherokee, NC every year for a really relaxing week of camping. This year was the same, very relaxing and a good time to chill out with my family and enjoy God's creation.

My parents had typical Tanner luck on the way back when their car broke down :(

Cherokee 2007

It strikes again

I officially have poison ivy again!  It is all over my legs and I do believe it could have possibly crept into other regions.

More news later, once I find out.

:) 

In heaven one day, I need to ask God about poison ivy and gnats.  And gnomes. 

This shout-out goes to my friend Rachel

You know it's really neat when you have friends that just encourage you by being who they are.  I had dinner tonight with my friend Rachel who happens to have a new boyfriend, go Rachel West.  She is a really neat girl and just being around her encourages me to be a stronger person.  I love how we can be encouraged. 

 

Well this week is about done and I might be taking a few days off finally after a long time of NOT.  It will be neat to just chill out for a few days and relax.  It's tough to slow down, and chill after you have been going full speed for so long.  I think I will be okay :)

 

JT

Back Home, woo hoo

So after a few delayed flights and then one LONG straight RUN across the airport in Houston, I found myself missing my flight by approximately 30 seconds. It's amazing that a door can close so fast in such a short amount of time and translate into a LOT of extra time for me and trouble. All and all, I flew into Columbia airport instead and drove a rental to Greenville and arrived home at 5:30 AM. I fought sleep for 5 minutes just so I could enjoy how nice my bed feels!

These pictures are with Ashley and Josh Jones and their "New one."

The Tour

So I am almost home. After finishing a lot, and I mean A LOT of work in Houston, I will be heading home soon. I finished work on Friday and decided to head up to see some friends of mine near Dallas in Plano,TX. This was a few hour drive and was well worth it. It's fun to be around old friends and catch up, even if they are married :) I hung out with Ashley and Josh Jones, formerly Ashley Anderson. I went to The Village Church tonight with another one of our college friends. This was a pretty cool church and the worship was really really good. The worship leader shared his testimony and it was also quite amazing. It reminded me that no matter what we have done, we are all on the same playing field with Jesus. It doesn't matter if you have murdered someone or lusted after someone, you need Jesus the same. There is no "bad" or "badder." You are either with Jesus or without Him. Great church.

I went out to eat with a large amount of women. This was quite funny. I was wearing a pink shirt and I am sure that many at this place probably just assumed I was the gay friend who did all of their hair and nails. I did learn from all of the older ladies that cellulite forms around the age of 45 and if you don't go to bed early, the bags under your eyes form quicker. I would be in trouble if I were a woman, whew.

The good news is that I managed to wear my own underwear today and for the past few days. Although, I did somehow manage to buy size 42 boxers. In case you aren't in the "know", I wear around 32-34 and these are just a tad big. I will be visiting you back Old Navy. I fly back tomorrow afternoon and I am excited to be in my own bed for at least one week before flying back out again.

I am finally settling down in my life and this feels good. I say settling down and I'm gone more than I am at home. I just mean that I am committing myself and being available here and there. This is a good step for me and I have been successful so far. It's actually getting easier.

I am again reminded that I am not a trailblazer. I have so many ideas but struggle to push them into being. I need someone who can do the implementing and let me run alongside. There are so many projects I have in my mind.

Off to bed in Ashely and Josh's place, after enjoying some chocolate covered strawberries :)

JT OUT.

Steps of the Day

<< My hotel room most nights.

#1 Wake up early this morning and visit, guess, guess, Lakewood Church with Joel Osteen. 

#2 Yes you read #1 right, I had to ask myself twice before I decided to go.

#3 Go visit Lakewood church.  I have this huge car at out here.  It's a 2007 Suburban and much like driving a bus.  I first tried to park in Handi-cap, which I didn't mean to do, but turned around and hit the garage.  They have a huge covered place to park cars so you don't have to chill in the rain.

#4  Visited by a large number of people and made to feel very welcome.  We took a shuttle over to the church that holds 16k people.  We must have stuck out like a sore thumb because everyone knew we were visitors.  Maybe it was my flip-flops.  Maybe they read my blog, hehe. 

#5  My friend and I are guided by a woman named Willie Mae to the visitor section.  We joked on the way down to the visitor section, "We are going to sit front row!"  Well we were close, we actually were taken down to the front row but then realized there was only 1 seat and we needed two.  We were then taken to the 3rd row.  Had we sat on the 2nd row, which was also an option, we would have been sitting directly behind Joel. 

#6  There music was pretty exciting I must say.  Everyone was rocking out and having a good time. 

#7  Joel speaks about 5 minutes.

#8  More music, Joel leaves.

#9  Victoria, his wife, speaks for about 10 minutes.

#10 Music,

#11 Joel comes back in to speak for a little while.  His message wasn't that bad.  He shared a few stories from the Bible and mainly talked about how God will finish what He starts in your life.  I agree with this, but a lot of his focus was on the success of each of us in many worldy things.  God wants us to be successful, but it would be nice if the church didn't focus on that so much.  Jesus wasn't mentioned in the majority of the service.  I was surprised that He was mentioned in the gospel presentation and Joel did use the word "sin."  He said if you stand up and receive Christ today, your sins will be left behind.  His gospel presentation was more than I thought he would do.  After the King interview and he mentioned that they didn't talk about "sin" much, I wondered. 

#12  My friend really wanted to meet Joel.  We are working 7 days a week out here and I told him that we had to get back to the hotel to gear up for work.  So I agreed to walk around the building to walk by the "meet n greet."  The funniest thing happened.  Just as we were talking about how funny it would be to meet him, bam, we walk right into him.  We both say hi :)  Pretty funny day.

All and all.  The verdict is still out on Joel.   Much of his preaching is focused on what God will bring to your life. Most of it is focused on this "good life" that Jesus didn't really mean.  If we define "good" as roaming with no house, never knowing where you will sleep, and finding food here and there.  This can be a good definition of "good."  The abundant life that Jesus speaks comes in many things.  It might mean that we can have joy in death, because we know Jesus conquered death.  It might we can have joy when life gets us down, because we know this life is temporary.  Our life should not depend on how big our car or bank account is.  It should hinge on Jesus and how many people we introduce him to and the life we live for Him while we can.  The abundant life seems to exist by letting Jesus live in us so we can live out for Him. 

I will say that many people are excited about Lakewood and they seem to have a very well rounded ministry that reaches many parts of Houston and the world.  I just wish his teaching had more meat to it. 

It is 3:00 and I just finished doing my expense reports for the past month.  I will wake up in about 3 more hours and do it all over again.  Please pray for me, I have become a work-a-holic.  This is a season, this is a season :)

Oh and a few more things

#13 I got upgraded to have a jacuzzi in my room so I took a bath for the first time in 7 years I do believe.  This was a waste of time.  I sat in there for 5 minutes and realized that you sit in dirty water and if you aren't married, it's just not any fun.  Ahhh c'mon, everyone knows married people play checkers in there.  Right Chris Moody?  Poor Lod. 

#14  I had sushi tonight

#15 Picked up co-worker / friend from airport.

#16  Finished expense reports at 2:30AM

This is why I love my Friends

From miscellaneous

I am sorry Chris and Lod for what Greezy and I did to Cocky. We just did not feel comfortable around him until we did something mean to him. Loved the wedding though :)

Highlight of the last few days

Well, you know you have working a lot when one of your highlights is the fact that you found a "La Washateria" that will wash, dry, and fold your clothes very cheaply.  This was quite lovely to dump off a pile of clothes and have someone else do them for you.  Maybe that's why guys get married.  Okay, I'm kidding, do not send me hate mail.  I don't mind doing laundry, or dishes, but DO NOT LIKE FOLDING clothes.  Enough about that story.  I tell you all that to basically say that after I got my nicely folded laundry back and in my room, it's only about 12AM that I am realizing the boxers I currently have on, well they aren't mine.  I noticed when I put them on that they felt a little snug.  This is not uncommon lately as I've gained a few pounds I feel like.  Well as I'm sitting here now finishing up some emails, I am quite sure that I am wearing another man's drawls.  Now I feel strange.

Living on the Edge

Things familiar. Why is it that we like familiar things so much? I've been in a new place now for going on two months and I already have my familiar route. Walking through the airport, the friendly ladies at Avis now know me and we chat about how great Itunes is. The front desk at Hampton Suites are my new family and make me feel good by saying "welcome back Mr. Tanner." (They also provided us with new beds :) )

The girl at Schlotsky's always smiles and I tell her she works too much.

The friendly hostess at PF Chang's, well we are on nick-name basis now and I call her "lefty" after eating there two nights this week. You can't beat the food/price comparison, so good!

The Jewish man at the local ghetto convenience store now knows my buying habits and one day I didn't buy water, he says.."no water today." And I remember and then go buy some. The next day he looked like he was about to die and told me "I'm very, very sick." I hope he is okay.

Either way, it's neat how quickly we can get in a pattern in our life. We almost fight our way to make it that way.

I've been able to drive a lot. Please notice how I like to live on the edge in this picture :)

This week I'm pushing a Chevy Suburban which is convenient because I'm working in the suburbs. (Please, why did I say that.) Anway, I like it, it makes a nice noise when you back up and if you are about to hit something, it lights up on the back and makes a lot of noise. (I had to test the system). It also plays the rap music very well.

The astros are my new favorite team, if you have a t-shirt, you are a fan.

Interesting Work

Yes that is a crack spoon with lighter accessory. Click Linky for more pictures.

It begins again

Well, it's that time again for me to hit the road for another 3 weeks. Well, since it's been so long since I was out there. The good news is, I won't be working in the yucky area for the most part and will be working in the million dollar home section. Nice :)

I guess it's a good thing I'm not married right now. This would be pretty tough to leave all the time if I had a wife and kids at home. I don't know how people do it. It's tough enough leaving my roomies and friends :)

Goal for the week:

Workout. Eat. Work. Work. Workout. Eat again.

Travels Travels Travels

There are perks to being on the road a lot. Free personal hotel stays, free airline miles so I can take trips that I never have time to take, and lots of free food.

The bad thing about it is...you are on the road making money and you never have time to spend any of it. For going on 4 years, I have carried the same cell phone. It is time for a new one and I will be rewarding myself this way.

http://www.apple.com/iphone/

So another HOT HOT HOT day, I also learned today that the neighborhood I worked in today generally has a stray bullet hit it about every other day, so the odds are not in our favor as we are there the rest of the week.

Always remember to just nod your head and say hi to the people high on crack and smoking weed. This helps you achieve maximum life.

I come home on Friday for 2 days then back out for almost an entire MONTH. Will someone come visit me?

Still Alive

It is not 1:22AM and I am calling it a day.  I have officially worked 16 hours today, is that normal?  Man I am straight up DEAD!  I took my shirt off right before I hopped in the shower and it looked like I still had it on.  I have the biggest farmer's tan you will ever see.  I am Tanner than you :)

So the good news is that I did not get shot today.  I did see many police cars and a few news helicopters flying over, most likely looking for murderers, yes killers.  I was only cursed at like 2 times this week.

People here smoke weed like cigarettes and are not ashamed of it.

Some kids also tried to steal my laptop and one was contemplating on throwing it in the pool. 

To sleep I go.

Cops

So if you happen to watch "Cops" and see Houston on the screen, look and see if you see me carrying about a few laptops running from people. The good news is, I made it through a long week and weekend without getting shot. Things I learned from the week:

1. Every 4th Hampton towel is a soft one. Not quite as the soft ones my mommy gave me.
2. I learned at least one new gang sign this week. I can teach you, but do it secretly.
3. Driving a new white Chevy Uplander though the ghetto is not the best way to lay low.
4. Used condoms are found in some interesting places in Houston.
5. I learned that the local drug dealer is much like an icecream man, he puts a speaker on the outside of his car to let everyone know he is coming through. (I am not kidding.)
6. Drug dealers are easy to spot. Look for a brand new car in the ghetto, that's your guy.
7. I have become a work-o-holic.
8. I have eaten at every restaurant in Houston.
9. You can watch a baseball game LIVE in the air-conditioning. Yes, the Minute Maid Stadium is awesome. I got a few hour break today and caught and Astros game!
10. I love my friends and miss them. I even might break my Dillon strike and go visit my family :)

11. The next person who asks what I am doing out here, I'm going to tell them that I am coordinating their flux capacitor to 14

Jiggawatts!

. :)

nice.....

After a long day and losing about 5lbs, it's nice to get out the shower and find that there is nothing like a nice q-tip right in the ear :)  Nice and clean, ready for sushi :)

The week begins...

So back in Houston and just got into my hotel.  It's fun to travel to same place over and over, you start to form a routine and people smile at you and know you when you walk in.  The lady that works the counter at the Hampton knows that I like to watch Lost so when I came back from dinner last week, she had the tv in the lobby already piping in Lost.  I came in to Avis today and the girl that always works there, well, she was still working there.  The Schlotsky's I like to eat at in the Houston airport, well she is always working when I get my Ham and cheese w/ salt and vinegar chips.  I've realized that it is not so fun sometimes to be in places where you don't know anybody and everyone is a stranger.  I look at my friends differently when I get back home after each trip, I actually miss them :)

So this is the week that I will be in the worst area of Houston.  I was told that there are more than 20 gangs in the hood I will be working in.  This is the reason that along with the 8laptops we packed up for the trip, I also pack something else to go along my side.  Yes, this is necessary.  I like my job but I will not die without putting up a fight! 

Hopefully I will be alive to write more blogs :) 

Oh yeah, another thing.  I really think there is something about my face that just attracts people that need money.  What in the world.  I love helping people but lately, in the same stinkin hotel parking lot, I get approached by people who either need food, gas, or money.  I've become very blunt with these people and actually kinda enjoy being like that.  Now of course I have a gentle spirit, but I am very clear..."dude you smell like alcohol, are you telling me that you have not had a drink"......"yes, I quit many years ago..." It's tough sometimes to discern who is telling the truth and who is lying through their teeth.  I'm getting better at it though!

Another Week on the Road with God

So we just finished up a nice Memorial Day party that entailed a cookout and then a miniature dance party.  I've been gone the past few weeks and away from all of my friends, it's so nice to come home and be around people again.  I just love people.  There are personality types that like to be at home and not go out much and don't really like being around people, this blows my mind and I cannot even comprehend it.  I do like my alone time and appreciate a nice long ride in the car with no noise, but I always looks forward to times spent with friends.

Now on to character flaws and things I want to work on.  The past few weeks, we have literally worked some 85 hour weeks.  I lost 5lbs last week and I ate like a hog, that should tell you something.  I'm below 190 and I haven't been there in a while.  Well except the time I got sick when I moved into Canterbury and only ate crackers and water, but later returned to the downstairs to film "Herbert Running like Lance Armstrong." Tangent, sorry.  So back to a character flaw.  We have been working like crazy and I realized that I don't trust people.  I tend to try and take on a lot of work instead of trusting that others will take care of it.  I do this in my personal life as well.  I'd rather just do things, that way I know they get done and don't need to depend on anyone.  I know this is a problem.  It would make life a lot easier to trust people with tasks and allow them to help me.  I am going to try. 

While I am at it, I can share another.  I need prayer.  I really struggle on the road to read my Bible.  Being tired is not an excuse but it is what I use and I think my brain is so many other places that I just lose focus.  If the Lord brings this to mind, please pray for me that I will find strength when my body tells me to just go to sleep.  I can see how it is easy to get side-tracked when life gets busy.  This saying one time was BUSY - buried under satans yoke.  Kinda cheesy, but can be very true if you let it control how you focus your relationship with the Lord.  I've struggled the past few months. 

This was not supposed to be negative blog, but it sounds like it.  I guess I'm just learning that I can't do everything on my own and I need people to help me.  On another note, a friend of mine went on a mission trip to South Africa.  She sent me a support letter and like I always do, it got stuck in a pile of mail and I forgot about it.  When I finally remembered it, she already had the support she needed.  I happened to be in Houston so I just sent the money I had with me, which happened to be $60.  It was a small amount and after hearing her story, I wish I would have had more. 

She told me about a man she met at the beginning of the week.  He was working at a mill but had decided to help them translate for the week.  He wasn't being paid, he just happen to be a believer and wanted to help.  Long story short, by the end of the week, she had gotten to know him pretty well and he seemed like a really awesome guy.  He mentioned that he wanted to go to Bible school but did not have enough money to go.  At the end of the week, she told the pastor of the church that she wanted to help this man with his bible school.  It turns out that the money he needed was pretty much the money that she had.  Honestly this made me cry to think that such a small amount of money could mean so much to someone.  #1 I wish I would have sent a lot more.  #2 It is very humbling to see what the Lord can do with our small gifts.  #3  She told him my name and he said he was going to pray for me because she told him that I wanted to go to Bible school someday also. 

It's easy to think sometimes that the small things we do in this life don't mean much, but they do and the Lord can use any gift.  I really like stories.  I want to be an old grandpa someday that can sit around a campfire and tell all the kids crazy stories.

Welp, back to the office tomorrow for the first time in WHILE!  Then off to Houston for 1.5 weeks.

I might buy these

So I am totally against tighty whities as they are called. In my job, I am constantly surrounded by radio signals and equipment that is transmitting all the time. To top it off, I spend a majority of my day talking on the cell phone. Often I place the cell phone between my legs just to place it somewhere so it won't fall. Often I look down and realize that this is probably not good for future generations of Tanners and will move the cell phone and put it in the console.

I do have to admit that the above undies are quite interesting to a guy who is trying to think about his future generation :)

Another long long day of work, but I did have a great dinner tonight at Fogo de Chao. It's a Brasilian Steakhouse, MAN SO GOOD.

Chris Moody is married

Chris and the "Lod" are married.  It was a great wedding and very personal.  I love weddings that are personal and the things said are from the heart and maybe a tear or two is shed. 

Top 3 or 4 reasons Lottie is for Chris:

1.  She got him out of his small "bachelor pad"
2.  He came off a K$$$$$ to buy a phat ring.
3.  He bought a house
4.  She's awesome and he is out of his league :)

They are playing checkers right now, by the way.  (Checkers is Christian for "doing it.")  I always wonder why the church is so quiet on talking about sex, it was God's idea people.  For married people to do it.  We should get comfortable saying it. 

On another note, for some reason I thought it would be okay to leave Columbia at 1:00AM and drive back to Pendleton, whew, the decision we make.  Thank you jack-in-the-box for staying open late and serving me a diet coke and a croissant at about 4AM :)

Thank you continental.com for your website allowing me to try and book a flight on Sunday to leave Sunday. 

Thank you friends who will pray for me, that despite being busier than I have ever been in my life, I will find time to read the Word and pray.

Thank you Simmons for making the Beauty Rest mattress that I am about to crash in.

Thank you fan people for making the fan that will make that special noise that puts me to sleep. 

Thank you Layla for trying to lick my feet while I type this blog.

Thank you Layla for the fart you obviously just lit because now my room smells funny.

Thank you friends for being my friends.

Need Sleep!!!!

So far today, here are a few stories from the Houston area.  I was working in the ghetto today and this is just some of the things I've heard / seen.

1.  A woman explaining (screaming) at another woman that it was okay for her to sell herself because "all my bills are paid."
2.  A kid that could barely walk screamed at and cursed at so bad that it would make a sailor cringe.
3.  A woman propositioned "something" in exchange that her power wouldn't be turned off. 
4.  A car was repossessed in a matter of 10 minutes.
5.  Many people cursed at / around.

It was quite an experience working in one of the worst areas I've ever been.  It has been 4-5 straight nights of 12AM to 3AM and I am SLEEPY!  These are the days you wish you were paid by the hour :)

Chris Moody gets hitched in a day! 

I'll tell you what I like...

I like for my hotel room to be about 67 degrees...this is about the temp that forces u to jump into the king size bed like it's a swimming pool in the middle of the summer.  I just love it.

I will tell you now what I do not like.  I do not like when people get picked on.  Not just in a friendly way, but in a really mean way in which someone is trying to belittle another person.  At a Japanese sushi place tonight, a guy was complaining about his food at the table beside us.  I seriously am a patient person but I about lost it and told this man that he should leave.  He was making fun of the ladies in the store and trying to talk like them, just being an idiot.  Lord forgive me, I really wanted to punch this guy and had already sized him up to see if he could beat me up.  I think I could have taken him.  I just don't understand why people treat people so badly.  There is no way they lay down at night and feel good about themselves.  We made sure to tell the waitress that we thought she was great and I also added that I wanted to take my chopsticks and stab in his , oh wait, I shouldn't be thinking all this.  Forgive me Jesus.  Anyway :)  Either way, man I love sushi.

Oh yeah, don't think you can get away with out anyone knowing......see link.

Around and Around

Leave on Monday, Fly to Houston, do a days worth of work, fly back on Wednesday.

Leave again for Houston on Sunday, worked my butt off, well not really it's all still there, but you get the point.  It is HOT here!  I don't think I've sweat this much in a long time!

Fly back on Friday to hit the Chris and Lod super shin dig that is going down.

This is prophecy, Chris moody is going to get married.  Sinners, get your life straight and ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins, He's coming! 

Back to worky, and eaty, and sleepy.  I like all of these, eating the most :).....

My Friend Ed

I secretly think Ed wants me to stay single. About daily, I get messages much like this one :)

Prayer

A co-worker / friend of mine at work just lost his son in a car accident.  His son was killed and a friend of his, and two others were badly injured.  It is so tough sometimes to comprehend death but I do comprehend a God who says He can comfort during times of hurt.  I know you don't know these people but please pray for Dan, Lorraine, and their daughter Jenny as they deal with losing their son/brother. 

Every time I go to a funeral, it humbles me and makes my brain spin and think about how fragile we really are in this life.  It puts Jesus' words in perspective for me and to know that Jesus has conquered death.  We don't have to fear death when we know Jesus and what He has done.  Regardless of whether you are a believer or not a believer, the pain is still the same. 

How many people do YOU need to have conversations with?  Mom? Dad? Brother? Friend? Neighbor?  I can think of a few I need to have.  It seems like talking about the Bible, reading the Bible, nothing comes to life until we actually do something that it says.  I like the Bible described like a two edged sword, sharp and piercing on one side and healing on the other side. 

I am going to bed, for some reason I thought it was okay to stay up until 12 AM when I know I have to wake up at 3:30 AM to catch a 6AM.  :)

Call from Ed

Ed called me today and translated Mary Addison thoughts and mumblings....

Mary Addison: "Uncle Justin will you allow me to be your flower girl?"

Me: "If you don't mind doing it when you are 15."

Ed thought this was really funny and the picture below is the reason I am worried about Ed being a father. I'm wondering when she will be driving tractors, wakeboardings, or cutting the grass.

Picture further illustrates my point:

Forgive Me

Forgive me Men, for I ate cottage cheese and peaches for dinner.  This is a record. 

Mark Driscoll on Church Planting

This video was banned at a church planting conference, interesting. I love Mark Driscoll though.

Ed and Julie had an addtion to their house

Not quite an extra room, but a baby~!

Happy Yesterday Birthday Mary Addison!

To the Dirty South!

So I am heading to the dirty south this fine day. That's Atlanta for the white people. I have my first voice lesson/consultation. This is basically where someone who knows a lot shares with someone who doesn't know a lot. I hope this really helps me get some good feedback and move forward. She is one of the top people in the business and has been in some tv shows as well as coached stars like Harry Connick Jr. I'm excited! I am kinda tired of waiting around for something to come along and I am willing to work at this.

Okay so Ed and Julie are about to have a baby, Chris Moody is about to have sex, I mean, get married. Well, and I went to the grocery store, u know the place where fast food is on the shelf, and I came home and cooked my own food. I think these things could all be prophecy being fulfilled. Ed bringing a kid into the world?

Jesus must be coming back SOON.

The Daily

Some people call it BS, and I think most of you know what BS stands for.  Bachelor of Science.  Okay, jk.  I realized today that as I get older, I'm less and less inclined to "bachelor of science" with people, I'm becoming much more of a straight shooter.  :)  I'm also becoming less tolerant for people who "bachelor of science."  :)

Poor Dog

Sandy,

I am sorry for how I torture your dog :)

your roommate and friend,
JT

Crazy Day

It's amazing how crazy technology is.  I was supporting a demo in Asia tonight from my computer in Pendleton, SC.  Is that not the coolest thing?  I am working on my nerd status, I'll have the card in the mail soon. 

Also, someone said the guy in this link looks like Matt Damon with gas, haha, wow, it really does.  Not that I've seen Damon with gas, but you can imagine.

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/portable-media/nabs-xmsirius-satellite-radio-merger-poo+pooing-debunked-254400.php

What in the world?

So I was driving yesterday and I have always wondered about cars with Fish on them.  The fish as everyone knows identifies "believers" but I've always been really skeptical about putting one on my car.  I just don't want to do something stupid on the road one day and make Jesus look bad by my driving.  I know that probably sounds stupid but I see a lot of people on the road that can't drive worth a flip and they have a whole family of fish on the back of their car. 

I saw a car with a fish on it yesterday and as I pulled up beside her, I saw that she also had a "Shut-up and Drive" sticker on her gas cap.  The sticker was a big cell phone with an "X" over it.  Basically, she was telling people that she was a Christian, she was also telling them to get off their cell phones.  That's okay and cool, until I got a little closer to her and see her chatting away on her cell phone.  I had to laugh.  Really hard.  I wanted to hold up my cell phone and then point to her lil sticker but I refrained from being a jerk, well just yesterday :) 

If you have a fish on your car, that's awesome, but make sure you are a good driver and don't routinely cut people off in traffic and drive like an idiot :)

Sunday Thoughts

For some reason as I crawled out of bed this morning, I decided not to go my usual route and chose to get out on the "wrong" side of bed.  So far, it has not affected me in anyway and I have been very happy today. 

1. Cleaned house
2. Drove Motorcycle
3. Smiled as I walked into my clean room
4. Sprayed weeds in the yard
5. Got my hair cut
6. Now I prepare for small group where we will discuss prophecy that says when Chris Moody gets married, the end times are near.

Shooting Competition

So the crazy thing is that I am writing this blog while riding down the road.  No I am not driving, but sitting in the backseat of a co-worker/friend's car.  The Verizon card is definitely pretty cool!  Our company sponsored a clay target shooting competition with 18 teams of 4.  We went down and placed 3rd.  I wasn't quite sure how well I would do because I haven't shot on a course ever, and haven't shot skeet in well, I really can't tell you when, lots of years.  Okay, so I will brag, I got 3rd place :)  If you are being attacked and you are at my house, feel safe, I'm a good shot.  I've also realized that I'm not skinny.  I think guys that gain a little weight should embrace the fact that in an ice storm, we will keep everyone warmer :)

 

It really is crazy that I just wrote this blog at 65mph :)

One Quick Word

If you give blood, don't try and run a few hours later.  If you like running, you are weird and I shouldn't be your friend.  I just don't understand how people can enjoy doing it?  The only time I want to run is if someone is chasing me. 

I am heading out to shoot in a competition tomorrow in Swansea, wish me something positive!

Interview with Tavaras Brockman

So Tavaras and I had a good time hanging out this weekend and are contemplating starting our own show. So maybe we won't go that far, but this was what we "spent" a few minutes doing on Saturday :)

Monday Fessions

Okay, so I'm not generally a Justin Timberlake fan, but a few of his new songs are pretty tight.  "What goes around" is pimp tight song.  Okay, so maybe it's not a great message, but I thought I should confess that I like the beats and vocals.  Forgive me.

Big Teeth

A day off work always does me some good ;)

Daily Dose

So sometimes, you have a day where you come home and really have no intelligent conversation left in you. Ever feel like that? This video will further illustrate my point :) Remember, if you choose not to be my friend after watching, I will understand.

Sunday Night Stay Up Late

So you know you are tired, when you come home from church and pretty much sleep from 4PM to 9:30PM. You wake up and feel like something is definitely wrong with you. I got back into town late Friday night/early Saturday morning and probably worked more this past week than ever. It was HOT in Houston! And the pollen is JUST as bad out there as it is here. I also think that every single person in Houston either owns a leaf blower or a dog. Or maybe a combination of the two. If they didn't have a leash in their hand, they had a leaf blower or a weed eater. It was a good trip and I finally found a friend out there. You get tired of going to dinner by yourself, if I'm eating good food, I like to talk about it with other people, and if you are sitting at a table alone, you tend to look weird if you talk. I get random smiles from people at other tables. I wonder if they think, "that poor guy, he has nobody to eat dinner with." :) A friend I went to college with lives there now with her husband so she is going to be my new Houston friend. I also met one of her friends who used to give flying lessons. I flirted with the idea of getting my license, and I think I might really start thinking again about it.

The Stripclub

So I made it to  Houston and found my way through the mobs of traffic.  I think I have an idea on how we can fight the fanny pack mafia.  See, those men that are walking around airports wearing fanny packs, they must be stopped.  As I look at some of them, I realize that they are someone's father, maybe even someone that might read this blog.  I have figured out how to stop this epidemic.  I want you to go call any man or woman in your family tonight and make sure they are not "wearing."  Fanny packs, that I know of, were never cool.  ESPECIALLY if you are a man, you should not EVER wear a fanny pack.  So if someone in your family is "wearing", please warn them.

 

So I went to eat Sushi tonight and sat at the bar alone.  It's neat eating by yourself sometimes, you discover new things about yourself.  I've realized that when I am alone, I am not super super outgoing and my normal crazy guy self.  I am much more laid back and quiet.  I downed a lot of sushi and headed out.  I ran into a man who needed a few dollars to catch a bus.  He was probably one of the most interesting men I've met on the street.  I usually never believe what they say.  This guy's name was Tommy and I think I believed him.  His speech was very well and he was very educated.  Long story short, I was able to share the gospel with him after he shared stories of the strip club across the street.  I love listening to people talk about strip clubs, boobs, and other nasty stuff when all along I know I am going to share the gospel with them.  These are the easiest because they cannot lie to you and say they are this super Godly Christian.  This guy told me his story and said that he had lost millions in the Enron scandal and also when his restaurant was closed down because a delivery person killed someone while on duty.  We talked a little about money and this guy really knew his stuff.  We talked about evolution, this guy knew his stuff.  I told him that none of anything we said mattered unless he knew Jesus.  He went on and on.  We talked about Matthew 7 where Jesus says that some will say to him on judgement day, "we did all these things in your name.." and He says, "Depart from me you workers of iniquity, I never you."  I told Tommy that those were the scariest words in the Bible for me.  Those words often sober my thoughts and make me analyze myself and whether I really "know" Him.  Tommy thanked me for talking to him and I thanked him for the same.  I told him to go out and share the gospel and to quit going to strip clubs :)

 

The most amazing part of this story is that this man raved and raved about Lakewood Church, home of Joel Osteen.  Gosh I want to run into Joel.  I'll hug the craziness out of him.  :)

Hair Loss, Color Change, and Fighting Fat

So I celebrated yet another year of being alive and turned the ripe nice age of 27. It never ceases to amaze me how fast the years fly. I feel like just yesterday I was jumping on an old dirtbike my dad went and bought me when I was maybe 13. Now I think back and that was almost 14 years ago! Props to my many friends who called and sent me nice text messages. Major props to my mommy who sent me a goody basket filled with some of the best brownies I have had. It was filled with a wind chime which I have already hung and another sign that you are old when you super enjoy getting a wind chime for your birthday. It was also filled with some healthy and some not-so-healthy snacks! I love my mommy.

It's amazing the times you realize how important time is.

1. On the way to the airport as you are fighting traffic.
2. After you have went the 2nd round at the carwash and have no more quarters.
3. When you find Jesus at 65 and think back on the time you missed in this life.
4. At the Zaxby's drive-through at 10:01.
5. When a friend passes away.

I really am trying to focus on the NOW of my life and stop thinking about the future. I struggle so much with that, it makes me miss the big and small opportunities. I want to have fun in this life and run a strong race that Jesus can be proud of. I want to recline at His table in glory and not feel like I wasted it. I've noticed in my nice age of 27 that I don't have time for people to complain, so I will complain about them. :) I haven't encouraged other people as much as God has encouraged me. I haven't given as much as God has given me.

I'm off for another week on the road. I'm going to be working in an area where reportedly there were 6 people shot in the same week. This is encouraging. You can say a prayer that I don't get hit by a drive-by in Houston, I'm not joking by the way. The last time I was there, I was cussed out just by standing with my computer in my hand. If you are my friend, I love you, if you aren't, I love you too.

and..Clemson Wins

Went to the last home Clemson basketball game. What an awesome game, they had general admission and the place was packed. Over 10,000 people!