The Good Life.

Hey Folks, I had almost forgotten how to access the blog. It has been too long. All I can say to sum up my life is.....Life is Good!

Livin' Life Blessed!

Hey Folks,

I have not written on this blog in months. Life has been busy with family, work and kids. As usual, there have been many changes but they have all been for the good. For the first time in my life I am truly happy and going in a great direction. I have a wonderful wife, Jennifer, who is my soul mate. She completes my sentences before I can. Our rhythm as husband and wife can not be matched. I am teaching Sunday school and have a wonderful job. I once made great money and had a lot of 'stuff'. Now we get by well but we don't focus on the material things of life. I can breathe again. I will soon be 45 and I never thought of my self as getting older. However, life is moving on and I have embraced it. I will try to write more often on the blog. I don't think many people read it but it is therapeutic for me!

Have a great day!

At Last !!!!

Hello my friends,

Finally things have completely changed and my life is wonderful. I have left all of the rough happenings in the past and am moving forward with full speed. Jennifer, my wife, and I have big plans and a great future ahead and I am excited about both!

Last night at church our pastor preached on God's undeniable grace. It makes me feel so blessed to be a child of God. I have definitely had hard times but He has still held me in the palm of His hand. His love is so strong and his forgiveness is eternal. As long as we stay true to God, He will provide leadership and stability to our lives.

I'll say it again, God is great!!

Hello again!

It has been a long time since I posted an entry. There are several reasons for this but I won't go into them. Life is still plodding along. Sometimes in fast mode and other times in slow motion. I have been working hard on school work and at work in general trying to stay on top of things. I am finally used to living at a significantly lower salary than ever. I have finally found out that it doesn't take a lot of money to be happy. Not having much financial resources has forced me to become acquainted with and enjoy the various opportunities that are around me that are God made and free. I find joy in a simple hike or a day of trout fishing with my father. I have also begun to enjoy biking through the mountains and swimming in little used swimming holes that are distant from the road and other people. It is difficult for me to fill the empty holes in my life. I realized I just can't do it. I decided quite sometime ago to let God fill those spaces and He is doing a wonderful job!

I will go for now. Blessings to you all! Tony

Wiping off my brow and pushing forward.......

What can I say?! I have made many mistakes in my life. However, I can say there has been many more positive things in my life than negative. I absolutely hate to mention prior relationships and ex wives. However, I have learned in the past few years that there is no hope for an ex wife to move on with their own life and simply leave mine alone. Sure I realize, in some circumstances, there are lingering financial responsibilities that may tie two unwanting people together. But there is no need for an ex wife to twist the truth and lie about any part of the relationship just to draw attention and sympathy to her. My ex wife has continued to portray the 'bleeding heart' and plead the victim to everyone she can find. However, she fails to remember the life I left behind to be with her. I will be the first to say that ever being with my ex wife was the biggest mistake of my life. The Bible teaches us that the devil will present a temptation and make it look so attractive and be the right thing to do but in the end we only find hurt and destruction. That is what happened to me. I made the mistake of marrying my ex wife after being married for 22 years. She drained me in every way and I allowed her to do it. How stupid can a man be? She still falsely magnifies my faults(and creates new ones) just to continue to draw support from family and friends. Her ex husband stated he had to carry her around in a cotton lined basket and I firmly understand why he would say such a thing. Sorry for the rambling. Sometimes it is difficult to take the high road.

For the first time in my adult life, I know what it means to be truly happy. I have found that the true love from a real woman is the main strength of a man. I hope each and every person that reads my blog finds the right person to spend their life with. For so long, I wanted someone to stroll along the path of life hand in hand regardless of the weather. I thought I had found that but now I know I have.

Take care, Tony

President Obama.....Oh my!!

Hope you are well. As most of you, I am growing more concerned about the direction of our great country. I was fed up with the Republican party during the last two years of the Bush administration. However, I am more concerned now than I have ever been. The health care bill, rising taxes, the number of riots and the growing hatred and racism of Americans can only spell out that our once great united nation is heading for a fall. The far left does not have a clue, the far right does not know where to find a clue and the mid stream Americans are living in a state of confusion. Then you have the tree hugging, save the planet liberals who think all you have to do is dance around a daisy patch bare foot while smoking a joint and all will be fine.

Don't get me wrong. There are still some hard working Americans that want our great country to survive. However, I am afraid those folks are the minority. Within ten years, it will be all but impossible for the middle class to make ends meet. Many people have there head in the sand and refuse to see the incredible damage that is being done. President Obama is not the deliverer. He is part of the fulfilment of God's plan. The only way our people can survive is to 'cleave unto that which is good.' The only good think I know is God's grace.

I will stick with what I have said for many years.......Bill Oreily for president!!

Have a blessed day! Tony

The Walkers knew how to live.

Time away! It is very hard to find nowadays! However, my beautiful wife and I found the time this past weekend to travel to the Smokey Mountains. We had a beautiful day on Saturday to hike and enjoy each other's company. We visited the old Green Briar School and the Walker Sister's House. It was fun to sit and wonder how life must have been back then. I am sure the work was hard and consistent. However, we decided we would definitely trade this modern day life of craziness for the life the Walker sisters enjoyed many years ago. We bought a book that gave an overview of their life in the Smokies. It was awesome to see the actual place you had read about. It was easy to imagine them there and how they lived. We also rode our bikes on the trails and had a wonderful time.

I have realized over the past few years that life is just too short to carry around a lot of drama, troubles and materialization. I have had money. Lost it all. Earned it again. Bought toys. Lost it all. In all of this I have learned that happiness is the most valued possession. I have searched for years for true happiness. I thought I had a hold on it a few times but it somehow slipped through my fingers or wriggled free from my grasp. I believe I tried to hold on to happiness too tightly by embracing material things and doing what I thought others wanted me to do. I have finally found a life that is happy with no strings attached. I am to the point where I can finally be me. I believe I will follow the advice of an old 38 Special song that is one of my favorites. I will 'hold on loosely but not let go.' I have said that before but have not held on being truly the man that I am. It feels good to be free.

Have a blessed day! Tony