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

Time.....not enough of it!

Hey Folks,

I haven't had time to write lately. My job is very demanding and life in general is very demanding. However, I am doing well. I will try to write more soon. Please leave a comment or two and let me know if this blog is even worth the effort! I have many new pictures of my life and my failed attempts at cooking and other things to add to the blog. If you pass by the site please let me know and I will work harder to update it.

Have a great day!! Tony

The 10 most influencial people in my life........#10 Otis Brown Overby

Who in the world is Otis Brown Overby?! For those of you that have known me from high school you know who he is and you are smiling right now!

I met Mr. Overby when I ended up taking his Draftng I class during my sophomore year at Sullivan South High. He was definitely something else. I really did not like drafting but he seemed to grow on me and I took drafting II and III. These classes took me through my senior year. The classes were two hour blocks except for the senior year which was a three hour block and the first Drafting III class that Mr. Overby taught during his teaching career.

Mr. Overby, or Brown as we called him behind his back, had been everywhere and done everything. He was in the war, maybe two, and he was an accomplished draftsman. He spoke several languages. He was also very hard on us but there was something about him that drew me to him. He became a friend. I worked for him many times at his home and even helped him move from one home to another that he and his wife Kay had built. I believe what amazed me most about him was his peculiar ability with numbers. He is one of those guys that can do long division in his head in a split second.

Mr. Overby had a strong work ethic and encouraged all his students to develop the same. The more we became friends the harder on me he became. He definitely disciplined me more than any other teacher. He always told me to keep my eyes on the horizon because that is where the bird of opportunity flies. We spent many hours working together. He always encouraged me to stay in school and further my education as far as I could go. I can't put my thumb on any one thing he said or done to influence my life. However, I believe his influence came through the consistancy he always provided.

Stay tuned for #9. Have a blessed day! Tony

Life sometimes invades our plans.

Hey Folks,

It is good to have some time to write on the blog again. Times have been hard but God is still in control. I can say with all experience and authority that relationships and divorce are tough. For those of you that know me, I was married for over twenty years to my first wife. We grew farther apart through the years and I moved on. However, sometimes what we move on to is far worse than what we have been through. I married the person I thought I would be with life long. However, she turned into a person of my worst nightmare. I am continuing to have to deal with new court dates and other issues just to clear up the remaining dust of our marriage. Just today I had to print a page from her blog where she has implied things, accused me of things and just down right lied about me. I will give this to my attorney to be presented in court later this month. It is a shame that grown people sometimes behave this way. Sometimes marriages don't work out. When this happens, I don't understand why folks just can't go their separate ways and let things lay. That's enough about all of that. I have found that the high road of dignity covers the dust of the low road of despair every time. I will continue to take the high road.

Lately, I have been thinking about influence and those people who have influenced me the most in my life. I have developed a list of those folks and for those of you that know me and the people in my life the list will certainly surprise you. I will detail the list on my blog starting at number 10 and going to the number 1 person that has influenced me in my life. Reading the list and how they influenced me will be fun. Some people you may know and others you may not but it will be fun reading about them. I will try to add to the list every other day or so.

Lastly, thanks to all of you who have been praying for my father. As many of you know, we spent all of Christmas in the hospital with him. His procedures and his new pace maker are all doing very well. Please continue to keep him and my mother in your prayers.

Have a great day! Tony

"If you live each minute holding on to the edge of life you will never know how it feels to fall in to the hands of God."

A Friend.

Hey Folks,

Glad to be back and able to write. Not much going on here. Just the daily routine of life. I long for a time when I can live a normal life and enjoy the things I love to do. I am slowly getting there with new revelations each day. Sometimes I tend to jump into major decisions too quick. Each jump has been a learning point for my life. However, when I realize I may have made the wrong move the ramifications of changing that move are far reaching and will be a ripple affect on my life and others for years to come. Many years ago, I had concrete dreams and goals and was making great headway in achieving them. However, the devil got in the way and I tried to follow him with one foot and God with the other. I now live each day in the decisions I have created. Besides the Lord, I have only had one true friend in this life and I long to talk to them. We used to sit for hours and talk. I have come to the realization that material things are no good. All I need is the substance to get by in life. A good friend is more important than anything. A friend you can pour your heart into and trust and love. As for now, I will wait for my friend. We will come full circle. I am certain of that.

Have a great day. Tony